If you are sick, STAY HOME!!!
A widespread shortage of flu vaccine and the oncoming flu season has workplace experts worried about a significant enemy of productivity in the months ahead - a phenomenon known as presenteeism. A recent study by CCH, an employment law consultancy in Illinois, found that 40 percent of employers complain that their workers come to work sick, unproductive and contagious.
Kenny Colbert, president of the Employers Association, a HR consulting firm in Charlotte, North Carolina, says he doesn't want any heroes at work. "I made a point last year with several of my employees I could hear sneezing, hacking and coughing, " said Colbert. " I said, `You can either stay in your office with the door closed and spray Lysol when you leave or you go home now.' "
John Challenger, chief executive of the outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, advises employers to let their workers know they should stay home when they get sick.
"The fact is sick employees coming to work are not only damaging productivity, but they are infecting other workers," he said. The flu hits 10 to 20 percent of U.S. residents each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
READ: Offices need to prepare for the flu season, too
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