Sick Day Study: Miami In Top 5 Cities Where Employees Show Up Ill

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – With the dreaded cold and flu season fast approaching, many Americans with fevers, coughs and runny noses will be forced to make a decision: go to work sick or stay at home.

And yet the latter almost never happens according to new research from the staffing firm Accountemps.

The Accountemps' study found that 90 percent of employees admit they've come to the office with cold or flu symptoms.

Most of those who reported to the office say they did so because they had too much work on their plate, didn't want to use sick time or felt pressure from their employer to come in.

"When you think about you know there are more jobs than skilled talent, it is conceivable that workers do go to work because of limited resources within that company as well as and tight deadlines for the job that they have," explained Robert Deosingh, the district president for Robert Half.

Among the 28 U.S. cities in the study, Miami, Charlotte, Austin, Chicago and Cincinnati are the top five cities where employees show up sick.

According to the study, bosses should set the example when sick by taking time off and encouraging employees to work from home.

"The last thing you want is prolong your recovery but you don't want to get colleagues sick as well," said Deosingh.

Researchers also suggest workers who feel sick think twice before pushing themselves too hard. They say the key is to relax, rest and recharge.

Accountemps suggests managers could offer employees with minor ailments the opportunity to work from home or bring in temps to handle the workload.