An Accountemps survey shows nine in ten workers admit to coming into work with cold or flu-like symptoms, and a third of workers admit to always coming into work even sick with any illness.
VP and Senior Recruiting Manager for Robert Half Carrie Lewis says it’s up to managers to set the expectation that sick workers will stay home, or else they risk taking out the whole office.
“At the start of cold or flu season, remind the staff to avoid spreading the illness by staying home when they are sick. If management dictates it, it will be prevalent throughout the whole organization,” says Lewis.
54 percent of those who admit they’ve rolled into work with a cold or the flu say it’s because they have too much work to do, another 40 percent admit to not wanting to use up sick leave.
The survey found stark generational differences. Lewis says only about 27 percent of workers 40 and older admit to always coming into work when sick, versus 39 percent of workers aged 25 to 40.
“They are in the mid-level positions, so they could be feeling the pressure to perform at a higher level no matter what is going on so they can grow their careers and hopefully be up for that next promotion,” says Lewis.
It’s 2019, so Lewis suggests to remember that not all jobs have to be done at the office. If you’re contagious but still capable of working, see if you can do it from home until you are safe to return.
“If you feel that you might be contagious, but feel that you truly are up to the task of doing that work then managers can give that telecommunication option. It’s fantastic, and solves the problem all around,” says Lewis.
The survey questioned 2,800 workers in 28 cities around the country.
