Two-fifths (40 per cent) of employees say they’ve called in sick when they weren’t actually ill to extend a weekend or attend a social event during the summer, according to a new survey by Dayforce Inc.
The survey — which polled more than 2,000 full-time workers in North America and the U.K., including 479 Canadian respondents — found while eight in 10 (79 per cent) said work-life balance would improve their well-being, the same percentage felt pressure to maintain year-round productivity during the summer.
Read: 42% of Canadian workers say they’re less productive during summer
Notably, the percentage of Canadians who said they completely disconnect from work during summer vacation has dropped for the third straight year. In 2025, only 39 per cent reported disconnecting, compared to 42 per cent in 2024 and 50 per cent in 2023.
Several employees said they sneak in some extra time away to make the most of the summer months, including logging off or leaving work early (47 per cent), extending their lunch breaks (45 per cent), using messaging apps to appear available while offline (34 per cent) and leaving early on Fridays without telling their manager (34 per cent).
The survey also found the line between work and personal time continues to blur. Fewer than a fifth (16 per cent) said they missed out on time with family or friends because they had to work during vacation. A similar percentage (15 per cent) said they worked secretly while away and 11 per cent pretended to be sick so they could work instead of relax.
Among those who didn’t expect to take vacation, 28 per cent said they couldn’t afford it, while 20 per cent said they were too busy and 18 per cent said they didn’t have enough vacation days.