You Make Me Sick

A common feature in many offices is an unspoken culture of "illness stoicism" -- you know, the unsaid assumption that unless you have a fever north of 104 degrees, you WILL be at your desk.

It's a requirement for executives, managers and rank-and-file employees. It shows your commitment and loyalty. And especially in these times of recession and layoff -- who wants to take the risk of missing even a day at work?

Plus, your workmates need you, don't they? (Too scary to think about the possibility that they don't).

Except it's always been a pretty stupid approach, especially for business leaders who need their organizations to operate at optimum efficiency. And now there is new research to make that point.

Researchers at the Karolinska Institutet of Stockholm found that employees who often go to work feeling sick -- termed "sickness presenteeism" -- have higher rates of future work absences due to illness.

The study is published in the June issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. You need a subscription to read the whole thing, but you can look at a wire service summary here.

The Reuters article doesn't even address the obvious risks of spreading infection throughout the workplace, thanks to "sickness presenteeism."

I'll add this: on a day when the World Health Organization elevates so-called Swine Flu (H1N1 influenza) to pandemic status, we all need to rethink the wisdom of "sickness presenteeism.