Pandemic Wont Stop Workers Showing Up Sick

Despite the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, one in 14 workers have admitted in a recent survey that they would go to work even if they felt sick – regardless of how severe their symptoms were.

The study of over 2,000 US workers was commissioned by Thermalcheck, a manufacturer of no-contact temperature check stations, and undertaken by marketing research company OnePoll.

They found that nearly 50 per cent of workers feel pressure from their boss to go to work when sick, and that feeling guilty is the leading motivator to work while sick.

A third of the respondents would simply miss the workplace – 33 per cent said they’d keep working with cold or flu symptoms because they’d miss their colleagues, along with office banter and gossip.

Alarmingly, more than one-third said they don’t usually consider their co-workers’ health when deciding to go to work when feeling ill, and 40 per cent believe they’ve passed an illness to a co-worker as a consequence of trying to be viewed as a hard worker.

A stomachache wouldn’t stop 52 per cent of the respondents from reporting to work, while 40 per cent said the same about a bad cough. Thirty-three per cent said chest tightness wouldn’t keep them home.

A spokesman from Thermalcheck said that despite strict advice from experts during the pandemic, there was still a large number of workers who will feel they need to go into the workplace.

“And there are a variety of reasons for this, whether this is because they will miss their colleagues, have too much work to do, or feel pressure from their boss to go in.”

“But in light of the pandemic, this approach to working while unwell needs to change and employers need to ensure the safety of their workforce, as people become more aware about passing on their germs and social distancing measures.”

One in five workers were also concerned that they would not be paid if they called in sick.