When to stay home or go to work

I always read about how much more productive it is for an employee to stay at home if they are sick because it can cause others to be sick and reduce the workforce's productivity. Makes sense right? Then why do we get the impression or at least I do that when I stay at home, I am going to get into trouble at work? Staying at home when you don't feel good is the right thing to do, but when you do this, you either feel guilty or you have all of this work to make up with when you get back, so what is the point.