Stay at home if you are too ill to work, employees have been advised.
While it is important that employees understand that there may be pressure placed on their jobs by the ongoing financial turmoil, they should not put their health at risk by dragging themselves into work while ill.
At least this is the opinion of Dr Serene Foster, who was speaking on behalf of Healthcare Brands International's Sambucol.
The immunologist said that it appears an increasing number of people are putting work ahead of their health because they are worried that they may lose their jobs if they take too much time off.
"They shouldn't take this lightly," Dr Foster remarked. "But if they really are in bad health then they ought to be at home."
According to Sambucol research, on average employees work four days a year when they feel that they really should be at home recovering from illness.
Advertising agents, IT professionals and shopkeepers are among the occupations where workers feel the most reluctant to take time off.