Stay away | Third of Brits would prefer colleagues to avoid the office when they're sick

Not everyone can or wants to work from home these days, but almost one-third (30%) of people think colleagues with cold symptoms should recover at home, if possible, rather than soldiering on in the office. Additionally, one in ten (10%) people dislike colleagues coughing or sneezing at work, new research reveals.

Cold and flu relief medicine makers Benylin surveyed 2,000 UK residents to diagnose how Brits felt about cold and flu symptoms and what they believe is the most appropriate etiquette to handle cold and flu.

Coughing around colleagues can often leave people feeling deflated, as if an irritated throat or blocked nose wasn’t uncomfortable enough, dealing with discomfort and ‘phlegmbarassment’ in public seems to be a common worry.

From coughs and colds to sickness, sniffles, nausea and flu, it’s estimated that around 185.6 million working days were lost to “minor” illnesses in 2022 and over the last 30 days the search term ‘stay home sick’ was up 72%.