My office basically dictates that we show up regardless. Why? We work in legal services and our clients depend heavily on us and with massive consequences when we make mistakes. Court mandated deadlines don’t care about a runny nose.

I see no measurable impact on performance.

> Court mandated deadlines don’t care about a runny nose.

No, but whatever industry you work in and whoever your employer is, they should have enough staff to cover minor illnesses and absenses. If you are off sick and your company misses a court deadline thats on your companies poor staff management, not on you for being ill and staying home to avoid infecting coworkers.

Business isn’t always steady so it’s not tenable to have too many people onboard. Although we are hiring. It’s just hard to find experienced software engineers who can communicate with lawyers and are willing to do things like code inspections with nothing but a pad and pen. You certainly won’t be living the Googler lifestyle but it is way more meaningful, energizing and sociable.

This is just another way of saying you're under-staffed so owners can capture more of the value of your labor. It's neither virtuous nor effective.

No, it isn’t. I work side-by-side the CEO and as a colleague and he works more hours than anyone else. He’s a great person and a friend.

We have multiple people in a company of about 15 who have worked there for over 20 years.

Who are you working for?

Maybe for somebody who doesn't make him go to the office when sick?