WHAT YOUR EMPLOYERS REALLY THINK

Most people hesitate to call in sick to work because they don't want to risk looking like a liability or fear disappointing their superiors. However, you may be doing your employer more of a favor than you realize by calling in.

"The biggest problem is when a person comes to work sick and others in that same department catch it -- if there are only three of you in a small, though important, department and you're all away, it's a concern," stated Tania Hall, an employee of 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, in an interview with Careerbuilder.com.

In situations like this, it costs the company less if one employee stays home to recover, than risk the entire department becoming ill and having to call out. This is especially true in cases where it is possible for the employee to do some work from home such as answering or returning phone calls, responding to emails, and updating data spreadsheets.

A recent report by CBS news stated that 48 percent of employers have claimed that "presenteeism", or the act of coming into work sick, has been a problem for them. Out of these employers, 68 percent choose to send their employees home and 36 percent are working to dissuade employees from coming in sick at all. Many consider "presenteeism" to be a bigger problem than absenteeism.