by Kristie Janeway Jernigan BS MHA

Created on: May 21, 2009   Last Updated: May 29, 2009

Working when you are ill is not a fun experience. Many workers feel the need to work even though they are suffering from an illness that they could easily infect others with. For this reason, you should always consider your other coworkers when you are suffering from an illness. Your coworkers do not want to be subjected to an illness if it can be prevented by your staying at home. You may also have coworkers who are at greater risk due to age or another underlying medical condition. For these individuals becoming infected with an illness can be detrimental. Here are a few guidelines to help you understand when you should stay at home and when it might be ok to go to work.

Deciding when you are sick enough to stay at home is very difficult for some people. People who value their jobs, worry about missing too much time, or are working on a special project that they need to be present for have a tendency to go to work sick. Indeed, there are some illnesses that you can go to work with such as: allergies, mild injuries, headaches, mild colds, etc. However, when you are showing signs of illness that is causing more severe symptoms such as fevers, rashes or aches and pains you have to think about whether or not you should go into work. At this point, if you believe you have an illness that might be more serious you need to go to see a physician. You have to consider your coworkers that you may be putting at risk when you go to work with a contagious illness.

As a general rule if you have a cold with a fever you should not be around others because you can be considered contagious. Having a cold and subjecting other coworkers to your constant sneezing, coughing or nose blowing is simply not very sanitary. Trust me, your coworkers will be fine if you decide to work from home or simply stay home that day.

Conjunctivitis or Pink Eye is another disease that is better left at home. This disease is an eye infection that actually causes your eye to weep and become matted and very pink in color. Conjunctivitis is a very contagious disease that is uncomfortable for the sufferer as well as unsightly to look at. Many medical facilities do not let their employees who have been diagnosed with Conjunctivitis work for up to five days. So, do your coworkers a favor by staying home when you have this medical issue.

The flu is another disease that you simply do not want to work with. Many people that have the flu will not feel like working anyway but

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