Someone who has a cold or a flu bug once or twice a year can generally get by without having to worry about job security because of their illness. However, those employees who have chronic illnesses and miss a lot of work could be significantly impacted by this issue. Studies have shown that about one-quarter of the people with chronic illness that are on sick leave end up losing their jobs in the future, and that their sick leave definitely factors into that loss of employment. Even though health officials caution people to stay home if and when they are ill, many people are afraid that they will lose their jobs if they do so.

Considering that one-third of the flu cases in the country each year are spread in the workplace and in schools, and that 48% of Americans, according to the Healthy Families Act, do not have paid sick days at their job – this is a major epidemic. If people don’t have adequate sick time in their jobs, they will continue to come to work sick, thus infecting other people.

Sometimes, even a doctor’s note isn’t enough for the most extreme cases, However, there are a growing number of employers who are willing to make concessions when an employee has a doctor’s note to explain their absence and their illness. Unfortunately though, far too many people don’t have health insurance coverage, which leads to another problem. When employees are sick, they can neither afford to miss work NOR go to the doctor. It’s a battle of evils here for many people, who have to choose between working while sick or staying home (often without pay) and paying out of their pockets for a doctor’s visit.

Online doctors, online physician consultations, and online doctor prescriptions can help. When people can’t go to work because they are too ill, employers usually want to see a doctor’s note. Instead of leaving their homes, with qualified, legitimate online doctor services, people can stay at home and be treated via the phone or Internet – for low cost and high convenience.

Often, if an employee shows up without a note, he or she is reprimanded, written up, or even suspended for not following the rules. How are people supposed to rest and relax so that they can get back to being themselves if they can’t even take time off of work without fearing for their jobs?

Many states are working paid sick day legislation, but it probably still will not stop employers from trying to punish employees for missing work without a doctor’s note if they are that serious about it in the first place. It is understood that these people need to have their employees working in order to be most productive, and even that some people will take sick days or time off when they aren’t really that sick, but for those who are, it’s a lose-lose situation. In these times, when people lack insurance to get the medical care that they need and they lack the ability to miss work without a doctor’s note, online doctor consultations might prove to be the change that they need to help them balance the fine line between medical expenses and missing work.

Online doctor consultations are often more affordable than a typical doctor’s visit, and people can find many reputable resources online to use when they are feeling under the weather. Most of the legitimate sites won’t give out pain medications because of the huge prescription abuse problem that exists, but when you have a sniffle or a cough, they can be a great way to get the medical opinion that you need and a legitimate, legal doctor’s note that will satisfy your employer. Until a compromise is found, this may be the only way that some people can avoid losing their jobs because they have to call in sick.