It started with a tickle in my throat on Wednesday night. Thursday I woke up with the chills and body aches. Since my boss makes a federal case out of calling in sick I went to work anyway. I snuck away a few times to sit down, and spent half my lunch break throwing up in the bathroom. I'm leaving for work in about 2 hours and I'm not really feeling any better. At least I'll have the weekend to re-coup.
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Going to work when you're sick
- Thread starter neo 7
- Start date
Unrepresented
Something Borderline Offensive
Your boss' inability to grasp short v. long term value has allowed you to become a vector of contagion for your entire staff and any customers you deal with.
Instead of having one sick employee for a day or two he'll now have multiple sick employees.
Instead of having one sick employee for a day or two he'll now have multiple sick employees.
Wipe your nose with your bare hand and touch the door knob to his office. If you see his coffee mug sitting out, palm the top of it and casually move it out of your way. See if you can get a little time on his computer keyboard.
Use the virus as a weapon!
Unrepresented
Something Borderline Offensive
My work is the same (and we're in the Medical Industry)...
Just a few months ago, i called out sick (keep in mind, i've ended every year with a surplus of sick leave). This was a Friday. I happened to have a gig the next day, that i felt well enough to play.
Well... that show ended up being covered by the local paper, which was brought to the attention of our HR person.
She immediately made some knee-jerk correlations and was SURE that i called out sick Friday just to go to the show (on Saturday... only 40 minutes from me...). So, it became a huge deal and i was "written up", and i'm not not "allowed" to take off on Fridays or Mondays (I could be partying too hard, and calling out!!) without a doctors note... which will never happen, because i don't have medical insurance.
Ugh... so, i feel your pain.
Just a few months ago, i called out sick (keep in mind, i've ended every year with a surplus of sick leave). This was a Friday. I happened to have a gig the next day, that i felt well enough to play.
Well... that show ended up being covered by the local paper, which was brought to the attention of our HR person.
She immediately made some knee-jerk correlations and was SURE that i called out sick Friday just to go to the show (on Saturday... only 40 minutes from me...). So, it became a huge deal and i was "written up", and i'm not not "allowed" to take off on Fridays or Mondays (I could be partying too hard, and calling out!!) without a doctors note... which will never happen, because i don't have medical insurance.
Ugh... so, i feel your pain.
Unrepresented
Something Borderline Offensive
This strikes a personal chord with me. My husband's place of work doesn't allow very much time off for sickness unless it's a medical emergency. So everyone goes in sick there all the time. I have a 4 month old baby at home (her age is 3 months adjusted because she was premature). Because of this whole "work while you're sick or else" policy, my husband caught a nasty cold...brought it home to me and the baby...turns out it was RSV, which can be very serious to young babies. She spent 3 days in the hospital hooked up to monitors and an IV.
So yeah...it sucks, and I'd like to brain the idiots who think it's a great policy to make workers go in sick "or else".
So yeah...it sucks, and I'd like to brain the idiots who think it's a great policy to make workers go in sick "or else".
A couple generations ago, the work ethic was so strong that
men would never take a day off for years. Even with bad flu's and colds. Well, all with good intentions, they brought that **** and exposed other employees. Some would catch what they had and the company in the long run suffered. You can't
work at your potential when you got the sickness.
Today, I would say stay home and use up whatever sick leave you need to get better. Don't spread it.
men would never take a day off for years. Even with bad flu's and colds. Well, all with good intentions, they brought that **** and exposed other employees. Some would catch what they had and the company in the long run suffered. You can't
work at your potential when you got the sickness.
Today, I would say stay home and use up whatever sick leave you need to get better. Don't spread it.
Hopkins
Commercial User
I dont go to work sick, it does nobody any good. If I had your boss I would call in anyway. If he had anything to say about it I would tell him where he could stick it.
It was rare that I ever took a day off being sick. However, I recall some absolutely fantastic days hunting, fishing or pistol practice with my son. Just tried to stay away from people at work when I was sick, which wasn't that often.
I used to work as an operator for Verizon and even though we were union (that's another issue entirely) we still got ZERO sick days. We also had to share computers, so germs were easily spread. If you were sick you could try and get FMLA approved, but short of being on your death bed, it rarely got approved. I had a 103 temperature for 3 days and everything was coming out of both ends. My doctor knew I had the flew so he didn't see me, but he still filled out the paperwork. But because he didn't actually see me, I didn't get approved.
We used to have managers tell us "Here, use the waste bucket if you have to throw up" "Oh you have pinkeye...well we'll let you be the only one who uses the computer until you're better" We've had people pass out in the bathroom and have to go to the emergency room and they still got in trouble because they left unapproved. We even had people come in with laryngitis and barely be able to speak over a whisper and they still had to work even though talking was 80% of the job.
We used to have managers tell us "Here, use the waste bucket if you have to throw up" "Oh you have pinkeye...well we'll let you be the only one who uses the computer until you're better" We've had people pass out in the bathroom and have to go to the emergency room and they still got in trouble because they left unapproved. We even had people come in with laryngitis and barely be able to speak over a whisper and they still had to work even though talking was 80% of the job.
"Sick or else." I'm sure the bosses stick to that one as well when they're sick.
Where I work we have no sick days but they're actually pretty cool and don't hassle you if you call in sick....as long as it's not all the time.
It takes a LOT for me to call in, but I know my limits. Nothings worse than knowing you're coming down with something and you don't feel like going in....but you can't justify losing a days pay either. You know, it's that "it's trying to get me, but it hasn't kicked in all the way yet but it's coming" feeling.
Where I work we have no sick days but they're actually pretty cool and don't hassle you if you call in sick....as long as it's not all the time.
It takes a LOT for me to call in, but I know my limits. Nothings worse than knowing you're coming down with something and you don't feel like going in....but you can't justify losing a days pay either. You know, it's that "it's trying to get me, but it hasn't kicked in all the way yet but it's coming" feeling.
I have about 85 people reporting to me. I work for the insurance wing of a major medical institution in Baltimore. If some one calls in sick, they call in sick. That's what we have paid time off for. Personally, I'll have to be about dead before I'll take a sick day.
I hate knowing there are so many people out there that don't get paid sick time, so it's basically work sick or don't get paid. And to think of how many people in the food industry come into work sick. Who's to say the guy at the local fast food joint or the guy in the back of the restaurant preparing your food isn't sick? Kinda makes you wonder... I find myself wishing my co-workers would stay home when they're sick, considering I work inside an office building, breathing recirculated air all day long. I don't think twice about staying home if I'm sick!
A couple generations ago if you called in sick you were fired. Things like sick leave didn't even exist, so I'm not going to call it a strong work ethic thing but rather the need to keep a job so one could afford to eat.
That's how it should be.
Once again I'm reminded how $hi#@$ it is to be a worker in the US. Most other first world countries don't have this holier than thou mentality when it comes to people calling in sick, using they're vacation time, etc...
