Too sick to work?

Nov 10, 2008 5:37 PM

I kind of like staying home sick from work. It reminds me of snow days, when I was a kid. My wife, on the other hand, hasn't missed a day for as long as I can remember (unless you count maternity leave, which I don't.) In that way, we're atypical, at least according to a flu survey conducted in October by the Consumer Reports National Research Center. It found that men, in general, are far more willing than women to head off to work with a cough, a cold, a fever, or even diarrhea. Seventy-one percent of women said that last complaint would keep them home, while only 56 percent of men said the same. Overall, more than twice as many men as women say that none of the maladies we listed in our survey would keep them from their appointed rounds (right).

Deciding when and whether to stay home from work because you're sick is a complicated dance that requires balancing professional responsibilities and expectations with health concerns. For example, as an editor I can often stay home and still get my work done, especially now that so much is done by e-mail. But my wife delivers babies for a living, and last I checked that still requires hands-on care. Of course, as a healthcare professional my wife also has to be particularly concerned about passing on germs to people when they're most vulnerable. But when I get to work, I could quarantine myself behind my office door and no one would care. In fact, they might thank me.

All of which prompts the question, how do you know when you should stay home from work? In answering that question, Consumer Reports chief medical adviser Marvin Lipman, M.D., recommends asking yourself these questions:

How miserable are you? If you're so wiped out—from a fever, injury, migraine, nausea, or any other cause—that you can't concentrate then going to work isn't doing you, your clients, or your boss a favor.
Are you dangerous? Use our Symptom Checker to see if your symptoms indicate a condition that's contagious, such as the flu or strep throat, or one that's not, such as an allergy. Also think about whether your problem poses a safety risk—for example, does a medication you take cause drowsiness and interfere with your ability to operate machinery or drive your car to work?
Who do you work with? The sicker or more vulnerable they are the healthier you should be.

Of course, staying home from work is sometimes a luxury you just don't have. Maybe you face a crucial deadline, or you don’t have any more sick days and need the money. What then?

Try to telecommute. It's best to arrange this before you get sick, especially if it's not a familiar practice where you work, by talking with your supervisor and your employer’s human resources department, and organizing your home so you can work there efficiently.
Practice scrupulous hygiene. When you are at work, wash your hands frequently, use antiseptic wipes, cover your mouth with your arm when coughing, don't share computer keyboards or telephones, and try to keep to yourself as much as possible by, for example, only going to essential meetings and having lunch by yourself.
Ease your symptoms. See our advice on the most effective ways to control allergies, headaches, colds, coughs, the flu, and other health problems that can interfere with your ability to concentrate at work.

We would also like to hear from you: What keeps you home from work? What's the sickest at work you've ever been? What strategies have you tried to make telecommuting possible? If you do go to work, what tricks help you make it through the day?

—Joel Keehn, senior editor

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