Why do people who are sick *still* come to work? Do they enjoy infecting others?

Question

According to this Harvard study, presenteeism is a larger problem than absenteeism -->

http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=R0410B

Answer 1

They're stuck on themselves and feel that if they miss a day or two of work, the company will go out of business and the office building will blow up. In reality what they're doing is spreading germs and causing other people to get sick. If that one person stayed home, they could have prevented half the office getting sick and half the office staying home.

Answer 2

They need the money, they get NO sick time (5 vacation days for the year is not sick time).
The rational for a business is that the people who work "in the offices", they handle the business end of things- they draw a salary which could be affected by taking a day off whether it's the money or the piling of work. But the people who work on the MFG end of the business are hourly and the theory is that if they miss a day to sickness they can make up the hours.

The flaw is that these people are working class people and cannot afford to miss hours and do not have he extra time to make up hours in the morning or evening or whatever. Also, if you have intense flew and miss two days out of the week- as an hourly employee how will you make that up? Will the flu 100 percent disappear on Wednesday and even if it did do the math to figure how many hours a day that stiff will have to work to make just 40 hours! At least 13 hours a day.
Many people do that anyway so they are really done for.

So, consequently they come to work with a bug, or the flu- until the dorks who manage these places see this problem this stat will continue.

Answer 3

There are many different reasons and no, I don't believe wanting to infect others is one of them.

Sometimes there is a lot of pressure to show up to work despite being sick. Taking a sick leave may be frowned upon by bosses or coworkers. If people don't feel they have much job security, they'd rather show up to work sick than risk losing their job or having to deal with coworker retaliation. People may not feel like they have much of a choice.

Sometimes people can't afford to take sick leave, if they don't have the right to get paid sick leave, or they're out of sick leave days.

Sometimes there is noone who can stand in for them while they're sick, so they feel pressure to show up to work no matter what, to keep things going, or they know that there will be a daunting pile of work waiting for them when they get back if they stay home and they may have trouble getting all of it done.

If there is someone who can stand in for them, then they often feel guilty for the extra workload their coworkers have to take on because of their absence.

Sometimes people worry about whether others believe that they're actually sick. Sometimes rumours start about specific employees abusing their sick leave rights to get a day off when they're not actually sick. Nobody wants such rumours about themselves, so they may rather opt to go to work sick than stay at home and have their reputation damaged with such suspicion and unjustified rumours.

Sometimes people under- or overestimate how contageous they are. They may come to work thinking they're not contageous even though they are. Sometimes coworkers also assume the person is still contageous when they're really not. The most common contageous illnesses are the most contageous for the first 1-2 days after the person catches the illness, which is often before full onset of the symptoms. So people may not have a clue when they're really contageous because they don't feel that sick yet, or the person may still look and feel sick, but may not be contageous anymore.

And then there are some people who are simply workaholics and find it really hard to stay away.

Answer 4

Theres a level of dedication some people have to thier jobs. Something like being sick is less important. Then there are others who depend on thier jobs to make a living. It may sound like a little ordeal but a day missed can mean a day without eating for some people. If you support children you can not afford to get sick and if you do you can not afford to let it take over you. People Go to work Because they have to. Whether they are sick tired or injured. Its just that simple. You have to do what you have to do.

Answer 5

I think many people believe they HAVE to work to earn money and to keep their jobs. Companies don't look at sick days too fondly.
Sick kids aren't much better in school either. Maybe it's the parents that will work no matter how sick they are who send their kids to school with runny noises and fevers.
I know I'm absolutely against people showing up to work or school sick. I stay home when I'm sick and I keep my child home as well. She hates to be Quarantined but I explain to her if more people did this, less sicknesses would be spread.
It would be great if everyone wore masks when they are ill, outside of their homes,like they do in China.

Answer 6

Because, many employers frown upon employees who call in sick to work, as do many co-workers. I know where I work, if you call in, my co-workers jump all over your butt behind your back and call you a faker. Then they get upset because they have to take on your work for a day or two. But if you come to work sick, they get upset that you will infect them. Our country needs to be a bit more forgiving and let people have a few days off once in a while, even if it is because you are running a 101 fever and are vomiting like a volcano. People have no empathy today, it is all about making money, period.

Answer 7

Because it is too hard to miss work. Many people cannot afford to lose the money or they may even lose their jobs if they are sick and do not show up. Unfortunately bills do not stop coming in when one is sick. If they have medical bills, that only adds to the problem.

Answer 8

I hate going to work sick! I tell my co-workers to stay back and bring alcohol wipes to clean the phones, doorknobs, water cooler and anything else I might touch.
I have very few sick paid sick days and 4 kids so I use them to stay home with my kids. I also have no health insurance and my job insists on a doctors note if you are out for more than 2 consecutive days. Can't afford the doctor!
And last but not least, no one else does my job if I am out sick or on vacation so it just piles up and waits for my return.

I am very lucky that my family is rarely ill!

Answer 9

most people in this day and age have no choice but to go to work even if they are sick, they have rent to pay and bills, and don't forget but you also have to put food on the table, missing even 1 day can put a huge lost on someones paycheck. And when you don't have that paycheck then who is going to help you. Nobody. Cuz their in the same boat as the next person.

Answer 10

It isn't really about trying to infect other people with their sickness, it's just some jobs are really strict about attendance. Like my job that I have right now you can only be absent four times with in your first year of employment. People don't want to waste their sick days. Or sometimes they aren't sick enough to go to the hospital.