Coming To Work Sick No Act Of Heroics For Your Co-Workers
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - It's that time of year when going to work can come with a health risk.
"Everyone at work is sick, everyone right now is sick," said Greta Thomas.
A survey from Accountemps found 90% of professional employees admit they sometimes go to the office sick, said CBS News' Chris Martinez.
Having too much work on their plate is a top reason why, as is feeling pressure from the boss to come in.
"Yeah, I think like people feel like they have to come in no matter what," said Carlos Melgar.
Many workers also show up at the office when they don't feel well because they're freelance and can't afford to take time off.
A study from the Centers for Disease Control found that sick employees are more likely to stay home if they have paid leave benefits and their bosses encourage them to not come in.
"One piece of advice we would give is to make sure the senior management, senior leaders, they're not coming to work sick," said Kim Garstein, senior vice president at staffing company Robert Half. "When they do, I think that puts a certain amount of pressure on employees that they are expected to also come to work sick."
Garstein says there's an option for people who feel like they still need to work.
"If you're a company that can have the flexibility to work remotely, to have your employees work remotely, that really solves most of this problem," she said.
The CDC says it can take at least four days to get over the flu.
"We don't all want to get sick, I feel like if you're sick stay home," said Melgar.
You'll be doing your co-workers a favor.