Issue date: Jan 9, 2000

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Special Health Report: Immunity

Have a cold? Stay home
Many employers prefer absenteeism to workers spreading germs.

By Monika Guttman

Frustrated by high levels of flu and respiratory illnesses spreading among employees, many companies are asking workers with colds and flu to avoid the office. Actions that show sniffles are getting the cold shoulder in the workplace:

American Airlines not only offered free flu shots to 135,000 workers, plus spouses, but its newsletter also encouraged flight attendants, pilots and other employees to stay home if sick this winter. "The cold and flu season is a drain on productivity," says corporate medical director David McKenas.

A survey by the Society for Human Resource Management found a record 4% jump in the number of companies offering free flu shots this season.

At some corporations, general e-mails remind employees that frequent hand-washing is the best sickness prevention.

Bosses have coined a phrase for the presence of ill workers working at less-than-full capacity: "presenteeism." Many would prefer good old-fashioned absenteeism.

In the past, it might have been considered rude or weak to avoid shaking someone's hand. Today, says Carson Elliott, author of a nationally syndicated workplace-etiquette column called "The Proper Thing," it is perfectly appropriate to avoid it and explain that you are sick, especially at lunch meetings. "People appreciate it," she maintains.

Some bugged co-workers demand not to be exposed. In Los Angeles, a public-relations manager who came to work sick found "Do not cross" police tape across her door and a note reading, "Go home!"

22 million sick days

Not everyone is toughing it out: Colds represent 22 million days lost from work and more than 7.9 million doctor visits a year, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. And this winter is shaping up to be an unusually heavy one for the flu: 37 states had reported influenza by November, a very high level for the annual watch that lasts through May.

But in a growing trend, sick leave often is used for other reasons, such as caring for a sick child, according to a recent survey from the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Pennsylvania. Then, when the employee falls ill with no sick leave remaining, he or she shows up at work, where cubicles and shared office equipment enable germs to spread more easily.

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