The Season for Sniffing and Sneezing
Do you go into work when you have a cold?
Cold Behaviour – The Four Personality Types
Research by a cough medicine manufacturer has identified the four personality types people display when suffering with the common cold. The poll of 5,000 people, conducted by Covonia, identified the different ‘cold personalities’ and the traits linked to each behaviour.
Commenting on the findings, leading personality psychologist Dr Glenn Wilson said: “People approach colds in many different ways, and to some extent, their behaviour reflects their constitutional personality. There are also needs and strategies that we acquire, through experience and conditioning, which are likely to be demonstrated when fighting off a cough or a cold.”
The four ‘cold personalities’ identified during the survey were:
The Martyr (44 per cent)
These individuals get on with their responsibilities, at home and work, and do everything they can to ensure their cold doesn’t disrupt their plans or routine. Generally people who demonstrate this type of behaviour have high standards for themselves and worry about what others think of them but can inadvertently upset colleagues by spreading their cold. More women than men demonstrate the martyr character type.
The Non-believer (25 per cent)
People who refuse to accept that they are unwell and downplay their symptoms in an attempt to convince themselves, and those around them, that they are well. They are in denial. Individuals who demonstrate non-believer behaviour can be shy but are often very caring and good listeners.
The Complainer (22 per cent)
Individuals who like to let everyone know when they are unwell and feel better when they receive sympathy from others. They like to be the centre of attention but can be quite insecure. Complainers are most likely to exaggerate a cough and blow their nose loudly. Nearly half (47 per cent) of the people surveyed said they found complainers frustrating to work with!
The Worrier (7 per cent)
People who are concerned that their symptoms are a sign of something more serious and tend to visit the doctor to be ‘safe rather than sorry’. Often indecisive and easily influenced, individuals who fall into the worrier category take pride in being thorough and pay close attention to detail.
Over nine million people battle with coughs and colds each winter, falling victim to one of the 200 cold viruses in circulation in the UK. Most people believe they are likely to fall ill at work with 58 per cent blaming their colleagues for spreading their cold. The most frustrating habits other people demonstrated were not covering their mouth when they coughed (63 per cent) and leaving tissues lying around (56 per cent).
According to the research, 37 per cent of people don’t worry about other people catching their germs when they are poorly and a devious 12 per cent secretly hope their cold will spread so others appreciate how bad it felt!
However, staff working in the veterinary sector should remember that it is not only their colleagues that could pick up a cold at the practice. Ferrets can also catch our colds and the ’flu.
Worries About Taking a Sick Day
A report looking at the impact of the economic downturn on corporate healthcare provision has revealed that organisations throughout the UK are putting employees under pressure to work while off sick and to return to work before they are well enough.
The findings in HSA’s Healthy Working Report reveal that more than a third of staff surveyed (35 per cent) claim their company encourages employees to continue picking up emails and to perform basic tasks while absent from work through illness. A further 15 per cent admit that while they didn’t officially encourage staff to do this, it probably took place.
When asked if their organisation encourages employees to take as much time off as they needed when unwell, 1 in 7 (14 per cent) surveyed claim employees are encouraged to return to work as soon as possible. Three quarters (76 per cent) also acknowledge that employees are less likely to take time off sick now than they would have been a year ago as a result of concerns about job security.
Taking It to the Extreme
In addition, three quarters (75 per cent) of staff surveyed say they are aware of extreme working within their organisation, where employees continue to work through incapacity and illness rather than take a day off sick. The findings imply that organisations are under pressure to improve employee productivity regardless of the impact on the health of the workforce.
Richard Halley, Head of Sales at HSA, commented: “Companies are under pressure to get the best out of employees, especially during these tough economic times. However, this should not be done at the expense of employee health and welfare. Companies will only battle through an economic downturn with the support of their employees, and their wellbeing should therefore be of paramount importance.”
The report also found that organisations that expect workers to continue performing basic tasks while off sick experience the highest employee turnover rates and are three times more likely to have above average turnover rates than other businesses.
Professor Cary Cooper, Professor of Organisational Psychology at Lancaster University Management School commented: “It is worrying to learn from HSA’s research that a substantial number of organisations throughout the UK are putting employees under pressure to come into work while they are still unwell. This creates a culture of insecurity and ‘presenteeism’ – a phenomenon which generally occurs in a downturn – where employees feel they have to be present at work, while not fully functioning because they are sick. This is counterproductive because a sick employee isn’t a productive employee and invariably he or she will make wrong decisions, which someone else will have to rectify later on. Organisations should instead focus on giving employees the support they need to get better as this will benefit the business in the long run.”
37 per cent of people don’t worry about other people catching their germs when they are poorly and a devious 12 per cent secretly hope their cold will spread so others appreciate how bad it felt!
Climate change will lead to more people in the UK suffering from the common cold all year round, claim weather experts led by BBC presenter John Kettley. In the past, people would suffer from one or two severe colds in the colder winter weather, but now people will endure a runny nose and blocked sinuses more frequently.
Lotus and the makers of OIbas commissioned John Kettley and his team to research changing weather. In general, the colder the weather the more severe the common cold is likely to be, Kettley’s team suggests. Therefore, an increase in winter temperatures should be good news for sufferers. However, in higher temperatures the body produces less antibodies. This makes the common cold harder to shake off, and means that the same cold may occur again and again.
GP Dr Carol Cooper, who is also a tutor at the Imperial College School of Medicine in London and a family health author, explains: “Very cold weather tends to lead to severe colds with severe symptoms. But as the body fights severe infections it produces lots of antibodies, which protect it from catching that cold again and again.”
Kettley continues: “Warmer winter temperatures and the uncharacteristic wet weather throughout this summer have led people to catch milder infections all year round. This is a sign of things to come.
“The last ten winters have all been warmer than average across the UK, three significantly so. A very similar trend has emerged with summer and yearly temperatures too; therefore a clear pattern is developing.”
Research collated by the Royal College of General Practitioners supports this theory by announcing that common cold incidences have gone up year on year since 2003(1). John Kettley concluded: “The term ‘common cold’ can be traced back to the 18th century, when cold weather heralded the onset of the virus. Now with more people suffering more frequent symptoms during warmer winters, perhaps it should be reclassified as the common warm!”
If you are unlucky enough to suffer from a cold this winter, you may find the following advice useful:
Aim to drink eight glasses of water a day to flush out toxins and support your immune system;
Relieve headaches, muscle pain and fevers with an analgesic such as ibuprofen; some over-the-counter remedies may also help relieve other symptoms;
Eat well, ensuring your diet contains plenty of Zinc, vitamins C and vitamin E found in seeds, nuts, cereals, bread, vegetables and citrus fruits;
Get eight hours sleep and try to avoid unnecessary stresses and strains. We will leave it up to you to decide whether you are well enough to go to work! )
The veterinary mental health charity Vetlife is inviting the veterinary community to join it for a sponsored cold-water dip.
