The High Cost of Absenteeism: It's Enough to Make You Sick

So, what's the big deal about germs on your desk? About $789 per employee per year. That's what employers can lose due to lost productivity, replacement, and related expenses when just one employee calls in sick. According to a Mercer Human Resource Consulting study, companies spend 15% of payroll on absenteeism.For an employee earning, $40,000 annually, this translates into $6,000 paid time away from work.

The trouble with germs is you can't see them. But they're always there -- nestled in your keyboard, lounging on the space bar. When it comes to a typical office, germs are in startling abundance. In fact, a University of Arizona study found that every square inch of a typical telephone contains more than 25,000 live microbes. To put that number into perspective, consider that the average toilet seat contains only 49 live microbes.