Next time you're feeling lousy with a cold but decide you just have to go to work - stop and rethink.

Most bosses would prefer you call in sick. It actually costs them more when you haul your sorry carcass into the office and sneeze and snuffle your way through your day.

"There's a disconnect between what bosses feel and what employees feel," says Peter Rodriguez, senior brand manager of Benylin at Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, the pharmaceutical company that makes many over-the-counter cold remedies.

Pfizer, itself corporately committed to work/life balance for its employees, commissioned Decima Research to survey 1,000 employers and 1,000 employees this past fall to determine attitudes toward sick days.

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Coughing, sneezing and a running nose can increase chances of spreading your symptoms to colleagues.

"The studies revealed the vast majority of Canadian employers (76 per cent) would prefer employees stay home" when sick, says Rodriguez. And yet, even when miserable with symptoms of a cold or the flu, 46 per cent of employees went to work, and 35 per cent said they feel guilty when they do call in sick.

Not only are you less productive and more prone to errors, but chances are you'll infect co-workers, so the company ends up picking up the tab for more than one sick employee.

Full-time employees took an average of 9.2 sick days in 2005, says Statistics Canada - notably often from illnesses contracted while working with sick colleagues.

U.S. research shows employees who come in sick actually cost their employers an average of US$255 each per year, according to a Cornell University study.

And that doesn't count what happens when co-workers get sick, too.

A 2004 report in the Harvard Business Review said turning up for work sick can cut productivity by a third or more.

"One of employers' big concerns," says Rodriguez, "is around transmission of disease. Instead of having one person down sick, if it spreads you can have a whole team down."

Coming to work, no matter what, is an attitude lingering from days gone by, says Ted Lachmansingh, senior group marketing manager and member of Pfizer's Wellness Team. "It became entrenched that you can't take time for yourself, that you need to be a workplace warrior.

"Meanwhile, employers see that it not only costs them more when you come in ill, but it will take longer for you to get better."

Pfizer's message to its own 2,300 Canadian employees is "it's OK to take a sick day - it's better for you, and better for the business," says Lachmansingh. "I encourage people on my team to go home when they come in sick.

"Really, people should be taking time off before they feel their worst."

"If you push yourself when you have cold and flu symptoms, if you don't give yourself time to recuperate, it's going to take longer to get better," says Dr. Nayana Suchak, a family physician in Markham, Ont.

"I see patients in my office every day who are quite sick and pushing themselves to go to work."

So here are a few suggestions for surviving and thriving at work during the cold and flu season.

* Wash or sanitize your hands frequently. A co-worker may be contagious before starting to cough and sneeze, and they may deposit germs on keyboards, elevator buttons, door handles and chair arms.

* Boost your immune system. Extra Vitamin C and echinacea have been shown to reduce your risk of getting sick and to cut down recovery time. Get enough sleep, exercise regularly and eat lots of fruit and vegetables to keep from getting rundown and making it easier for bacteria and viruses to set up shop.

* Don't spread germs. Cover your nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing.

* Know when to stay home. Coughing, sneezing and a nose running like a faucet greatly increases your chances of spreading your disease to colleagues. The exhaustion that heralds an illness is a sign to take a break from office stress so your immune system is at its strongest to attack invading bacteria and viruses. Fevers are a sign you are seriously ill.

* Know when to suggest a colleague go home. If the co-worker won't take a hint, talk to a supervisor. Your employer has an onus to provide a safe and healthy work environment.

* Know when to see a doctor. It takes a week to recover from a cold and at least 10 days to get over the flu. If it's taking longer, see a doctor. If symptoms get worse instead of better over time, see a doctor.

And check out fevers - they could be a sign a viral infection has morphed into a bacterial infection and you need antibiotics.

(Sharon Adams can be reached at sharon@businessedge.ca)