Singer Zayn Malik shocked fans back in March when he announced his departure from boyband One Direction and it has now been revealed that his decision sparked an onslaught of distraught workers calling in sick from their offices to process the change. 

Alan Price is a director at employment law firm Peninsula, which provides advice on staff rights in the workplace, told Britain's Telegraph newspaper that following Malik's departure there were a flurry of calls from grieving staff members who wanted time off to deal with the news:

"In terms of famous celebrities and their impact on employees, Zayn Malik has to go down as a person that has caused the most upset."

"Social media has certainly been a factor in this, with employees responding with their thoughts and feelings. The reaction is certainly more significant than when Take That split up or when Robbie Williams left the group."

Price added: "Personally, I believe people employees have to toughen up. Zayn hasn’t died, I’m sure this won’t be the last we hear from him; everyone has to put this into perspective."

"I would advise any employer who receives a compassionate leave request to refuse it - unless the employee concerned is directly related to Zayn. Enforce that the employee takes it as holiday leave, if they feel that strongly about the situation. People need to grow a thicker skin - this is not an excuse to take time off work."

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Watch footage of Simon Cowell discussing Malik's departure from 1D here: