Workers Reveal Why They Go to Work Sick

by Brittney Helmrich
culled from:http://www.businessnewsdaily.com
How often do you go to work when you're sick? New research shows that many Americans still clock in even when they're feeling under the weather.
Twenty-six percent of employees surveyed admitted to going to work when they're sick, according to a new study from public health and safety organization NSF International.
The survey found that employees have many different reasons for coming in when they are sick. Forty-two percent said they can't take a sick day because of approaching deadlines or a heavy workload, and 37 percent said they can't afford to miss work. And many blamed their bosses — 25 percent of respondents said they go to work when they're sick because their boss expects them to be in no matter what. [Sick Workers Getting Better at Staying Home ]
But how do your co-workers feel when you come in sick? Ninety-eight percent of respondents said they judge people who come in sick, but, surprisingly, the majority of that judgment is not negative.
Two-thirds (67 percent) of those surveyed said sick co-workers are hard workers, and only 16 percent said they think that other employees who come in sick are selfish or don't care about their co-workers' well-being.
Other interesting findings from the survey:

• Men are nearly twice as likely as women (33 percent versus 17 percent) to always go to work when sick.
• Thirteen percent of working Americans believe their co-workers come to work sick because they don't trust their colleagues to do the job while they're out.
• Most respondents (57 percent) said they'd tell a sick co-worker to go home if they thought they were too sick to be at work.

And if you must go to work when you're sick, NSF International had some advice to keep you and your co-workers safe: Eat healthy and take vitamins, disinfect any surfaces you touch, avoid using or eating in common areas (like break rooms or cafeterias) and wash your hands regularly.