Don't let a cold affect your work
We're told that we suffer from two to five colds a year and even though we're still going to work they're costing employers over a third of usual productivity time.
The research, commissioned by Otrivine, shows the average Brit suffers from a cold for eight days of the year and will attend work for, an average, six and a half days when ill with a cold.
Despite nearly two thirds of Brits not considering the common cold serious enough to require time off work, the physical impact of a cold can be destructive in the workplace. In addition to spreading germs and infecting colleagues, a blocked nose has been proven to clinically impact on breathing during sleep, which can interfere with daily performance.
Christine Webber, psychotherapist and life-coach, commented: “Any workplace is a competitive environment and the current economic climate means people are really reluctant to phone in sick when others are battling through, despite ill health, to make an impression. Yet in any working environment, people are paid and are expected – quite rightly - to perform to a certain standard.
“The fact is that if you have a heavy cold, you feel grim. Not surprisingly then, if you are suffering from a bad cold, you are unlikely to perform well at work or be able to concentrate properly. This is particularly true if you have a blocked nose and can’t breathe properly as it affects your focus and means you can struggle to get a good night’s sleep.
“Next time you head into work with a bunged-up nose, bear in mind the impact this could have on your productivity and your fellow colleagues. Using specially developed products such as nasal decongestants can help you breathe easier at night, helping you get the sleep you require to get you back on the road to recovery and performing at full speed.”
Yet Brits who brave the office with a cold accomplish, on average, just 64 per cent of their normal workload in a day – impacting businesses with a huge 35 per cent loss in productivity. Likewise, quality of output is also affected, with the average employee rating their work a third below their usual standard. Shockingly, a third admit to feeling so ill at work that they had knowingly delivered sub-standard work.
“The common cold is seemingly so ‘common’ that many people don’t understand the medical impact it has on the body and how it can compromise productivity, especially in the workplace. It is important to listen to your body, and if you have to go into work, make sure you invest in the appropriate remedies, such as a decongestant nasal spray to help ease the symptoms and to help you continue to function," comments the Otrivine brand manager.
Going into work when suffering from a cold is seemingly counter-productive; last year, more than a quarter of Brits believe they caught two cold-related viruses from their workplace and 38 per cent admit they were eventually sent home, due to their lack of productivity1.
Yet even though over half of British employees surveyed would rather their colleagues stayed at home to recover and contain their germs, many Brits are reluctant to phone in sick.
Tagged in Health cold and flu