Don`t go to work sick
You would think the obvious answer would be “no” – but 79% of Canadians surveyed reported going to work sick at some point in the previous year.
Nothing is worse than seeing someone sneeze into their hand before they have approached you with the same outstretched hand for a polite business shake. EW! What a terrible position to be in: should you still shake it? Is it rude to decline? (did you know that washing hands with soap saves lives everyday?)
I have decided if ultimately faced with this situation the best solution would be to politely apologize and decline because…“you haven’t yet washed your hands after lunch” or “you might be getting a cold”. It is flu season, and each one of us can reduce the number of people affected by it. Not taking the steps to prevent infection is frankly un-humanitarian and perhaps even inconsiderate to those who have lost a loved one to this infection.
So, the bottom line for today’s blog is really about workplace etiquette for the flu season. Here is your answer: STAY HOME! I’m sure you are a valued member of your workplace team, but really, you are not helping anyone by going into work and infecting others who may become even more sick than you are from the same flu. Try offering to send in any work you can do from home and set up meetings online or via conference calls. Please be kind and help prevent the flu, you’ll be helping people stay healthy and they won’t even realize it.
For a more detailed look at some of the stats surrounding sickness in the workplace, you can check out this article at the CBC – “When to call in sick – the pull of presenteeism”
