The rise of the mucus trooper

42% of workers who were ill didn't want to let colleagues down

Too many of us are 'soldiering on' and going to work when we're sick, according to the TUC.

It says that as many as one in five of us have been to work when we're so ill that we should have stayed at home.

And now, as official sickness leave drops to record lows, the TUC is launching a new campaign to encourage us to stay at home if we're ill.

A recording of our interview will be available shortly

The TUC has published new advice on sickness at work, and has also come up with a quiz to determine whether you are a 'model patient', a 'shirker', or a 'mucus trooper'.

Click here to find out more from the TUC website

Contagious

Many people think that they are doing the right thing by persevering and going into work despite being ill, but there is an extremely high chance that that other workers will be infected.

And this in turn leads to more workers ultimately having to take sick leave.

The TUC found that white collar workers and those in the West Midlands are most likely to struggle on when ill.

It also lays some of the blame at the door of advertisers who offer miracle cures and encourage people to carry on, but it also says that ad campaigns which encourage us to take a sickie are equally irresponsible.

Poll

The TUC found that 42% of workers who refused to go sick, didn't want to let colleagues down, and that people depend on the job they do.

16% say they worked on because they were concerned about losing pay which they couldn't afford.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber says we're not a nation of malingerers.

"We struggle into work even when we are too ill to do so because we don't want to let people down. It's all part of our long hours culture. Indeed long hours, stress and increasing workloads make people sick.

"Ads that one minute tell us we will lose out at work if we admit we're ill, and the next encourage us to take a 'sickie' don't help."

He adds: "Of course employers will want to deal with malingerers, but they should also make sure that people who are genuinely ill stay at home."

Of course it may sound trivial, but if you have an on-going health problem, or have taken a lot of sick leave you may be concerned about your rights.

There's more information on the TUC website, or you can contact your local Citizens' Advice Bureau via the above link.

Both will help you work things like how much sick leave can you take, when do you need a certificate and do I get paid when on sick leave?

Their message from the poll is quite clear: No one likes a malingerer, but if you're genuinely ill then stay at home.

Are you a mucus trooper? Do you feel intimidated into going to work even when you're genuinely ill? Or are you a boss who suspects his workers aren't always as ill as they claim? Use this form to e-mail Breakfast with your views