Employees under the age of 30 are much more likely to take time of work because of a cold, according to a survey carried out by vitimin producer Multibionta. The study, which involved 3,000 working adults in the UK, showed that over 70% of under-30s had taken a sick day during the past year. Contrastingly, just 46% of over-55s said that they had taken a day off.

The generation gap was also evident in other responses to the survey. Under-30s took more time off due to stress than their older counterparts, and are more than twice as likely to call in sick due to a hangover.

More worryingly, an enormous 86% of respondents under the age of 30 claimed that they found their jobs to be stressful. With evidence suggesting that around 30% of employees are working longer hours, the need for greater balance between individuals' work and home lives has never been more pressing.