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More Americans are risking their health and going to work sick

Are you battling constant colds this winter? You probably got it at work. A new study, conducted by management consulting firm Robert Half, found that 90 percent of Americans go to work sick instead of staying home.

The troubling study found that 33 percent of Americans “always” go to work when they’re sick, while 57 percent “sometimes” show up to the office contagious. Why? More than half said they simply “have to much work to do” to take a day off, while 40 percent said they didn’t want to use a sick day. More than a third felt pressure from their boss to show up, regardless of whether they were ill.

This is bad news, especially since cold and flu viruses are easily transmitted via shared office equipment and close cubicles. Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, a family and emergency medicine practitioner, told FOX Business Network that employees should definitely stay home when they’re sick.

“If you’re sick, stay home, take care of yourself, go see your doctor if you’re getting worse because it can easily spread. Your infection can spread to the rest of your colleagues and your coworkers… and the next thing you know, your whole team is sick,” Nesheiwat said.

There’s mounting evidence that offices are a prime place to contract viruses: a separate study found that for every 1 percent increase in the American employment rate, there’s a 19 percent increase in flu-related trips to the doctor.