WORK FEVER: Feeling under the weather? You may cash in sick days when you're coughing and sneezing, but that doesn't mean your phlemgy colleagues stop coming into the office.

A recent telephone survey by research firm International Communications Research found that about 45 percent of employees very frequently show up to work while sick, although managers believe only 17 percent do so. The survey encompassed 2,000 adults and 150 senior executives at the nation's 1,000 largest companies.

Staffing company OfficeTeam, a unit of Robert Half International Inc., offers these tips to help managers avoid allowing ill employees to clock in:

— Communicate expectations. Let staff know you prefer they stay home when they're sick to ensure a quicker recovery and avoid infecting others.

— Set an example. Sick employees are more likely to stay home if you do the same.

— Give options. Allowing employees to work from home if they think they're coming down with the flu can help them remain productive without spreading a potential illness around the office.

***

STASHERS AND SPLURGERS: You were just starting to think you were the perfect couple. Then your "money personalities" reared their ugly heads.

Money is the leading reason American couples fight. But most people don't start disagreeing about finances until after they're engaged or married, according to author and money coach Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, the love and money expert for online payment service PayPal.

"Debt from credit cards, mortgage and auto loan debt, these are all biggies for a lot of couples," Khalfani-Cox says. "The problem is that people typically will not raise these issues because they think it's tacky or premature in the relationship — or, worse, fear being labelled a gold digger."

There are those who like to plan, budget and account for every purchase they make. Then there are those who click a pop-up ad at work and five minutes later are booking a vacation for two to the Bahamas, says Khalfani-Cox. She breaks "money personalities" into the following categories: saver, spender, stasher, splurger, goal setter and dreamer.

"It's very common for a saver to be paired up with someone who is a spender and likes the finer things in life," she says. "You've just got to be sure to understand why they are that way, and play to each other's strengths to reduce financial stress instead of letting it become a point of contention."