Can you go to work if you have a cold?

introduction

According to current surveys, around 50% of Germans repeatedly go to work despite being ill.
But when exactly does it make sense to go to work and when should you stay at home? In the end, this always remains an individual decision, but we are trying to give you a little guide.

One should not go to work with these symptoms

Whether you should go to work with a cold depends to a large extent on how bad the cold has struck and what job you are at. In principle, the following applies: Anyone who is physically active at work has to be more careful than someone who sits at a desk. Physical work should definitely be avoided even if you have mild colds. The way to work must also be taken into account: For example, if I need a bike and have to ride to work through wind and weather, this will probably not have a positive effect on the common cold.

But if the desk at home is the workplace, it is unlikely that the body will strain itself. But even then you should consider how efficient you are. Most of the time, great concentration or creativity cannot be achieved with a cold. However, no matter where or what you work, there are some symptoms that you shouldn't work with.
This includes:

fever
Pain in the limbs, neck and head
Cold and cough with colored secretions
Other symptoms such as conjunctivitis or gastrointestinal infection

If you go to work despite the symptoms mentioned above, you run the risk of serious secondary diseases, in the worst case it can lead to heart muscle inflammation or meningitis, for example. Apart from your own health, you should also think about that of your colleagues and customers: Anyone who has a cold is always a risk of infection for healthy people. Especially those who work with children or sick people, for example as teachers, educators or health workers, should remember that these target groups get infected particularly easily

Read more on the topic:

Symptoms of a cold
What is a procrastinated cold?

fever

In principle, one should therefore pay attention to one's own feeling of illness. Anyone who feels extremely ill should not go to work.
The most objective symptom that is easy to measure is body temperature. From 37.5 ° C one speaks of so-called subfebrile temperature, i.e. a slightly elevated temperature that is not yet a real fever. If you feel fit, you can still go to work at this temperature, if you feel tired and tired, you should stay at home. Above 38.5 ° C one speaks of solid fever, at the latest then one should take it easy - even if one still feels fit.

You might also be interested in: When do I have to see a doctor with a cold?

Pain

Even if there is severe pain with a cold, it is better to stay in bed. These typically include headache or body aches, but also severe sore throats that make swallowing very difficult, or a painful cough can be an indication of a severe cold. Sometimes severe ear pain also occurs, and the hearing sensation in the affected ear may even be reduced.

If this pain does not improve or even worsen within a few days, a doctor should be consulted. Swollen and / or painful lymph nodes in the neck can also indicate a more severe infection, and even then it is better to see a doctor than go to work.

You might also be interested in this topic: Swollen lymph nodes on the neck - how dangerous is that?

cough and sneeze

Coughing and / or runny nose almost always occur with a cold.
Here you can also judge how severe the cold is from the color of the secretion: If the cold is clear or if the cough is clear, the infection is usually purely virus-related, if the color is green-yellowish or even purulent or bloody, then it often happens Bacteria settled in addition to the viruses. If you only have a clear cold, most doctors consider you still fit for work, while colored secretions are usually further clarified.

More symptoms

Going to work is taboo even if other symptoms occur in addition to the common cold, such as watery red eyes such as those associated with conjunctivitis or symptoms of a gastrointestinal infection.

More on this: You can recognize a gastrointestinal infection by these symptoms

How do you know that you can work again?

Here, too, the subjective feeling of health is most important.
Anyone who feels fit and does not have any of the above symptoms such as fever or body aches can go back to work. The general symptoms do not have to have completely disappeared. If, for example, there is still a clear cold, you can still go to work. Even bronchitis can lead to a dry, tickly cough weeks after the illness without having any particular disease value.

If you are doing heavy physical work, the symptoms should be completely gone or should be clarified by a doctor before returning to work. If you have got a sick leave from the doctor, you can also follow the advice of the doctor - in the case of a sick leave, the doctor can often estimate how long the illness will last. If you are unsure, you can visit the doctor again to ask for his assessment of your ability to work.

Regarding the risk of infection, it should be noted that it is highest before the symptoms of the common cold appear. As a result, virus excretion is low when the symptoms have largely subsided, but hygiene measures should be observed for a few more days to be on the safe side - for example, avoiding shaking hands or sneezing into the crook of the elbows instead of the palms of the hands.

Read about this too How long is a cold contagious?

You can do this to be able to work faster again

In order for the ability to work to return, the cold itself must be cured. This usually requires adequate rest and sleep, especially if the cold is so severe that a sick leave is necessary. Smaller activities, such as a walk in the fresh air, on the other hand, can also be beneficial for recovery.

Otherwise, the usual rules for treating a cold apply: In addition to rest and adequate sleep, attention should be paid to a healthy diet and sufficient fluid intake. Warm drinks such as tea can also have an expectorant effect due to their temperature. If the nose is blocked, nasal spray or nasal drops can be used for up to a week; if the cough is stuck, cough removers can be taken.

There are also almost countless home remedies for treating a cold, such as cold baths or rubs.

Cold medicines, which increase performance and suppress symptoms of the common cold, should not be resorted to in order to return to work. There is a risk that the cold will continue to worsen and that you will have to take an even longer sick leave.

Read more on the topic:

How can I shorten the duration of a cold?
Therapy for a cold

Length of sick leave

A sick leave from the family doctor is usually due on the third working day (attention: not on the third working day). This means that a sick leave from Friday must be available on Monday even if the weekend is off. The length of the sick leave depends on how badly the cold has hit.

The doctor can usually estimate the necessary days to cure the cold relatively well, usually between one and three days sick leave are granted. If you are ill for a longer period of time, you usually have to see the doctor again after about three days so that he can extend your sick leave. If you have a particularly severe cold, you can also be on sick leave for a week. A sick leave for more than 14 days is usually not possible.

Further information on this: