A new survey shows 80 percent of employees frequently show up to work while sick. Meghan McNeeley, Division Director for Office Team in Colorado, sorted through the results for us. She says a mere eight percent of respondents said they never come into the office when feeling under the weather.

        Survey respondents were asked: “How frequently do you go into work when youre feeling sick?” 
  Their responses:
  Very frequently: 49 percent
  Somewhat frequently: 31 percent
  Somewhat infrequently: 12 percent
  Not at all: 8 percent
        McNelley says managers acknowledge that ailing employees often come into work, but the practice may be more common than many realize.

        In a separate poll of 150 senior executives — including those from human resources, finance and marketing departments — just 21 percent of respondents said they thought sick employees came into work very frequently when ill.

        Executives were asked: “How often do you think employees come to work when they feel sick?” 
  Their responses:
  Very frequently: 21 percent
  Somewhat frequently: 51 percent
  Somewhat infrequently: 25 percent
  Dont know/no answer: 3 percent
        Many employees fear they’ll be disciplined if they stay at home when they’re not feeling well, according to McNeeley. However, she says its preferable to take a day or two to recuperate rather than risk exacerbating a condition or passing an illness on to coworkers. 
        
        With greater flu concerns this year, many companies are actively encouraging sick employees to stay home. McNelley believes managers should let employees know that staying away from the office is the right thing to do when they are ill. Actions often speak louder than words — if supervisors show up when they’re feeling poorly, employees may feel pressure to do the same.
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