A report has revealed over a third of adults in the UK will go to work despite displaying cold and flu symptoms.
The research conducted by Kaloba, a producer of natural cold remedies, showed some 37% of people felt it was not acceptable to stay at home with a cold or the flu.
The figure was even lower amongst employees in the health sector. Only 10% of these workers would stay at home when feeling under the weather.
Teachers were found to be the hardiest workers, with only 9% of respondents from the education sector saying they would take time off when suffering from colds and flu.
However Dr Michael Dixon, a GP and Chairman of the NHS Alliance, has joined fellow experts in advising employees to go home when they are feeling under the weather and not risk infecting colleagues.
Dr Dixon said: “When it comes to a cold or the flu, we're at our most contagious at the first sneeze.
“However, at this stage the damage to the people around us has often already been done - the incubation period for the virus can be up to two days before symptoms occur.
“Employees and employers should be diligent over the next few weeks, the peak season for cold and flu, in preventing the spread of infection and should employ the NHS 'Catch it, Bin it, Kill it' policy.
“If you're suffering from cold and flu symptoms, you should stay at home, rest, drink plenty of fluids to help increase your recovery time and prevent the spread of infection.”