Stress and presenteeism is draining productivity in the UK, according to new findings.

Research published by business psychology company Robertson Cooper revealed that nearly two thirds of employees attended work despite being sick.

The most common reasons cited for this are fears over their career development and increased pressure in the workplace.

But this is having a knock-on effect on productivity, according to the study, which showed that productivity levels for employees who fall ill drops from 75 per cent on 'normal days' to 55 per cent when they are ill.

Professor Cary Cooper, professor of organisational psychology and health at Lancaster University and founder of Robertson Cooper, said that employees are trapped in a "vicious cycle" where stress at work is causing a rise in 'presenteeism' and lower efficiency, which then results in further anxiety.

Separate studies published earlier this month by the European Agency for Health and Safety at Work (EU-OSHA), found that 51 per cent of workers believe that work-related stress is common in their place of work.

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