U.K. study finds employees don't want to let down co-workers
People go to work when they are sick because of a sense of obligation to their co-workers, according to a new poll. This is the first time this response has topped the list in the three consecutive years that LifeCare has conducted the survey.
Nearly one-third (29 per cent) cited “other people depend on me and I don’t want to let them down” as the main reason to still go to work when sick. Second (26 per cent) was “too risky to take time off” followed by “too busy to stay home” (15 per cent), saving sick days for child care or elder care (12 per cent), saving sick days for vacation time (eight per cent) and not working when sick (seven per cent).
The survey was conducted online in March through Life-Care’s Web site among employees of its 1,500 clients.
The percentage of respondents who do not go to work when they're sick has always remained at the six per cent or seven per cent mark, below the level that employers widely say they desire.
“It’s well known that employees who work sick are actually creating a greater risk for their co-workers and a greater risk of lost productivity for their organizations,” said Peter Burki, chief executive officer of LifeCare. “Even so, our workplace cultures don’t seem to be getting the message through that taking a little time off when you're ill is not only wiser but also acceptable.”
In the 2007 poll, the top three responses were: too risky to take time off (31 per cent); too busy to stay home (23 per cent); and saving sick days for child-care/elder-care emergencies (18%).
