SmallBizResource Blog -- Productivity

Catch-oo 24

Posted by Gayle Kesten Thursday, Mar 13, 2008, 03:23 PM ET

As I sit here nestled between a box of clean tissues and a garbage full of dirty ones, I can't help but think that if I were still working in a real office, I'd be there today spreading my germs.

True, I was permitted to telecommute from time to time -- and I appreciated that flexibility -- but I tried to save those occasions for when my son, Ruler of the Universe, was sick or school was closed. Moms aren't allowed to be sick anyway, right? (I know, cry me a river.)

Little did I know, I was committing the act of "presenteeism," a term I first read about last month in a New York Times blog. And you're guilty, too, when you show up sick at the office. According to an article in the Harvard Business Review, presenteeism costs U.S. companies as much as $150 billion annually due to employees not functioning at their best. And that article was written four years ago.

Of course, the smaller the company you run or work for, the more valuable each and every person is to daily operations. If you're in business by your lonesome, then you're really screwed. Most people I know in those scenarios (myself included) pump themselves up with Sudafed and soldier on because they don't want to burden their already-overburdened co-workers -- all the while exposing them to their virus du jour -- or they have no other choice.

For some, the worry/reality of not being paid for taking a sick day is very real. Fear of job loss could be a factor, too. In fact, nearly half of private-sector U.S. workers and 79 percent of low-income workers don't have paid sick leave, according to Kate Kahan, director of work and family programs at the National Partnership for Women & Families. (Incidentally, just last week a bill was passed that guarantees paid sick days for workers in Washington, D.C.)

Who would have thought a simple cold could turn out to be so complex? I appreciate my home-office setup all the more when I'm sick. And on days like today, I'm sure my former co-workers don't miss me either.

Productivity