Published: March 17, 2008 01:48 pm            

HEALTH: Employers ask sick workers to stay home

You’ve probably sat next to a co-worker with a cold who is sneezing and coughing away.

So, with flu season in full swing, here’s a tip to give them.

“If you are sick, stay home and take care of yourself,” said Tom Musbach, managing editor of Yahoo! HotJobs. “The sooner you get better, the better it will be for your employer.”

But many people don’t listen to this advice. A December 2006 survey by Harris Interactive found that 98 percent of U.S. employees have clocked in when they are sick. Showing up at work ill even has a word: “presenteeism,” the opposite of absenteeism.

Heading to work sick may spread your germs to other workers. And it’s likely that you are not going to be as productive.

Richard McKenna, sales and marketing manager at Hatteras Press in Tinton Falls, N.J., said companies would prefer that sick workers stay home.

“We look for zero defects in our manufacturing, and somebody who is sick is not at the top of their game,” McKenna said.

But the company does reward employees who are well enough to come to work, giving out incentives for not using sick days during the year, he said.

Why would some workers show up to their cubicles sick?

People may just be wrapped up in their work, said Dr. Steven Crawford, medical director at Meridian Occupational Health in West Long Branch, N.J.

Another group of people may need to save up sick time to care for sick kids. Or, employees might not be able to call in sick without losing a day’s pay or even their job, said Kate Kahan, director of work and family programs at the National Partnership for Women & Families. Nearly half of private-sector U.S. workers, and 79 percent of low-income workers, don’t have paid sick leave, Kahan said.

“That puts millions of people in a position of having to choose between their health or their kids’ health,” she said.

Her nonprofit Washington D.C.-based group is calling for a federal law that gives all full-time workers at least seven paid sick days a year.

The boss also may play a role in whether someone comes to work sick, Musbach said. If a manager speaks negatively of sick time, workers might think that it’s not good to stay home sick.

“They should look out for themselves, take care of themselves and realize that it’s OK to put yourself first in this sort of position,” Musbach said.

Sometimes, it’s hard to figure out when you should stay home. A good rule is to stay home when you are infectious.

“If you are running a fever, if you have shaking chills and you are coughing significantly, you should stay home,” said Dr. Charles W. Hayne, a Freehold Township, N.J., family practice physician. “We all have aches and pains and certainly you can take a couple of Tylenol and come to work if you have a stiff neck and a headache.”

Some jobs involve sharing telephones or close quarters, where infections can spread.

“It is extremely discourteous if you are coughing frequently and you are going to work,” Hayne said. “Chances are, you might spread it to someone else.”

A person also should consider whether their body needs rest, Crawford said.

“If you are overly fatigued and infectious that is when you should stay home,” he said. “If you are sitting and sneezing and snorting, maybe it is worth staying home for 24 hours ... Give yourself 24 hours to rest and try to catch up. ”

“Sometimes by staying out one day, that will prevent you from staying out two weeks with pneumonia,” Hayne said.

        

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