Despite what their employers may think (see Feature of Week article), a majority of workers (84 percent) believes that the recession creates more pressure for them to show up for work even if they are sick, according to a national survey conducted last month.

Mansfield Communications Inc. reports that the survey results show 69 percent of respondents indicating that they have received “no communication about policies in the workplace pertaining to H1N1— not even information related to hand washing or sick leave.” The survey, conducted by Angus Reid Strategies for Mansfield Communications Inc., interviewed 1,028 workers from Sept. 10-12, 2009. The majority of the workers surveyed (80 percent) felt they were knowledgeable about precautions that should be taken if the virus reached their workplace. Yet approximately half (47 percent) said that they would still engage in public activities (such as riding the bus, picking up a prescription or grocery shopping) even when they were infected with H1N1 and required to stay home from their office due to a company-imposed quarantine.

Mansfield Communications Inc. spokesperson Rob Ireland calls this “alarming,” and that more needs to be done to help sick workers act appropriately to contain the spread of the virus.

“Many workers are understandably concerned about how absenteeism due to sickness will impact their job security in the current economic environment. However, sick employees coming into the office during the H1N1 flu season will undermine the health and productivity of the entire workplace,” Ireland says.

“Employers need to clearly communicate with employees about such things as extended sick leave policy and procedures to minimize the spread of infection. During a pandemic, employers must become trusted sources of information and help employees make the right choices,” he says.