Bad or bad in bed with the Dr

New research from Aston University has shown the cost of presenteeism to be £15 billion annually - twice the estimated cost of absenteeism, according to the Economic and Social Research Council.A study of 1,600 people found 30% of workers are now going to work ill as they fear if they report sick they may loose their jobs .
The age group most likely to go into work sick are 16 and 24 – 85% said they went into work sick last year and 48% said they were more likely to go into work sick because of the economic downturn.
The income group most likely to go into work sick because of the recession are those on below £20,000 then £21,000 and £30,000
.Presenteeism as its been named go into work sick, and possibly infect others but don't perform as they should because they are ill.
Women were slightly more likely than men to go into work because of the economic recession, with 33% doing so compared to 27% of men.
Sectors in which employees feel most pressure to go into work are retail then manufacturing then education.
A fifth of respondents also said  they were exercising less since the start of the economic downturn. Many now not affording gym membershipMarcus Powell, MD of Nuffield Health, commenting on he research said : “Employees going into work sick costs business dearly - up to £15 billion a year.“Our research shows the economic downturn has made people more likely to go into work sick often because they fear losing their job.
“This is bad for business. At Nuffield Health we work with more than 1,000 corporate clients to help them maintain a healthy workforce.“The corporate world knows that staff well being directly affects their profits.
A report last year by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, also showed that presenteeism worsened stress levels, negatively effect productivity by transfer of illness and the sick being unable to work effectively.
So why don't bosses just send people home - if you are on SSP its very difficult to manage with a cut in wages. If you have full pay , then you don't want to be seen to be a bad employee by being off ill. What a situation to be in.But firms must also ask what impression are they giving to staff to make them feel this way.
Its bad enough being in a recession with out the worry about loosing your job if you really are not well.