OBJECTIVES: Flu disease causes a loss of 5-10% of the total productivity and billions of Liras each year. It has been observed that the loss of productivity due to flu disease constitutes 92.4% of the total costs of the flu. 25% of all Turkish employees are white-collar employees close to 6.5 million. This study aims to calculate the productivity loss of absenteeism and presenteeism cases caused by preventable common cold and flu on white-collar employees in Turkey.

METHODS: The models were conducted for understanding the possible loss of productivity of white-collar professionals. Possible changes in seasonal flu episodes, length of flu episodes, lost days of work in flu episodes, whether these situations are in children or not, and the effect of the employees with a child to take leave, presenteeism productivity loss obtained from the literature. The cost of productivity loss of common cold and flu on white-collar employees was calculated depending on the literature search.

RESULTS: Daily average cost of white-collar employees is calculated as 901,85 TL in Turkey for 2020. The number of episodes as 1,48, loss of workdays per episode as 1,76, days of symptom duration per episode as 5,72, and loss of workdays for employees due to their child`s common cold and flu episode per season 2.61 were retrieved from literature. Productivity loss depending on common cold and flue per season per employee was calculated 4.556,41 TL. If the employee has a child, then the cost of loss of productivity increases to 6.910,26 TL per season per employee.

CONCLUSIONS: It was observed that common cold and flu may cost 4.556,41 TL to 6.910,26 TL per white-collar employee per common cold and flu season. Decision-makers and employers should take account of these findings for taking actions for protecting productivity loss caused by common cold and flu.