By Maeve Bannister in Sydney

Women are more likely to stay away from work when sick compared to their male colleagues.

A study of workplace behaviour conducted by the University of Western Australia, surveyed people on whether they continued going to work when they were sick.

“We wanted to know what employers were doing to discourage sick people coming to work or continuing to work while unwell and if they were successful,” study co-author associate professor Aleksandra Luksyte told AAP.

The study looked at workplace sickness preventative practices such as promoting social distancing, wearing masks, frequently disinfecting surfaces, increasing ventilation and washing hands.

Results showed sickness prevention practices were particularly beneficial for reducing the likelihood of women coming into work unwell compared to men.

“When there is a question of protecting health, men tended to focus more on persevering with their performance,” Prof Luksyte said.

“Women understood that protecting themselves was more important than persevering with work at the expense of their health.”

The study results were “absolutely” a message for businesses about their need to implement and enforce sickness prevention signals, Prof Luksyte added.

“The lesson is that we need to have sick leave available and also need to create a culture that there is nothing wrong with taking it,” she said.

“When an organisation creates this health-promotion culture it’s good for everyone.

“Although absenteeism can be costly, continuing to work while sick is even costlier due to its negative effects on employees and their co-workers.”

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