are you sick enough?

[wellisawstar]

Pretty much every person in our office has been some variant of sick during these last few weeks, most with the sniffles or a sore throat. And everyone's happy to tell you how sick they are, yet they don't bother to stay home and try to get better.

It was pretty evident I needed to take myself out of the game today. Medicine was not reducing my symptoms enough last night or this morning so that I could work. My job is kind of high-intensity, and if I can't keep going out to appointments and working the phones, I'm sort of useless.

So I called in sick, making sure my boss knew what projects I was supposed to work on today. One of my co-workers called me to get a few more details, and was all like "I'm sick too!" Which she had been saying for days. She doesn't have health insurance for another two weeks more days, so she hasn't been able to see a doctor. As far as I can tell, though, she's still functioning. She also has sick days she can take.

I don't think it's polite to play the "I'm sicker than you" game. I also don't think people in high-intensity jobs who sit around saying "we're sick, we're sick" are really all that sick beyond a cold. Am I being too callous here?

[Lizmo]

I've known lots of people like this.  Certain people who I know, do it to prove superiority, such as "I'm sicker than you, but I can still come to work."  Drives me crazy.

[CinHough]

I hate it when people do that!  Can't they just say "I'm sorry you're not feeling well, there's definitely something going around." and be done with it? 

Why do they feel the need to make it ALL ABOUT THEM?!

[wellisawstar]

I hate it when people do that!  Can't they just say "I'm sorry you're not feeling well, there's definitely something going around." and be done with it? 

Why do they feel the need to make it ALL ABOUT THEM?!

You know, I wouldn't even care if they wished me well. I just wish they would keep quiet about their own illnesses, which are always more severe and long-lasting than the person who is out sick. Clearly I am a weak person for having to take a sick day.

[Bob Ducca]

I hate it when people do that!  Can't they just say "I'm sorry you're not feeling well, there's definitely something going around." and be done with it? 

Why do they feel the need to make it ALL ABOUT THEM?!

Ditto.  It drives me crazy when someone gives me the condescending smile and says, "If I can do it, then you can do it."  Excuse me?  Are we the same person?  Do you know my background, skill sets, and temperment?  Do you know of any mental illness or chronic health problems that make my doing something more difficult?  Huh?  HUH??  All right, then.

 

[CocoCamm]

I've known lots of people like this.  Certain people who I know, do it to prove superiority, such as "I'm sicker than you, but I can still come to work."  Drives me crazy.

Yeah like infecting your entire office so you can feel superior is a good thing!

[wellisawstar]

Yeah like infecting your entire office so you can feel superior is a good thing!

Yeah, that's the thing that gets me. Would they prefer I give all of them (and their children, by proxy) my mystery illness by acting like an office warrior?

[Slartibartfast]

I think people take one of two approaches:

1)  "This bronchitis/pneumonia/dystenary/projectile vomiting hasn't killed me yet, so I'm obligated to be at work!  It's not fair that other people actually use sick days when they would have been physically capable of coming into work!"

or

2)  "I have the sniffles and I still have a sick day left, so I'm going to use it.  Who knows, I might give someone *else* the sniffles, and then I would feel horrible!  Plus I can't do my job very well when I'm sniffling!"

Obviously these are exaggerated  but it's interesting to see how people on one side think the people on the other side are way off the mark.  I admit I tend to err on the side of using too many sick days - but then I know I will be very grumpy and snap at the kids if I already have a headache and they're misbehaving, so going in sick can make my day 10x more miserable than it has to be.

[behindbj]

I'm of the "I'm starting to feel a little funky, better head this off at the pass" variety.  I know when I'm getting sick and would rather take a day at home to rest to head it off at the pass instead of waiting for it to be full-blown and then take time off.

I don't play the "look how loyal I am" game.  If they haven't figured out by now that I am a good and loyal employee, then my coming in sick is not going to help.

behindbj

[caranfin]

I would have replied "Perhaps I caught it from you, then. Too bad you didn't decide to stay home."

[EvilAlice]

I'm of the "I'm starting to feel a little funky, better head this off at the pass" variety.  I know when I'm getting sick and would rather take a day at home to rest to head it off at the pass instead of waiting for it to be full-blown and then take time off.

Yes.  I don't lay out if I just have the sniffles or something but if you're really really sick, you're not going to get better if you keep dragging yourself to work.  I learned this the hard way when I was much younger.  I was sick- totally miserable- for an entire month because I kept thinking "oh I'm a little better today" and going to work.  If I had just taken off 2 days tops and rested, I'm sure I could have kicked it much more quickly.

Even evil bosses who don't want anyone to miss, ever, should realize that it's in the company's best interest if the employee takes time to recover and come back 100% than to have someone limping along, too sick to work effectively, for days or weeks at a time.

[Sleepingmediocre]

I've known lots of people like this.  Certain people who I know, do it to prove superiority, such as "I'm sicker than you, but I can still come to work."  Drives me crazy.

Yeah like infecting your entire office so you can feel superior is a good thing!

Yes, I have a co-worker EXACTLY like this.  She comes to work sick, and then gets no work done because she's busy telling/showing everyone how sick she is so she can get sympathy for being sick and lots of praise for coming to work anyway.  It usually ends with the entire office catching whatever she has.  As for me personally, I'll come to work if the sickness is fairly minor and I feel like I can still work; if I know the quality of my work will be affected or I'm afraid I'll give whatever I have to someone else or make my own condition worse by coming to work, I'll stay home.

[Cyndi]

Maybe next time someone plays the "I'm sicker than you game" when you call in, start coughing like you're dying and hang up.

[itiswhatitisn't]

Honestly, some people.  I know my body.  I can work through a cold.  But if I get bronchitis you couldn't pay me to get out of bed.  Same with a migraine or vertigo.  Althought with vertigo getting out of bed usually lands me on the floor.  I got a migraine after being here six months and after seeing the pain I went through no one will doubt me if I have to take off with one.  As for the flu, you can come in but don't even think of trying to work near me!

[Slartibartfast]

Ooh, SleepingMediocre, the moment I heard that co-worker brag about how she was coming to work despite being ill, I would try to claim her sick day and go home instead :-P