Nearly 90% of Canadian employees come to work sick: survey
By PLANT STAFF
Industry Manufacturing cold employees flu manufacturing OfficeToo much work to do is the top reason why staff come in while ill.
TORONTO — As cold and flu season approaches, a survey of Canadian workplaces shows coworkers may be making each other sick according to research from global staffing firm Accountemps.
The study shows 89% of staff in Canada’s offices admitted they’ve at least sometimes come to work with cold or flu symptoms. Of those respondents, 27% always go to work even when they’re under the weather.
More than half of those who report to the office with the cold or flu (54%) do so because they have too much work to do; another 33% don’t want to use a sick day.
“It’s up to managers set the example by steering clear of the office when under the weather, and ensuring their teams follow suit,” Koula Vasilopoulos, district president for Accountemps, a division of Robert Half. “Maintain open lines of communication to better recognize when employees are ill and provide solutions for managing sick days ― like remote work options or bringing in temporary help ― so workers feel supported and encouraged to get healthy.”
The online survey was developed by Accountemps and conducted by an independent research firm with responses from 510 workers 18 years of age or older and employed in office environments in Canada.
