Then next time you say you're sick of your job, you may be getting uncomfortably close to a fact of office life: Most employees come to work when they're sick. Compounding the problem, almost half of workers take no precautions to avoid direct contact with others in the form of shaking hands, fist bumps, etc., or warn their co-workers of their illness.

More than four out of five (84 percent) of employed adults admit to having gone to work while sick, according to a survey of nearly 3,000 U.S. adults 18 and over sponsored by Cintas Corporation, which provides first-aid and safety solution to businesses. The practice is called "presenteeism," health experts say.