McNeil Benylin Ad Encourages Workers to Call in Sick; Employers Hate It

(MoneyWatch)  McNeil Healthcare has posted a series of scripts on a web site for cold medicine Benylin that workers can use to call in sick. A British employers' organization is furious that the drug company, a unit of Johnson & Johnson, is encouraging staff to stay home during the recession.

Among the suggested phone calls that employees with coughs and aches should use is this one:

Hi [boss's name], it's [your name].I've caught that bug that's been going round.

I feel like death warmed up, so I'm just going to stay in bed today and try to get better.

Hopefully I'll see you tomorrow.

Cheers.

(It probably sounds better with an English accent.)

The scripts are part of an ad campaign for Benylin (see video below), an OTC med that includes 500mg Paracetamol, 12.5mg Diphenhydramine and 22.5mg Pseudoephedrine. (Yes, they still get the good stuff over there.) The campaign is themed, "Take a Benylin Day." A TV ad asks, "What if today you just worked at feeling better?"

According to the Daily Mail:

The Federation of Small Businesses said the campaign, for Benylin Cold & Flu Capsules, could encourage thousands to take time off for minor complaints.

This would cost firms millions as they struggle with the effects of the credit crunch.

The FSB has referred the commercial to the advertising watchdog. They also complained about an associated website, which includes tips on how to call in sick

McNeil/J&J responds:

"The 'Take a Benylin day' campaign is based on valid medical opinion, and the principle of staying at home to recover from sickness is strongly supported by UK bosses."The campaign is not encouraging employees to take unnecessary absence."

BNET's take: I agree with this column in the Telegraph, which notes that modern work-warrior culture causes idiots to show up in the workplace coughing and sneezing all over the place, infecting everyone else, and doing low-quality work all the while. For some reason they think they're indispensable, or that the work "won't get done" if they're not there to spew germs onto it. I've done it myself.