Study shows many Americans feel pressured to work while sick

The average American spends about 84 hours a year working while under the weather, according to new research.

The survey of 2,000 general population Americans revealed that the average person works 10 and a half days per year while feeling under the weather, on average — and 47% admit they’d rather “power through” than take a sick day.

For some, they may be more inclined to “power through,” as they’re worried others may think they’re “dramatic” when they’re feeling unwell (34%).

Forty-eight percent of respondents remember a negative comment someone else made about how frequently they feel unwell, either due to allergies or other conditions and illnesses and over a quarter of those surveyed (26%) said in their friend group or family, they feel like they’re the person who is most often sick or feeling unwell.

Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Nectar Allergy, the survey looked at the effect of both colds and allergies on work, as well as Americans’ social lives and their wallets.

In an average year, respondents miss 17 social events because they feel unwell.

While a cold, the flu or other sickness (40%) was the biggest cause of respondents missing out on social events, allergies (33%) also played a role for a third of respondents.

In fact, half of all respondents (49%) suffer from yearlong or seasonal airborne allergies and although a third (31%) of respondents experience FOMO — fear of missing out — due to feeling unwell, those with allergies are extra anxious about missing out compared to respondents without allergies (43% vs. 19%).

“It’s disheartening to see how much pressure people feel to work while unwell. Along with that, how many important occasions people miss because they’re sick, either with a cold or allergies. People don’t realize how isolating airborne allergies can be. They’re like an invisible cloud hanging over people’s heads,” said Kenneth Chahine, Ph.D., chief executive officer and co-founder of Nectar Allergy. “According to the study, over half of people with allergies (54%) said they’re worried about not being able to tell the difference between allergy symptoms and a contagious cold. No wonder people miss out on so much.”

Feeling under the weather not only impacts work and respondents’ social lives and relationships, but there’s also a tangible effect on their wallets.

The average person with allergies spent $207.30 in the last year to treat allergies and symptoms which is 64% more than the average respondent without allergies spent to treat regular colds ($126.20).

In addition to the monetary impact, allergies also affect respondents’ time: 65% of allergy sufferers said they’ll be allocating extra time in their typical morning routine, during peak allergy season, to allow allergy medications to kick in and for symptoms to subside.

Along with time and money considerations, allergies can influence major life decisions: Almost half of those with allergies (46%) said they’d even be likely to move to a different city if it meant that their allergies would be less intense or go away completely.

“Whether you’re frequently sick with colds or are engaged in a battle with airborne allergies, it’s important to rest and give yourself the time you need to feel your best,” said Shyam Joshi, M.D., chief scientific officer at Nectar Allergy. “And if you’re finding that your sick days are stacking up, you’re frequently missing out on social events, your wallet is taking a hit and your lifestyle has shifted dramatically, know that you deserve better and there are new innovative and cost-effective treatments."

Survey methodology:

This random double-opt-in survey of 2,000 general population Americans was commissioned by Nectar Allergy between March 11 and March 14, 2024. It was conducted by market research company OnePoll, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society and have corporate membership to the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).