America is full of workaholics. Sometimes this factor can be a detriment to the company you work for. Going to work with the flu, or other illnesses, is a bad trend that has been on the rise for about five years according to the annual Flu Season Survey from Staples. According to this survey, this number has now dropped to about 60% for the first time since 2009. Eighty-eight percent of managers encourage sick employees to stay home but most feel the show cannot go on without them manning their station.
Here are a few stats from the survey on why people go to work sick:
- 40% go to work sick because they think there is just too much work to do for them to stay at home.
- 31% go to work sick because of their loyalty and think their bosses will appreciate their dedication.
These numbers are better compared to the last few years. There is still more to be done with managers communicating better to employees the reasons why they should not come to work sick. Here are some reasons why the statistics for this year’s flu season have dropped and the factors that have contributed to the decrease in employees going to work sick.
Managers are now informing employees of the ways that coming to work sick significantly decreases job productivity. Most workers, both managers and employees, feel that the impact can be worse than a security breach, natural disaster or product/service problem. As a matter of fact, out of all workers surveyed, 27% felt that coming to work with a bad sickness was worse than the scenarios mentioned above.
More workers are now agreeing, and communicating the problems of coming to work sick in meetings and around the workplace in general. 36% of the workers that responded said that their work output and productivity is less than 50% of normal when they go to work sick. For this reason managers and human resources personnel should be training employees so that they understand that being absent when they’re sick is better for everyone than showing up to work with the flu.
Employees are also getting healthier. More workers have quit smoking, started exercising, and are getting flu vaccinations.The survey data shows that even more job sites are offering in-house flu vaccinations. Employees are taking advantage and are being more responsible with their health, even more so during flu season. 70% of workers also stated that they were actively participating in cleaning their work spaces. High touch zones like telephones and other desk items are great ways to spread germs. Keeping hand sanitizer, wipes, and regularly washing your hands is a great place to start with practicing better habits.
Another reason is that more employees are aware of the consequences of the spread of disease. With the current outbreaks of ebola, bird flu, and other viruses, 53% of employees said that they now take extra steps to protect themselves against the flu and other sickness. Chris Correnti is the Vice President of Staples Facility Solutions at Staples Advantage. This department is considered to be the business-to-business division of Staples. He said that “While we are encouraged that for the first time in five years the number of sick employees coming into work has dropped, 60 percent is still a significant number,” and that “clearly there is still much work to be done. Recent outbreaks such as Enterovirus in the U.S. underscore the importance of fostering a culture of workplace wellness.”
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