In a recent article for the Business Section of a local, Southern California newspaper the attitudes and expectations of employers and employees was explored. According to the article, it seems that the economic meltdown has contributed to the development of a be here or else attitude amongst employers. It is an attitude that can be observed amongst the self-employed, small business owners, as well as the larger corporations. And with employment rates higher than they have been in years, employees are feeling the pressure to report to work during times of illness, even when they have sick time accrued.

If employees report to work despite illness, businesses and customers will not have to contend with service disruption. This in turn may have a positive impact on customer satisfaction. However, there is the possibility that customer service may decrease, due to the attitude of employees who are too sick to provide appropriate attention to their job duties. There is also the issue of exposing other employees to sick workers, and perhaps creating a cycle of illness amongst the staff.

It seems that employees are succumbing to the pressure of employers who value business profits over employee health. With the focus on competition, business owners have learned that customer service is a major factor in success. If companies are plagued with sick employees, production may drop, customer service may languish, and customer needs will not be met. As a result, customers may choose to patronize a competitor’s business. However, customer service may suffer if sick employees are pressured to work. After last year’s H1N1 concern, the public is even more aware of precautions necessary to remain healthy. Exposing customers to the germs and sluggish demeanor of sick employees may result in a negative impression of the company. This may be of special concern to those working in the service industries, where employee/customer contact is high.