Kingsbridge

It's that time of year when sneezes and splutters sneak their way round the office – but how likely are workers to take time off when they've been caught by a cold?

New consumer research has discovered when it comes to battling coughs and colds it’s the workplace that takes no prisoners.

A survey of 4,000 adults conducted by cough medicine Covonia reveals people believe they’re more likely to catch a cold at work than anywhere else.

Nearly 1 in 3 people think their colleagues are responsible for giving them the typical 2 coughs and colds they suffer from each year. This was seen as by far the most likely source of infection, with public transport and family members coming in a distant second and third place with only around 17% of the vote each.

Whilst people spend an average of 13 days a year suffering with symptoms, the majority (60%) still refuse to take a day off work to recover, no matter how bad they feel.

This is perhaps because they feel pressured by their workload, and don't want to fall behind their colleagues, or upset their bosses. Work becomes a habit, and, even during illness, habits seem to be hard to break.

But in reality, keeping colds away from the workplace will lead to a healthier and more productive office environment.

People are now calling on colleagues to stop spreading their germs and to go home when they have a cough or a cold: 74% of people questioned want workmates to stop bringing their germs to work with them. Presumably the remaining 26% are quite happy for germs to be spread around their place of work!

And it’s not just your germs that will make you unpopular with your workmates. The survey also revealed that people get annoyed by their colleague’s whining and moaning (41%), sniffing (40%) and a desk full of crumpled tissues (27%) when they have a cold at work.

Alyn Morice, Professor of Respiratory Medicine at Hull University, says: "Over 9 million people battle with colds each winter, falling victim to one of the 200 cold viruses in circulation in the UK."

"A dramatic difference could be made in the amount of cases we see if people only started taking a more proactive approach to dealing with their illness. The best thing to do is to use a powerful, specially-designed over the counter product, like Covonia, take plenty of fluids and rest until your body has recovered."

The article Keep the cold where it belongs originally appeared on 999 Today