It's cold and flu season again which, of course, leads to the question of whether one should go to work ill or work from home (if possible) or take a sick day. Management, obviously, want us to come in even if we will infect the rest of our co-workers and devise policies that punish us if we do take a day sick.
I posted yesterday on my Facebook wall that a number of the staff sitting near to me at work had colds and were coughing a sneezing. I said it didn't look good, I'd probably catch it from either or both of them. One of my friends made an interesting comment likening being in the office with people with colds to passive smoking. Both are injurious to our health. Both are potentially life threatening (in particular where there are other factors involved such as age, general health and conditions such as diabetes or asthma). Both carry a risk to third parties (smoke on clothes from passive smoking, secondary infections when we come home from work or visit friends and relatives).
Why then, do we ban smoking in the office but ban not coming to the office when ill?
