It's winter time which means cold and flu season! It seems like everyone is sick these days whether from a cold, flu or Covid. During the height of the Pandemic, employers were very supportive of "stay home when you're sick" initiatives, but now...Let the sick shaming begin!
SICK SHAMING PERSISTS
"Despite the attention the COVID-19 pandemic brought to workers’ health, many managers maintain a skepticism toward use of sick time, a Resume Builder survey of 1,000 managers conducted in January found. One-quarter said they think workers “lie or exaggerate their illness,” and one-third often ask for medical documentation.
A sizable minority of managers also apply pressure to get sick workers into the office. One-fifth encourage ill workers to return to the office, 27% believe a culture that encourages sick employees to work is good for productivity and 11% admit to “sick shaming” workers, Resume Builder found.
Opinions varied based on degree of illness; while 70% of managers said workers should take the day off for a severe cold, only 20% said they should for a mild cold. Most said the workplace should have “more clear” sick leave policies." Learn more
SICK SHAMING HAS LED TO MISUSE OF MEDICINE
"In this post-pandemic world, many have become hyperaware of illness around them — giving rise to stigma at even the slightest sign of a cold. Now, a simple cough, sniffle or sneeze can reduce someone to social outcast status — aka “sick shaming” — as those around them fear a fresh case of COVID-19.
To avoid the embarrassment, symptomatic people are using more allergy and cold medicines than ever, which could spread germs even further by powering through illness instead of resting it off in isolation, Bloomberg reported.
Compared to 2019 — before the pandemic — sales of over-the-counter medications for upper respiratory infections have spiked 23% this year, rising to $11.8 billion, according to consumer intelligence company NIQ." Learn more
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