If you've ever peeled yourself out of bed in the morning, looked aghast at the streaming, sneezing aberration staring back at you from the mirror ... and headed into work anyway, at least take comfort in the fact that you're not alone. A new study confirms what anyone who has ever spent time amidst the coughs and sniffles of an office in December already knows: half of all office workers regularly turn up for work in the winter months with fuzzy brains, fizzy noses, and a bacterial payload that could lay most of their colleagues low until spring.
It's easy to see why. Traditionally, the flu-ridden worker who struggled into the office and coped manfully with the daily workload without complaint could look forward to an appreciative nod from the boss, a stiff brandy at lunchtime, and a prize for being the best team-player at the Christmas party. Such stoicism was regarded as a sign of promotion-winning commitment to duty - and in many cases it still is. Occupational psychologist Dai Williams says that this "presenteeism" derives from that pesky Protestant work ethic.
"Presenteeism stems from the tradition of loyalty to the firm," he says. "Everyone had an employment contract stating hours to be worked for pounds earned. On top of that was an unwritten psychological contract, which promised job security in return for loyalty. It meant that the firm comes first, and you'd make yourself available for work come hell or high water. It's not that long ago that, if you didn't turn up for work, you'd lose your job." Employers are not quite so Dickensian these days, but many employees still "present" for work during illness because of a fear of the consequences of staying at home. The same study also found that ailing staff continue to turn up because they think that if they phone in sick, their bosses won't believe them.
Meanwhile, research by Lancaster University concluded that policies to root out absenteeism were discouraging genuinely sick workers from staying at home. A clampdown on unwarranted "sickies" means that employers lack trust in their staff, and staff know that every absence will be met with suspicion. "I don't like taking sickies even when I need them," says Kim, an account handler for a design company. "The resentment and suspicion in my boss's voice when I ring in with the bad news makes it a last resort. Frankly, I'd rather go in and suffer."
Presenteeism doesn't just stem from fear, however. It's also symptomatic of modern working culture. "Presenteeism has been related to job insecurity and especially the long-hours culture where time at work is equated with commitment," says Suzan Lewis, professor of organisational and work-life psychology at Manchester Metropolitan University. "But it's not good for our health, or for the health of others at work." Experts fear that this "must-work" culture, combined with minimal staffing levels and a shortage of flu vaccine, could lead to presenteeism on a grand scale this winter. The problem with that, as Dai Williams points out, "is that turning up with a streaming cold is not in anyway conducive to good work".
A recent study found that presenteeism costs American companies up to $180bn a year in lost productivity, far more than the costs of absenteeism. "With a serious flu season looming, the idea of the hero worker who manages to punch in for a full day's work, despite illness, needs to be discouraged," says Lori Rosen of American workplace analysts CCH. One contagious worker can easily infect a host of his colleagues. Dulled by illness, his work is unlikely to be of a high standard anyway. By trying to control the abuse of sick time, employers both here and the States have created a new and potentially more destructive monster.
It's not good for business, and it's not good for sick employees either, and not just because the average office can feel like the seventh circle of hell when you've trailed in with a severe cold. In a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" scenario, there is some evidence that a backlash against presenteeism has already started, even while the furore over absenteeism continues. "Turning up for work when ill can make you a hazard to your own performance and a hazard to colleagues," says Dai Williams. "A good supervisor might think that staff should have an idea of their own fitness for work and their potential risk to colleagues. And if you're below par, you can end up making very expensive mistakes. That won't be looked on favourably."
Nor are the problems of presenteeism restricted to the short- term illnesses of winter. The stress and emotional exhaustion caused by major life change - from bereavement to separation to new fatherhood - can go unnoticed until a major breakdown. Studies have also shown that for a host of "invisible" ailments, like headaches or acid reflux, workers would be better off at home. In America, research found that allergies and sinus trouble alone cost one major corporation $1.8m annually in lost productivity, even though workers were officially present.
In the end, it comes down to individual commonsense. If you really need time off, take it, whatever the boss might think. As you turn off the alarm clock and wrap yourself in the duvet, you can be happy in the knowledge that, really, it's the only responsible thing to do.
