Barriers towards being absent from work when unwell: Staffing pressures (Hungary) "...they may be more concerned that there will be nobody to replace them, and there will be inadequate staffing." (UK) "But I think the issue with ward managers and that grey area is that if you send somebody home who are you going to replace? That member of staff, there's never a spare person." (UK) "...and then we curse them (the absent HCWs) because they've left you in a position where you've got no staff again." Sick leave (Hungary) "As long as sick leave does not pay a hundred percent of their usual salary, which is often the case, they will continue working or take some paid leave so they would not suffer a loss of income. Even in cases of MRSA..." (Hungary) "Self-employed staff are reluctant to report (sick)...following an illness with diarrhoea they should not resume work for 48 hours as they are still spreading the infection, but they often say they 'do not care' because they are not paid ..." (Germany) "There is this fact: Germany's employees do not take sickies, because the economy is now worsening and it tends to make people get their acts together..."