A highlight of one of my meetings yesterday was an exchange between two consultants. We were all sitting around the conference table waiting for the meeting to begin. One consultant looked right at another consultant and said, “You need to leave this room!” He replied, “Why?? I’m not sick. I just cough some.” He actually punctuated his response with a phlegm-coated chortle. He did not leave the meeting. Someone on my team sits in the cubicle next to Mr. No Sick, and she said he’s been hacking all day.

It’s tough when you travel as a consultant and you get sick. We book travel a month or more in advance. It’s a pain (and sometimes costly) to change travel plans. I get it. When it happens to me, I work at the hotel. The last thing I want to do is get anyone else sick if I happen to be contagious.

Why is it that many people tend to get sick in January? I noticed this trend when I became a manager several years ago because I had to approve PTO and monitor everyone’s schedules. I always expected that people would be off for the holidays, but once January rolls around they should be back to business as usual. WRONG. People usually end up getting sick in January. It doesn’t matter what part of the country or what the weather is like. I’ve seen it happen year after year.

I have brainstormed with fellow colleagues to develop a working theory.

The Theory of Why People Get Sick in January

• People tend to travel around the holidays and many of these people do not travel very often, which means their immune systems may not be up to snuff.
• People are busy with family and activities and do not prioritize sleep.
• People are not following usual routines and maintaining regular activity levels.
• People have very unhealthy eating habits around the holidays.
• There is the stress of the holidays and family that takes its toll.
• Kids head back to schools (otherwise known as germ factories) in January.

Add all this up and you have the perfect recipe for sickness.