Remember in school, when one kid would get sick and then infect everyone else? Remember how much that sucked? Well, unfortunately, the same thing applies to many of today’s workplaces. In fact, this actually happened to me at the end of last week (prompting this article). One of my co-workers who I work with on a daily basis came into work sick (and contagious), and proceeded to get me sick. The end result was that I had to take Friday off, which was not as fun as it sounds. This happens more than you might think, and I think there are a number of reasons for it.

For starters, I believe that the cubicle environment that many people work in today amplifies this problem. When you’re working right next to someone for eight hours a day who is coughing up a lung, chances are you’re going to catch something. You don’t even have to be next them, maybe you’re right across or in the next row. Because many cubicle offices are setup like cattle pens, once one person catches something people start to fall like dominoes.

Another cause of mass sickness is the “Be a trooper” attitude towards illness that’s prevalent in many of today’s businesses. Basically, the motto here is to always come into work even if you are sick. Many people feel that if they call out sick, everybody will think they’re faking it and hold it against them. While some people may feel this way, if you’re really sick and can’t come into work then you should stay home. Does this mean every time you have a sniffle that you should take the week off? Of course not. However, “Being a Trooper” when you are really sick doesn’t do you or your co-workers any good.

Overall, all you accomplish by coming into work sick is:

1. Causing your own recovery time to lengthen, as you’ll probably just make yourself worse.
2. Your own work will suffer as nobody is at their best when they aren’t feeling well.
3. Getting your co-workers sick, causing the project to suffer and they’ll also probably feel a bit resentful towards you for getting them sick.

With all this being said, are there going to be times when you absolutely have to come into work sick? Yes, as much as it stinks, there are. However, when you have a choice in the matter, do us all a favor and err on the side of caution - Stay home, drink some OJ, and get some sleep.