[__chrismc]

No, his boss isn't stupid, he's exercising the "duty of care" part of being a decent boss. If you're sick, you should stay home and recover, whether you think you can be as productive or not (from personal experience of breaking this rule - you probably won't be).

[jacalata]

Meh. From personal experience, taking motor transport makes me throw up if I'm at all sick, but I'm otherwise usually fine. If my choice is "do nothing, or spend 90 minutes commuting to and from work" then I'll do nothing. If I can work from home, I'll pretty much have a normal work day.