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Don’t be a hero: Why you should call in sick

Don't be a hero
[Don’t be that person/Getty Images]

Have you ever been trapped at your desk, forced to listen to a colleague blow through entire box of tissues in a day?

The sound effects are enough to make some of us feel queasy, but that colleague coughing up a lung is just proving their dedication, right?

Office workers, especially those blessed with open-concept workplaces, have worked alongside diehards who feel they must come to work when they’re sick — even if that means sharing their germs with the rest of the team.

They may be doing it because they’re dedicated employees who don’t want to let the boss down or get behind on their work. But that logic is usually flawed, explains Arturo Gallo, spokesperson for Monster Canada. Instead, employers should be pushing employees to stay home and recover, he says.

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A recent poll conducted by the job search company found that one in six Canadians will go to work no matter how serious their symptoms are.

According to Statistics Canada, full-time employees in Canada take off an average of 7.4 days per year due to illness and disability.

“Presenteeism”

The term describes productivity loss due to health problems — employees who come to work despite being physically or mentally unwell, injured, or otherwise not fully able to function. The reasons for this vary, from employees who can’t afford to take time off, workplace cultures that encourages this behaviour, large workloads, and employees who feel irreplaceable.

“Close to 50 percent of Canadians feel guilty calling in sick,” says Gallo. “When you’re sick you don’t work, you don’t concentrate, you may lack your senses to make good decisions; why jeopardize your quality of work because you’re sick and you’re afraid of calling in sick?”

Employers should tell sick employees to stay home, says Gallo, adding that sick days should be granted, and employers should make sure policies about sick days are clear.

Sick Workers are Expensive

Employees who come to work when they shouldn’t cost employers — a lot. The occupational testing firm SureHire estimates that the tally can be between $15 and $25-billion in Canada per year in lost productivity, more workplace accidents and decreased quality of work.

Employers might think that offering sick days to workers is too expensive, or that it will encourage employees to take days off when they don’t need to, but this logic is flawed.

The Monster poll showed that 53 per cent of Canadians only take a sick day if their symptoms are severe, and 20 per cent stay home no matter what if they’re sick, taking care of themselves and in turn their coworkers too.

Staying Home Makes Financial Sense

A recent paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research, a U.S.-based non-profit economic research organization, showed that fewer people get sick when employees don’t have a financial incentive to go to work.

Researchers used Google Flu Trends data to compare U.S. cities where employers had to offer paid sick days and those that don’t. They found that cities with mandated sick days had about 5 percent fewer cases of the flu than cities with no policy.

Healthcare workers

It might be tough to encourage employees to stay home and recover when even the people who know best are guilty of working while under the weather. A JAMA Pediatrics investigation found that while 95 percent of physicians said working while sick put patients at risk, 83.1 percent reported working sick at least one time in the past year.

When to call in sick

If you’re feeling unwell and unable to concentrate or focus, it might be best to take a sick day. If you have a cold or sore throat, stay home to avoid sharing your illness with your colleagues, and definitely stay away if you have a fever, body aches or chills; Nobody else wants to catch that.

Other Options

In some cases it might make sense to allow employees to work from home, or offer a workspace away from others, says Gallo.


What is the flu?

Influenza is a contagious disease caused by viruses that infect the respiratory tract including nose, throat, and lungs. Influenza causes severe illness and life threatening complications in many people.

The symptoms of influenza include fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, headache, muscle aches, and fatigue. Some adults will also experience vomiting and diarrhea, but these symptoms are more common with children.

Most people who get the flu recover completely. However, some people especially the elderly and those with chronic health problems can develop serious complications. These include pneumonia and aggravation of pre-existing medical conditions such as congestive heart failure, asthma, or diabetes.

How to prevent contracting the flu

  • Wash hands after contact with respiratory droplets and contaminated objects. (Frequent hand washing with appropriate hand care to prevent skin irritation.)

  • Cover your mouth and nose with your arm (not your hand) when coughing or sneezing.

  • Use tissues to contain respiratory droplets.

  • Keep your hands away from your face (viruses enter the body through your nose, mouth and eyes)

  • Clean commonly touched surfaces such as door knobs, or light switches. Regular household cleaners and disinfectants are appropriate.

  • If you think you are sick, stay home.

  • Good personal hygiene practices will reduce the risk of infection. However, the only effective method of prevention is vaccination.

(Source: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety)