Some employees will drag themselves
into work with full-fledged stomach viruses, the flu, or raging colds, infecting
many other employees as these "heroes" barely make it through their
workday.
The flu has spread across 24 states, jamming hospitals and clinics in many areas
with people seeking treatment or looking for a shot of vaccine, USA Today reports.
American Airlines says it wants employees to use less sick leave so the company can avoid using other cost-cutting measures, the Dallas/Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.
Pain from common conditions such as headaches and back ache costs U.S. employers about $80 billion a year in lost productivity - even though most of the loss, or about $64 billion, is largely "invisible" to employers.
Nineteen million Americans suffer from depression each year, and employers recognize that it impacts productivity. Yet according to Washington Post columnist Amy Joyce, many employers don't yet know how to handle this illness.
An increasing number of companies and lawmakers are weighing the drawbacks and benefits of return-to-work programs, according to a story in the Wall Street Journal this week.
