9 In 10 employees come to work sick, survey shows

A new survey claims that 90-percent of professionals admit that they've gone to the office with cold or flu symptoms and a third of them always go to work even when they are sick.

More than half of those who report to the office with a cold or the flu said they do so because they have too much work on their plate; another 40-percent don't want to use sick time.

"Whether it's due to large workloads, pressure from the boss or because they can't afford to take time off, it's all too common for employees to come to the office feeling sick when they really should be resting," said Michael Steinitz, senior executive director of Accountemps, which conducted the survey. "Staying home when you've got a cold or the flu is the best way to avoid spreading germs to others and fight the illness faster.

New York had the most respondents who report to the office while ill because of an overwhelming workload.

More employees ages 25 to 40 (39%) reported always coming to work unwell than respondents ages 18 to 24, 55 and older (27% each) and ages 41 to 54 (26%).

The online survey included responses from 2,800 workers 18 years of age or older and employed in office environments in 28 U.S. cities.

BusinessHealth