You might think you're doing a good turn by turning up but it's false economy
KEY POINTS:
At work, everybody has a responsibility to get the job done. But we also have a responsibility not to get a co-worker sick. Going to work sick could even violate the Health and Safety in Employment Act, says Dr Greg Simmons, medical officer of health for the Auckland Regional Public Health Service.
Under the act, employees are required to report hazards in the workplace and have them dealt with.
"I'd regard a person with infectious influenza or a respiratory infection at work to be a hazard in the workplace," Simmons says.
"It's never been tested but I think there are obligations on management and employees to ensure that sick people are sent home."
Workers who do not stay away are putting colleagues at risk of catching diseases, including the potentially fatal influenza virus.
The flu is one of the most common viruses to catch in the office. Up to 20 per cent of New Zealanders will find themselves struck by the disease each year.
Simmons says workers should be able to tell if they are coming down with the flu. "Influenza usually develops with a high fever and it comes on rapidly. One minute you're feeling all right and the next minute you think, `Oh, blimey, I'm coming down with something pretty bad here'."
You can even infect co-workers before you develop symptoms.
"Earlier on in the disease you're most infectious," Simmons says.
If you've had the disease a few days and you're feeling a bit better, it may be safe to return to work, provided that you are careful to wash your hands and put your tissues in the bin.
A serious bout of influenza can leave you bed-ridden for a week. If a whole team of workers were to take ill, it could create a serious disruption for a business. Symptoms to watch out for include:
* A high fever and chills
* Headache
* Muscle aches and pains
* Fatigue
* Cough
* Sore throat
* A general feeling of being unwell.
As we move into cold and flu season, people should consult their GP to see if they should have an influenza vaccination. For some high-risk groups, the shot is free. But bringing the disease into the office for your co-workers to catch should be banned as a matter of company policy, Simmons says.
"There should be an agreed policy that if staff have got upper respiratory infections and they're not feeling well, they shouldn't be there."
He says it is not a good idea to try and trudge along and go to work when you've got an illness.
"It results in a false economy. You're not particularly productive and you're also infecting your colleagues. So, ultimately, the business does not benefit from that. Good managers should be sending their people home in that situation," Simmons says.
Another germ which can cause havoc in an office is the particularly nasty norovirus. Simmons has investigated norovirus outbreaks in New Zealand offices.
"We've had situations where staff have been vomiting in their waste paper baskets and continuing to work. I mean, it's just bizarre."
Norovirus is known for causing projectile vomiting.
"You can get sick just by walking into a room where someone has vomited, through the aerosols that are produced," Simmons says.
Norovirus is so infectious that he advises to keep at least 1m away from anyone who has it.
If someone with norovirus has been in the office, the germ can lurk around on telephones and keyboards for more than three weeks.
Even the flu virus will stay alive on hard surfaces for up to 48 hours. If you get it on your hand, it stays ready to attack for five minutes if you should you touch your eyes or mouth.
"Environmental transmission on things like doorknobs and handrails has been underestimated," Simmons says.
Even when someone returns to work after an illness, they can still be infectious. The official advice is that after every cough or sneeze, you should wash your hands. But barring that, Simmons says alcohol hand gels can be effective in killing bugs.
"In general terms, they work well. But they don't replace the need for hand hygiene in terms of running water, soap and a dry towel."
He says although hand gels might work well for the flu virus, they might not work as well with some of the hardier viruses like norovirus.
For hard surfaces in the office such as the keyboard and telephone, alcohol wipes are recommended.
A recent survey Simmons was involved with might encourage more office hygiene.
"One in five men don't wash their hands after going to the toilet and it's one in 10 for women."
Proper hand washing involves using running water and soap for at least 20 seconds, which is about how long it takes to sing Happy Birthday. Simmons says not to bother with anti-bacterial soap but rub your hands vigorously.
It's just as important to dry hands completely.
Given the lifespan of some germs, keeping the office clean is one of the best ways to keep staff healthy.
A detergent with 0.1 per cent bleach will kill just about anything.
But the main thing should be to keep sick workers out of the office in the first place.
Contact David Maida at:
www.DavidMaida.com
