Everybody is sick right now. I was sick for about 10 days from Christmas to just after New Year’s Day.
Everyone else in the house has been sick.
Everyone I know in town is sick.
Everyone on the interwebz is sick.
I’ve seen people writing on FB and Twitter that they have dragged their ass to work or they’ve been sent home from work while being ill.
That right there is the problem…
If you’re sick, stay home!
But… then you know your co-worker Joan will make snide remarks to your other co-worker Vondra, “God, Madge is out sick again. She is such a pain in the ass. This is the 3rd time in 10 months she’s been out, how lazy can you be? I bet she’s just hungover. Or she’s always got some sick kid. Why doesn’t she take care of them better? Didn’t they just have a virus 6 months ago? God…”
Yup. You’ve all heard it. You’ve all even said it. You all feel horribly guilty when you call in sick and know no one will believe you and think you are a slacker, so you try to sound extra sick when you call in.
Or you are one of those people who is just hungover and calls in all the time and just doesn’t give a shit.
If you are that person, ummmm maybe it’s time for an intervention or like snap out of it and get a better work ethic. Or maybe marry rich…
On the other hand… we all feel guilty ‘cuz we know Joan and Vondra are gonna’ talk so we drag ourselves in. And be honest, Vince and Tony ain’t talkin’ about you, they don’t give a shit. It’s the broads. We talk. Ok and my gay manfriends maybe. We will give the eye roll and the Makayla Maroney is not impressed face. Don’t lie.
Also in this economy jobs are a privilege not a guarantee. We live in constant fear of losing that job, you don’t want to give management any fodder for firing you or giving you up as a sacrificial offering in a layoff. Or if I’m not in they’ll give that project to Bob and he’ll get the big commission or next promotion and I’m stuck on the ground floor. Sadly, these are the times we live in. Don’t you wish it was still like Mad Men and we could take 3 hour, 2 martini lunches and not give a crap?
One thing we can do is… we need to stop judging so that the sick people will stay home and stop spreading the plague. (and keep a lot of Lysol Wipes on hand)
Also there is the other side of the issue where maybe people don’t have sick time or personal time left, or never had it as a benefit to begin with. That’s been my case a few times, I just can’t lose the hours. But then I think, if I miss today’s 4 hour shift, will I really miss that $40? Sadly enough, the answer almost always is yes. Let me work from home, all my work is on the internet anyway. No? Ok, I’ll make sure I come in, wipe my nose with my hand and then give you a nice warm “thanking you for letting me keep my job” hand shake.
I’ve been fortunate that some jobs would let me make up the hours elsewhere. So I stay ’til 8:00pm one night, that’s ok, I’ll still get that $40! That’s one third of my electric bill! Livin’ large!
There’s gotta’ be a compromise. Stay home if you can. Employers don’t be dicks. Employees don’t abuse the system. That’s why I like that whole “personal day” option they have now. You don’t call it “sick time” and that way people don’t feel bad about taking an afternoon off to stand at the DMV or go see a kid’s play or even go home and cry because they are going through a divorce and can’t function today. It’s time off without the judgement.
And one more thing… Joan and Vondra, cut that shit out.
Imagine the hospitality industry, where it is completely normal for people to go in sick. Restaurants are going to fill up with customers whether you are there or not. You can’t leave your coworkers to fend for themselves on the hotline. There is no one to replace you for the service. Many times if you miss a day for any reason, you are replaced with some other shmo who just happened to pop his head into the chef’s office looking for anything that slightly resembles work.
Oh great, I’ll remember that next time I go into a restaurant… with a mask and Lysol. lol Sorry dude.
Joan and Vondra piss me off! My nurse always thanks me because I keep my kid home when he’s coughing. People used to bring their kids in for haircuts when they were home sick. I’d be thinking, “Ohh, HOME sick are we? Thank you soo much for letting me touch your hacking, snot-encrusted child dumbass!” It was always Joan’s or Vondra’s kid. lol
Fucking Joan and Vondra…
I work for the state..we have all those benefits..and there are slackers GALORE! I have a co-worker who has a new “thing” every single week. If it’s not her then it’s her husband or her kid ugh..who can keep up ( yes I’m one of those talkers..lol) I came from private industry before I came to work here so to see the abuse that goes on floors me….but yet I keep the work ethic I had to have before, my conscience wouldn’t let me do otherwise . But I’m with you ( if you;re sick keep your ass at home) I thank the powers that be every single time I have to take off sick and I still get paid for it.
Well state jobs are notorious for attracting slackers because the state makes it very hard to fire someone.
I work for the state too. Hi fellow state worker! (Different state, I’m sure!) I could write a book about state workers but the thing is, there ARE good ones. Many, many good ones. The state never gives raises (we’re getting poorer this year, in fact, because they’re cutting everything they contribute to health and life insurance and other benefits as much as they can). So you HAVE to motivate yourself. The only thing keeping me working so hard–and I do mean ONLY–is my own personal drive. I could sit her and sleep all day and other then other people whining about me, nothing would happen. But I don’t. Yesterday I was so upset over incompetencies of co-workers that I left her with my blood pressure through the roof, meanwhile I worked my kiester off but when our paychecks come, those people are actually making more than I am to sit around and do nothing. As for sick leave—we have two extremes. We have the people who have 16 FMLAs (big thing with govt. employees–abuse Bill Clinton’s protections put in place to keep employers from firing people who have to be out due to long-term illness) and are ALWAYS what we call “leave without pay.” They’ve run out of their 2 days a month of leave and are now out without pay. They are taking off 24 days a year and then some. That’s a lot of days! The other extreme is the girl who has been with the state 40+ years and still won’t retire and has 300 days of sick leave saved but comes in with 104 degree temp, throwing up into a trash can, because she doesn’t want to use her leave. It counts toward your retirement but 40+ years, folks!!! What’s she saving for? Someone told me they had a guy with 45 years with the state who got a certificate recently for never, EVER taking a sick day. I said, “That meant he came in sick and got other workers sick, I’m guessing.” The woman said, “Yep, he does that all the time.” THAT, to me, is selfish. And crazy, don’t you think?
I agree that is totally selfish. Good to see you again Stephanie! And I do know a lot of great state workers, I wasn’t saying everyone, but there are those that definitely take advantage.
I love your take on things. I almost never missed a day of school when I was younger and that’s translated into me being one of those people who thinks others will assume I’m lying about being sick if I call into work. It is that time of year though and sick people coming into work will only spread it like wildfire.
Thank you! We’ve got to let the guilt go, don’t we?
I’m the only person I know who hasn’t been sick these past few weeks. It’s waiting to catch me out.
I think you just jinxed yourself. lol
Yep, your right an all accounts. The sad thing is people truly believe by going the work sick it show how committed they are. They should be committed for being stupid. It cause havoc when the whole staff is out or not at their best because they’ve got the flu and keep spreading it around. I’m done ranting now.
Yes, yes that’s it!!! People think they are showing how committed they are when actually the rest of us want to hit them with a shovel! lol
This is why I love being independent! Companies hire me to do a job, they pay me by the hours worked. I am extremely productive in those hours, but if I just don’t feel like it that day, unless there is a meeting I need to be there for, I simply don’t work that day.
I don’t make excuses about it either. I call up my contact and tell them. I simply don’t have anything on my plate today that requires my presence or attention. There is nothing so earthshattering that cannot wait. Frankly, I am doing you a favor by not coming in thus not charging you my outrageous hourly rate. See you tomorrow.
On average I work approximately 32 hours a week. When necessary I work far more, if a client asks and it is justified. But if they simply want my butt planted in a seat for their ego, I say no and explain why.
Yea, I love the companies that are like, “we need you here in case someone has a question”. No one ever has a question! And if they do, even if I’m in the same building they IM, email, or call me!
Madge,
I am no longer in the workforce, but I can remember the talk when people would be out sick. I have to admit that some people seemed to miss a lot of work, but some people have health problems that we are not aware of. I figure if their being out doesn’t effect your work, then why the hell do you care. Now if I have to do your work, then bring you ass to work, I probably don’t want to do my work, i sure don’t want to do yours.
Thanks,
Jenn
That is the point, if it doesn’t effect you, why do you care. But yea I know there are the chronic people, but like you said if they have a condition, what can you do. And of course there are just those pain in the ass people.