A single mum has defended going into work with Covid - because she can't afford to take a day off, she says. Emma Smith, 36, says the cost of living crisis has made taking sickness leave a financial burden. The office assistant's monthly food bill has tripled to £300 and her energy prices have surged.
Those costs on top of childcare means taking a day off would leave her out of pocket, she claims. She claims she doesn't get sick pay as she is contracted through an agency and doesn't meet the qualifying conditions, and can't work from home. So Emma, from Cambridgeshire, went to work on Monday while feeling ill.
The mum-of-one said: "I knew I was sick. I didn't want to go to work and make people sick. "But it was half term and I have just started a new job. I don't have the luxury to call into work and say I am sick."
