U.S. Workforce Desperate to Keep Sick Coworkers Away During Cold and Flu Season
December 06 2016 - 7:30AM
Business Wire
Trying to avoid cold and flu in the workplace has reached
desperate levels, as nearly half of people surveyed would give up a
vacation day to a sick worker to ensure they don’t bring illness to
the workplace, according to the seventh annual cold and flu season
survey from Staples.
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8 flu facts every business owner should
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Findings show that while the U.S. workforce is keenly aware of
the dangers as well as prevention tactics surrounding seasonal
illness, personal accountability remains low, with nearly 80
percent of employees still going to work sick.
It’s not me, it’s you
Employees have a ready-made excuse when they get sick – it’s
their coworkers’ fault. Nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of
employees have caught a cold or the flu at work, and nearly
one-third (32 percent) blame coworkers for getting sick last
year.
Awareness of the cold/flu and prevention tactics not the
issue for employees
Most employees continue to indicate a strong knowledge of the
cold and flu, as well as prevention techniques, particularly
managers:
- Presenteeism vs. absenteeism:
Two-thirds (67 percent) say an employee going into work sick, but
not fully productive, is worse for a business than an employee who
stays home and doesn’t work when sick; this represents a sharp
increase from 31 percent of respondents who said the same in
2014.
- Prevention also prevalent, particularly
among managers: 47 percent of managers typically clean/sanitize
their work-related equipment on a daily basis, compared with just
34 percent of all U.S. workers.
- Nearly half (44 percent) of managers
called in sick when they weren’t, in order to avoid sick coworkers,
compared with 21 percent of all U.S. workers.
- Awareness still strong: 58 percent know
that cold and flu viruses can live on a surface for up to three
days, slightly up from last year’s survey.
Employers can do their part to maintain a healthy work
environment
- Less than half (only 48 percent) of
employees say their office provides disinfecting wipes to clean
their work surfaces. To combat this, if employers aren’t providing
these or other disinfectant products, 77 percent bring them to the
workplace on their own.
- Nearly two-thirds (61 percent) of
workers think employers should offer office-wide flu shots.
- Although most employers provide sick
days, too many employees hesitate to use them when they should.
Seventy-four percent think employers should encourage workers to
rest and get better when they get sick.
Need for personal accountability remains
Knowledge is high but action is low – as year after year,
workers don’t practice what they preach with regard to keeping
illness at home. Seventy-nine percent of workers went to work sick
last year, and workload pressures continue to keep them in the
office. Nearly half (41 percent) felt there was too much going on
at work to take a sick day, even though nearly three-quarters of
employers (74 percent) provide designated sick days. The majority
of employees abide by the notion of sticking it out, as more than
half (52 percent) say going to work sick makes them “hardworking
and committed.”
“Seasonal illnesses like the flu and the common cold wreak havoc
on the workplace, and the impact is even greater when sick
employees continue to show up to the workplace,” said Chris
Correnti, vice president of Staples Facility Solutions at Staples
Business Advantage, the business-to-business division of Staples.
“Managers need to lead by example and stay home when they are sick
and both employees and employers need to be held accountable for
keeping germs at bay in the workplace by providing the right tools
to maintain a healthy workplace.”
About the SurveyThe survey was conducted by Morar
Consulting among 1500 U.S. Office workers. All were working
full-time and spend at least 50 percent of their time working in an
office environment. 704 were business decision makers and the
remaining 796 were general office workers. Results of any sample
are subject to sampling variation.
Helpful resources to inspire workplace wellnessNo matter
the size of the business, Staples Business Advantage, Staples.com
and Staples stores offer products and tips to keep businesses of
all sizes running smoothly during flu season. From simple items,
such as hand sanitizers, to large-scale industrial cleaning
products, Staples has the solutions to keep workers healthy and
productive. For more information, visit our Staples Cold and Flu
Supplies Center and Staples Business Advantage Health and Wellness
Center.
View additional resources, including a shareable
infographic.
Follow Staples on Twitter @Staples and Staples Business
Advantage @StaplesB2B.
About Staples, Inc.Staples
helps small business customers make more happen by providing a
broad assortment of products, expanded business services and easy
ways to shop – in stores, online, via mobile or through social
apps. Staples Business Advantage, the business-to-business
division, caters to mid-market, commercial and enterprise-sized
customers by offering a one-source solution for the products and
services they need, combined with best-in-class customer service,
competitive pricing and a state-of-the-art ecommerce site.
Headquartered outside of Boston, Staples, Inc. operates throughout
North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
More information about Staples (NASDAQ: SPLS) is available at
www.staples.com.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161206005296/en/
Staples, Inc.Nikki D'Addario, 508-253-8249Public Relations
Managernikki.daddario@staples.com
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