</bg> I work for a company that has some, but not much, sick paid time. It's the beginning of the year, and I have the time, so that's not the issue - although I am hesitant to use it frivolously, as I have run out in previous years. Also, I've got two (of the four on my team) colleagues that have been seriously sick - both with pneumonia, one for only a couple of days, one that's been out for almost two weeks. </end bg>
I'm getting sick. It's of course the worst possible time - HUGE meeting, all day, tomorrow, and I'll be closed up with my team in small conference rooms all day. I don't exactly feel awful at the moment - back a little achy, running nose, a little cough - but it's getting exponentially worse (two days ago it was a couple of sneezes, yesterday a little sore throat from drainage and now I'm breathing through my mouth almost exclusively). I don't want to, and really can't, miss tomorrow. Assuming I'm not just so sick I can't get out of bed tomorrow (I would have to be REALLY SICK to miss tomorrow - like, nearly hospital sick), what is the etiquette of being stuck in a conference room with five men (I'm the only woman on the team) and being sick? Do I have to step out to (discreetly) blow my nose? Is bringing the whole box of Kleenex to the conference room a bad idea?
This is half tongue in cheek - both because I know I'll muddle through, and because I do work with an all male team and they are SO not ashamed of their bodily functions and such - not frat boys, but if they need to go use the bathroom, they carry the paper with them, that kind of thing. I would be really curious as to how others handle it, though - I really, really can't miss tomorrow's all day meeting.