Tired of Your Co-Workers Passing Colds Around?

I woke up this morning feeling horrible including a fever of 101. I did not go to work because my cold is that bad. And, this is my second cold of the season, both caught directly as a result of my work place. I thought this would be a perfect article to post today given my own personal circumstances.

March 8, 2006 -- Many U.S. workers refuse to call in sick even though this attitude risks infecting their co-workers and compromises productivity, according to a new national survey.

In fact, 35% of U.S. workers said they felt pressured to go to work when they are sick with the flu , even though this causes about half of them to get upset when a co-worker does the same thing. When asked why they feel pressured to show up, 60% of employees said they are concerned about their work not getting done, 48% said they feel guilty for missing work, and 25% said they don't get paid for sick days. Other reasons include fear their boss will be angry and concern about losing their job.

So-called "presenteeism," or workers' being on the job, but, because of illness or other medical conditions, not fully functioning, can have a serious impact in the workplace. In a typical year, the flu in the workplace may result in as much as $10 billion in lost productivity, according to estimates from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID).

"The phenomenon of presenteeism is very relevant with regard to influenza," says Susan J. Rehm, MD, NFID medical director and a doctor in the department of infectious disease at The Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.

"We hope that by discussing the topic and helping people to better understand the symptoms and prevention and treatment of the flu, they will be better able to handle workforce pressures and the pressure that they put on themselves to go to work even when they have the flu," she says.

"One of the objective ways that people can make a decision about staying home is the presence of fever," Rehm advises. "Most colds aren't associated with fever whereas the flu very commonly has fever associated with it and it's likely that fever will be seen along with others symptoms that will make the person think twice about whether they want to go to work," she says, adding that studies have proven that staying home for a day or two can boost productivity in the long term.

According to the survey, 58% of respondents said they have had co-workers come to work sick or with the flu this winter, and 30% said they have contracted the flu virus from a co-worker. What's more, 40% of people are annoyed and 46% are sympathetic when a co-worker comes to work with the flu.

Stay Home if You Have a Fever

But Neil Schachter, MD, medical director of respiratory care at Mount Sinai in New York City and the author of The Good Doctor's Guide to Colds and Flu, says the awful truth is that most people are actually contagious in the 24 to 48 hours before they come down with the full-blown flu. "You probably exposed most of your co-workers to the flu before it hits you," he says. "If it's Monday morning and you start to feel sick, stay home because you have not infected your co-workers yet."

Try and remember that "it doesn't help the company to spread the flu to everybody there, and even the most aggressive boss would not want you around if you are going to bring everyone else down," he says. "It is a good attitude to show up and do work and not let everything stop you, but you need to take winter respiratory infections seriously."

An Ounce of Prevention

Fifty-two percent of the employees surveyed said their organization does not have a plan in place to prevent the spread of flu in the workplace.

That said, the best way to stay healthy during cold and flu season is to "wash your hands. Wash your hands. Wash your hands," he tells WebMD. "Make sure you get a flu shot, and if you are over 50 or have underlying health problems, get the pneumonia shot, too," he suggests.

Rehm adds that not getting paid for sick days is a huge issue. "One would hope employers will continue to look at these issues of productivity and establish policies that will make it easier for workers to stay home appropriately," she says.

Conducted by the NFID, the new survey comprised 978 adults aged 18 and older who were employed full-time and was conducted Jan. 26-30. A follow-up survey was conducted Feb. 9-13.

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SOURCES: Neil Schachter, MD, medical director, respiratory care, Mount Sinai, New York City; author, The Good Doctor's Guide to Colds and Flu. News release, New National Survey Shows Employees Feel Pressured to Go to Work, Despite Being Sick With Flu. Feb 27, 2006.