When to stay home and take a sick day (SPOILER ALERT Always)

When to stay home and take a sick day (SPOILER ALERT Always)When to stay home and take a sick day (SPOILER ALERT Always)With flu season in full swing, when your alarm goes off in the morning and youre feeling groggy, a common question comes to mind to work from home, or ignore the symptoms andhaul yourself to the office instead?Sometimes, taking it a step further and calling in sick entirely can leave you feeling riddled with guilt - especially if youve already been sick for a few days or dont have a very lenient sick policy at work.Heres why you should pay attention to how youre feeling and stay home when you dont feel well.More than half of people work when they dont feel wellNPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health teamed up ona joint 2016 study among 1,601 adults employed in the U.S., which shed light on how many people work through their sickness instead of calling it a day.Adults in low-paying jobs are more likely to say they go to work when sick. Alfruchtwein two-thirds of working adults (65%) say they still go to work always or most of the time when they have the flu, compared to 55% of those in average-paying jobs and 48% of those in high-paying jobs, the research says.The saatkorn survey also zeroed in on why some employees fail to use up all their paid sick days, with73% reporting that they werent ill enough to exhaust all their days, 37% wanted to use them at a future date and 20% said they had too much work to do.Flu season is predicted to be longer this yearBut people might want to take extra precautions in 2018. According topediatrician Dr. Tanya Altmann, MD, FAAP, we typically see flu activity start in October and taper off in February, but this year, it is predicted that flu season will last through March, into April.And Americans have already been hit hard by the flu - doctors, urgent care and emergency rooms are seeing record numbers of sick patients and many have the flu virus, she told Ladd ers.Many people, including at least 20 children, have reportedly died from this seasons flu as well.If you feel like you are coming down with the flu, its best to stay home to avoid sharing germs with others. I know this may be difficult as most Americans are programed to work hard no matter what, but this time of year its important to take care of yourself and others, Altmann told Ladders. When I feel like Im getting sick, I make sure to get extra sleep, good nutrition with plenty of vitamin C and antioxidant rich fruit and veggies. Ask your doctor about vitamin D and probiotics too as I find most people need extra. Wash your hands before touching surfaces and clean anything you have already touched with an EPA-approved disinfectant to kill cold and flu viruses.The great sick debate to work from home or not work at all?SPOILER ALERT 2 You guessed it - Stay home.There are many reasons not to fall victim topresenteeism, which research has defined as working while you feel sick.One o f them is super-obvious You could get your coworkers sick.Even though you may not want to miss work or school, its important to stay home to prevent the spread of illnesses to those around you,Altmann told Ladders. Even at home, make sure to cough or sneeze into your elbow or a tissue to prevent the spread of germs to your loved ones. Lastly, try your best to make good use of your time off from work or school to rest, relax, eat well and recover from illnesses.When asked if working from home could actually make you feel worse, Altmann said, Definitely stay home if you have a fever or feel sick. Its up to you on how much you can handle in terms of working a little from home. Taking care of yourself and getting rest is really number one, but if you can handle helping colleagues a little bit during bursts when you feel better or wake from your naps, thats fine.Heres how to protect yourself from the flu at workThroughout flu season, vaccination is the first step in flu prevention and th e best way to protect yourself and those around you from the flu, said Altmann. She added you should also wash hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds (the time it takes to sing the Happy Birthday song twice) and to use a disinfectant approved to kill cold and flu viruses to clean off places people tend to touch the most, such as doorknobs, light switches, faucets.Altmann also recommended using your elbow for coughs and sneezes (not your hands), and eating healthy foods, sleeping and exercising enough to strengthen your capacity to keep yourself tresor from the flu and colds.Help Heres what to do if youve already called in sick a lot, but dont feel wellAltmann suggests getting medical help as soon as possible.Go see a doctor immediately, if you havent already, Altmann says. Your health is number one priority and your colleagues and employer need to understand that.You will function much better at work when you are 100%. That said, if you are a colleague left doing dou ble duty in the office, just remember that you could be the one home sick and youd want your colleagues to do the same for you