Otherwise known as presenteeism, pulling a wickie might not win you favour at the office. Recent research suggests that if you work while sick you will perform more poorly, you’re more likely to make errors and you’ll be less vigilant. Oh, and you’ll probably annoy your colleagues with that hacking cough and constant nose-blowing.

At the other end of the spectrum, there are those annoying colleagues who take a ‘sickie’, complaining even though they’re not all that unwell.

Most of us fit somewhere in between the two. But when there’s peer pressure — like the praise heaped on a colleague who shows up, despite having some version of what seems like the plague, or a boss who subtly makes it clear that taking a sick day is frowned upon — along with concern about job security and pay, deciding when you’re sick enough to stay home isn’t as easy as it should be.