Sick Leave vs. Paid Time Off (PTO)

One person came to work sick. He infected those around him. As a result, we haven't had a full staff since the first week of December as this nasty cold has worked its way through the office.

Why do people come to work when they are sick? Sometimes it's because they fear being fired if they take time off. For others, they feel they are just too busy, or too valuable to the company, to be gone. Still others want to save their paid time off hours to use for vacation.

For the former, you need better communications and a more stable employment level. For those who just feel they can't stay away, you may need to adjust workloads, or provide some counseling. However, for the group that thinks spreading germs is an acceptable way to accrue additional vacation time, read Sick Leave vs. Paid Time Off (PTO) to learn how you can limit this behavior and the risks associated with it.