The days of taking a sick day undisturbed by colleagues and untroubled by thoughts of work are gone. Our columnist makes a case for bringing them back
Save time by listening to our audio articles as you multitaskThe work-from-home revolution has raised the bar for what counts as being sick. At the height of the pandemic people worked from home even with nasty symptoms such as fever, shortness of breath or nausea. Many still do. Nicholas Bloom of Stanford University has been tracking work-from-home habits since before the corona-crisis popularised them.
To be in bed not doing anything connotes not only physical discomfort but also cognitive impairment. Salaried workers, who are often evaluated on the basis of their input rather than output, find it hard to say they are off the game for a few days now that they don’t need to worry about spreading germs in the office. For high-achievers, putting in the hours is not a chore but a way of life. Unplanned breaks are antithetical to the pervasive anxiety to perform.
Being even mildly sick can impair brain function as much as high altitude, whose effect can feel like a bad hangover. It is difficult to exercise proper judgment if one cannot focus on the task at hand. It is why people with lower oxygen concentration sometimes remove protective clothes atop Mount Everest; some freeze to death. Firing off emails while feeling dizzy and depleted will put the body under further stress and also risk being incoherent.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Ryanair and Unite sign cabin crew pay agreementCrew will now have 'competitive' starting pay and will work a fixed five days on, three days off
Read more »
Martin Lewis to take 'long break' from hosting Good Morning BritainMartin Lewis has announced he will take some time off hosting ITV's Good Morning Britain
Read more »
Delta Air Lines invests $60m in Joby AviationWill fly passengers to and from city airports, if it ever takes off
Read more »
Russians fleeing Vladimir Putin's call up have been sailing to South KoreaRussians have been reportedly sailing yachts to South Korea to avoid getting drafted into Vladimir Putin’s army.
Read more »
Emmerdale star falls sick with Covid just days after filming with soap starsAN EMMERDALE star has fallen sick with coronavirus just days after filming with The Chase, Love Island and Loose Women stars. The soap actress took to her social media to update fans that she had c…
Read more »