Workers Still Report Coming to Work Sick

Seventy-one percent of workers surveyed by Monster.com admitted they show up to work when they are ill, according to a press release on the survey findings.

A third of those who admitting coming to work sick said they fear losing their job if they take a sick day (see Down Economy Leads Workers to Put Noses to the Grindstone ), and 38% indicated their workload is too busy to take a day off from work. Ten percent said they stay home, but work from there when ill.

Only 19% of Monster Meter U.S. respondents reported they stay home from work when sick in order to rest up and get well.

Norma Gaffin, director of career content, Monster.com, said in a newsrelease: “Whether it’s the sniffles or H1N1 Swine Flu influenza, a recent Associated Press report addressed the fact that sick or not, many workers cannot afford to stay home when ill because an estimated 57 million working Americans do not have paid sick days.” Lawmakers are working on changing this fact (see CT Legislator Introduces Paid Sick Leave Bill ).

A survey in January suggested employers may not realize how big a problem they have with workers coming into the office sick (see Worker Germs a Bigger Problem than Employers Think ). However, a recent ComPsych survey indicated that, due to the swine flu outbreak, employers are asking sick workers to stay home (see Ill Workers Told to Stay Home ).

In addition, in a recent survey, PLANSPONSOR readers reported that coming into the office sick was an annoying habit of coworkers (see Survey Says: How Do Your Co-Workers Bug You? ).