Saint or sinner?

Having children has only mildly tempered my tendency to be a bit of a workaholic. This probably explains why I am in the office today, despite being fully aware that I am coming down with a bug.

So am I a sinner or a saint?

Like most people stumbling into the office with shivers and sniffles, I like to believe I am a saint - sacrificing myself for the good of the company. However, the truth is that my martyring will probably lead to longer-term productivity loss and increased likelihood of ill-health among my colleagues.

The silly thing is that coming into work has been largely unnecessary. I have a laptop, an ADSL connection at home and a wireless card for those (many) times when my fixed-line goes down.

So, why is it that employers and employees are not willing to consider the benefits of remote work?

Kimberly Guest, senior journalist

Of course, a successful news environment depends largely on the interaction and collaboration of journalists, so maybe we are not as yet ready to become a fully-fledged virtual workforce. However, if a single resource works remotely for a day or two, the newsroom - and the provision of services to readers - does not grind to a halt.

The same is true for other company types. Even mining and manufacturing businesses have "knowledge workers" who can work almost as well from home as they can from their assigned office desk.

So, why is it that employers and employees are not willing to consider the benefits of remote work? Not even as a contingency plan?

At one point, ITWeb had an HR executive whose wife was involved in the fight against bird flu. For this consultant, preparing against a highly contagious health risk was a significant concern. His wife had recalled the impact bird flu had had on international companies and he realised South African business was not prepared for the effects.

As most of the human cases of bird flu had arisen in Asia, a good number of us nodded politely and did not give a second thought to our consultant's concerns.

Perhaps the response would have been different if the example had been milder. Companies that take a long look at their attendance registers over the next few weeks could find the sickly season has more of an impact on their business than thought.

This morning I am "healthy" enough to be working and so here I am. Tomorrow, of course, may be a different story for myself and those colleagues who have come into contact with me.

Would it have made much of a difference to my output if I had worked from home today? Probably not. Nevertheless, I am at the top of the ill-health pyramid scheme, passing on my bug to co-workers who in turn will pass it on to their colleagues, until the only person who does not have the bug is the one who was not in the office in the first place.

Pyramid schemes are illegal in this country for the simple reason that the majority of the people involved come away with less than they started with. I may like to believe that by dragging myself into the office today I will be rewarded come bonus time; the truth is I should be rapped over the knuckles for putting the health and wealth of this company at stake.