Sick enough to work?

Your body’s aching, your head is pounding and your nose thinks it’s in the running for faucet of the year. And it’s only 10:01 a.m. Why did you bother getting out of bed this morning? Oh yeah, deadlines, 30 million emails and the boss who would like you to supervise the arrival of her dry cleaning.

If you have ever had a day like this, count yourself amount the 83 percent of Canadians who practice “presenteeism.” On the eve of National Mental Health Week, a survey commissioned by Desjardins Financial Security finds that 42 percent of Canadians have gone to work sick or exhausted in the last year. Of them, 11 percent went to work under these conditions six to 10 times while 12 percent did so even more often.

Talk about spreading germs around! (Don’t forget to wash your hands, folks!)

Most of the nearly 1,600 respondents cited increased stress, heavy workloads and lack of recognition as their primary work-related complaints. The most popular reasons for not calling in sick were deadlines, workload pile-up worries and employers that frowned on absenteeism.

On the upside (yes, there is one), the survey finds that workplaces are gradually adapting to mental health challenges, and that having colleagues who suffer from burn-out, depression and anxiety tends to sensitize and create more support within the work environment.

So, let me know where you fit in:

• Have you ever gone to work sick – What was your reason?
• If you’ve ever felt pressured or exhausted by work – Share your strategies to cope.