Can we stay healthy in the post-pandemic workplace?

This chimes with findings from a 2011 Danish study, which showed that whether or not you get sick at work is “significantly related to having a greater number of occupants in the office”.  The study also showed that occupants in open-plan offices, where workers sit elbow-to-elbow in open rooms with nothing separating them, took 62% more sick days than workers in individual offices.  A 2013 study in Sweden echoed those findings, saying open-plan offices had a “significant excess risk for sickness absence”, compared to traditional closed offices.

One major reason we infect each other at work is that we show up even when we’re fully aware that we’re sick; a 2019 survey of US professionals by recruiting firm Robert Half found that up to 90% of respondents admit going to the office when ill. There are lots of reasons for this, like no sick pay protection in some nations, a culture of presenteeism or a precarious economic situation. 

“Workers are incentivised to come into work not feeling well,” explains Globina. “If you have poor sick leave policy – for example you lose your insurance if you don’t reach a certain number of hours per month – that is a barrier to taking off a day when you’re not feeling well.” 

Even employees lucky enough to have sick leave feel pressure not to use it. A 2015 study by UK health insurer AXA PPP found that only 42% of senior managers thought having a cold or flu was a good enough reason to miss work. 

‘Keep pillars of safety’ 

The good news is that lots of the precautions we got used to during the pandemic can help keep us healthy in the workplace going forwards. 

Opinions remain divided over the most visible public health symbol of the pandemic, the mask. The CDC doesn’t currently recommend masks for the prevention of cold and flu infections, even for those at high risk of complications. Some doctors agree. 

“Unless we move to a society where everyone wears masks all the time, it’s probably not going to make a huge difference in terms of the impact on broad-scale public health transmission,” says Klein, pointing out that much flu transmission occurs before people know they’re sick. 

Still, others see value in recommending mask-wearing. Swartzberg believes in what he calls “the Swiss cheese defense”, or the idea that lots of small health protections that aren’t highly effective on their own can work much better together. 

He thinks masking can be a great addition, along with yearly flu vaccinations and hand washing, and would like to see a culture where a sore throat means it’s time to put a mask on. “You don’t have to wear a mask all the time, but use it judiciously, to protect yourself in certain circumstances and to protect others in certain circumstances.”