“Sick worker” syndrome is the condition that causes a worker to be fatigued or depressed, giving the impression of poor work ethics. The worker cannot help this condition; it is a chemical process. Repeated motion as seen in typists, pianists, and meat packers leads to a large, early production of cytokines. Cytokines are proteins in injured nerves that appear as early as three weeks after cell stress, much earlier than previously thought. Laboratory experiment on rats has shown that cytokines spark symptoms of malaise, which caused the rats to “slack off” at their routines, or even take naps in between tasks. The cytokines’ appearances and almost immediate reaction from the site of the injury show a direct relation to the development of repetitive stress injury. Therefore, if your workers are slacking on the job, you might want to give them a vacation before you fire them.
