Should you call in sick to work?

For some, staying home from work may seem like a breeze; for others staying home when sick isn't an easy option. A limited number of personal or sick days or a big project usually tends to make the decision to stay home a difficult one. About one-third of companies offer no sick leave pay at all, according to a 2006 study by the Society for Human Resource Management. “People are concerned about calling in sick, but if you’re really feeling unwell and especially if you have a fever, you need to stay home,” says Catherine Cummins, MD, MSN, a health sciences assistant clinical professor at the University of California-Irvine School of Medicine. “A little bit of common sense goes a long way.”

There are a number of questions that you should ask yourself when feeling sick. Can you truly perform your duties without negatively impacting your coworkers? Michael Bagner, MD, attending physician at St. Luke's/Roosevelt Hospital and Medical Director of Roosevelt Hospital Doctors Offices in New York states "if you work in close quarters with your co-workers - or you work with elderly or small children or people with cancer or chronic conditions -those are the most vulnerable people in our society," says Bagner. "A minor nuisance of an illness to you could be fatal to them." If you have a viral or a bacterial illness, you’ll expose your coworkers and they in turn will infect others. An entire sick staff is worse than one or two sick co-workers.

Will you be productive at work?
The Harvard Business Review reported, in October 2004, that being on the job but not functioning to the best of your ability can cut your productivity by a third or more -and can actually cost an employer much more than absenteeism. Companies could lose more in lost productivity than they spend directly on medical treatment and drugs. Going to work sick can make your health worse- your symptoms can worsen if your body doesn't take the rest to fight off your sickness/infection. Another factor to consider is: is your medication causing you to be drowsy? Not only should you not be driving, but if you work with machines it's critical that you stay home.

A recent study concluded that employees who often go to work despite feeling sick have higher rates of future work absences due to illness (Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine). "Sickness presenteeism," going to work despite illness, could affect future sickness absenteeism. It is estimated that presenteeism costs the American economy up to $150 billion US a year, as ill workers perform well below their usual levels while they pass on their ailments to their co-workers. A Cornell University study found that presenteeism could account for as much as 61 per cent of the total cost of worker illness — or as little as 18 per cent. In the study, workers with more days going to work sick also had more days absent because of illness. The results raise concerns that efforts to decrease sickness absence could wind up having the opposite effect (EHS).


Sources:
"Going to work when sick may lead to future absences." EHS Today July 2009: 16. Print.
Kam, Katherine. "Too Sick to Work?" Web MD. 23 Feb. 2009. Web.
"When to call in sick." CBC News. 12 Jan. 2009. Web.