Worried about lost wages, a backlog of work or punishment from the boss, more than one in four American workers recently surveyed said they show up to work while ill, even though they could sicken their colleagues.
In a poll of more than a thousand U.S. adults in the midst of this year’s flu season, NSF International, a public-health testing group based in Michigan, found that a quarter of those who copped to working while sick said their boss required them to. Thirty-seven percent said they needed the money, and 42 percent said too much work would pile up if they didn’t clock in.
“While the inclination might be to power through an illness and go to work when you’re starting to feel run down, the best thing to do is stay home,” the group said. “Going to work not only puts your co-workers at risk of getting sick, but may further strain your immune system.”
