Over the past 6 months, 35 percent of employees in Belgium have gone to work despite feeling ill, figures by the temping agency Tempo-Team show. Another 15 percent continued the job from home despite being ill. People mostly make the decision because they don't want to put a burden on their colleagues, or because they will get behind.
1 in 3 employees going to work despite being ill: "They don't want to put a burden on colleagues"
Michaël Torfs
Published:
The poll was conducted in June and July of this year and involved 2,500 employees. Professor Anja Van den Broeck (KU Leuven) calls the figures "striking", "because we learned in times of corona not to come to work when we are feeling ill."
Most of the employees who are feeling sick but who come to the workplace after all, are battling a cold, a headache or a migraine. They make up 40 percent of the cases. Others are nursing back pain, belly pain or even fever.
The reason why they decide to continue the work, is obvious: they are worried about the extra burden their absence may put on their colleagues. In other words, they know the work pressure is there, and they feel guilty, says Van den Broeck. "They don't want to do this to their colleagues". On the other hand, they fear that the pile of work will only grow.
The poll also shows that more women continue the job than men. Young employees under 35 also continue more often than those aged above 50. Van den Broeck asks companies to be reasonable about working from home. "This can be a win-win situation: they can't infect others, an at the same time the work is still being done."