When you or someone on your team gets sick, how do you approach the situation?

Our reader poll today asks: When you or someone on your team gets sick, how do you approach the situation?

• Stay home, stop working and only focus on getting well 31.81%
• Stay home but stay in touch on major deliverables 29.69%
• Stay home and keep current on as much work as you can 30.03%
• Power through and go to work for important tasks 3.88%
• Power through, take medicine and get back to work 4.59%

Give yourself a break. While 32% of you focus on getting well when facing an illness, the other 68% of you continue with some degree of work – up to and including actually going into the office when sick. And note these results apply to expectations of team members as well. As a leader, the wellbeing of yourself and your people should come first. The work will always be there. The more you focus on getting well, the faster you’ll return to work fully healthy. You’ll also be sending a message to your team that their personal wellbeing is more important than whatever work is waiting on their desk. Carefully consider what you’re communicating with your behavior as far as expectations you have of others when they fall ill. People want to work for employers who care about them as individuals and prioritize their health above the work. If you’re not sending that message, you might find yourself with some open roles on your team.

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

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These results were originally a SmartPulse poll in SmartBrief on Leadership which tracks feedback from more than 240,000 business leaders. Get smarter on leadership and sign up for the SmartBrief on Leadership e-newsletter.