Have you ever been at the office and had to endure a sniffling, sneezing and contagious sick coworker. If you are like most people, that description makes your entire body want to tense up and look for an excuse to bolt out of the office and get as far away as possible. Well, you are not alone.
According to a recent survey by Accounttemps, “Three out of four workers say they go to work sick, and a third of workers worry about being exposed to their sick coworkers, according to a recent survey by Accountemps, a staffing service for temporary accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals.
In an article by Cassandra Spratling in the Detroit Free Press, she suggests that “Few people are impressed by coworkers who work while sick. According to the Accounttemps survey of 437 workers 18 years of age or older employed in an office environment, close to a third said they are concerned about their own welfare when coworkers come to work sick. Only 8% of workers appreciate coworkers so dedicated they work while sick. Half of employees surveyed said their managers encourage them to remain at home when they are not well. Only 11% felt their bosses discourage them from taking time off.”
When it comes to illness, some people just don’t think about extending a professional courtesy to their co-workers, and staying home. By coming to work while they are sick, they risk infecting their co-workers and the family members of their co-workers. It just doesn’t make sense to jeopardize so many people for the sake of coming to work while they are sick.
Some people feel that despite their illness, they would be letting the company down by not coming to work and doing “what only they are capable of doing.” Baloney! When you work out the lost time, productivity and hardship that sick employees inflict, by infecting their co-workers, it is a no brainer for them to just stay home until they get well.
Some professionals who come to work sick, think they can earn points with their boss. They hope it will impress the higher ups that they are willing to go the extra mile, and work even when they don’t feel well. When you stop to think about their performance while being sick, it is usually subpar and prone to mistakes. So why encourage them to come to work?
The remedy for this “sick scenario” is a strong statement from the boss, communicating the policy for sick employees to stay home when they are ill. By doing so, it will prevent sick employees from feeling guilty about not coming to work, and will encourage them, if they feel up to it, to work from home until they are completely well.
Tom Borg is president of Tom Borg Consulting, LLC. He is a business consultant, speaker, coach and author. Please see more of his blogs at AdministrativejobsBlog.com and if you are interested in a better career in administrative jobs visit our site today job postings at Nexxt
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