Most Americans go to work sick or not, according to latest GoJo survey

AKRON, Ohio - More than two-thirds of Americans don't utilize their sick days because they don't want to miss a day of work, even if they're actually sick, according to a survey conducted by Wakefield Research on behalf of GoJo Industries that was released Tuesday. As many as 62% of working Americans have gone to work sick and nearly three in four parents have sent their children to school sick. 

 

To make matters worse, those who are working or going to school sick aren't practicing the best hand hygiene, either. Three in five of those surveyed saw their co-worker sneeze without using a tissue. And according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 80% of infectious diseases are transmitted by touch. 

 

"This survey highlights that hand hygiene must be practiced far more thoroughly and regularly – whether it's at home, in the office or on the go," stated Jim Arbogast, VP hygiene sciences and public health advancements, GoJo Industries. "Keeping hands clean by either washing with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, like Purell Advanced Hand Sanitizer, should be second nature for all of us. It's a simple and effective way to prevent you and your family from getting sick and spreading illness-causing germs to others."

 

The CDC recommends washing hands with soap and water and when soap and water are not available to use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol to reduce germs on hands and decrease the spread of illness-causing germs.5