Going to Work Sick

[Gwywnnydd]

My son worked at an amusement park.  When the employees were sick, they had to bring in  a note from the doctor.

Since they had no insurance, they had to not only lose a day's pay, but pay a doctor.

All this on minimum wage.

Man, I really hate policies like this. *Especially* when it's likely that all the doctor can tell you is "Stay in bed and get plenty of fluids."

[Twik]

Unfortunately, we live in a workaholic society where taking time off is frowned upon, even when one is sick.

Sigh. I am among the guilty. When my doctor unexpectedly diagnosed me with severe bronchitis (I'd just gone in for a prescription refill) and ordered me to take a week's bed rest, the first words out of my mouth were, "But I can't go home now! My computer's still on, and I didn't put on the out-of-office assistant!"

[Venus193]

I had pneumonia in my senior year of college and missed 3 weeks of classes per doctor's orders.  I was scared to death of the possibility of not graduating, but it wasn't a problem.

I didn't miss a day's work in 2000 when I had bronchitis.  I will never to that again.

[Sirius]

I work at home, so I don't have sick leave.  I've worked when I've been sick, and I've also called the office manager to tell her I couldn't work.  Granted, if I'm that sick I can always type a couple of jobs, then go lie down, and repeat as needed.  I had pneumonia in October of 2004, and after two days I got a call that my account was complaining that their work hadn't been done, and no one would cover for me.  So, I got up and did the work.  It only took me two hours to catch up. 

[kareng57]

I was in your friend's position once and it seriously sucked especially since the ventilation system wasn't cleaned regularly so the dust played havok with my allergies. Unfortunately there wasn't anything better jobwise in the area so was stuck for a long time and that maybe the situation your friend is in.

Yes, it is rude to go in sick, but given a choice between coming in sick or staying home sick but getting fired is rough.

There's also the policy that some workplaces have (whether or not they provide paid sick leave) that any absence, even only 1 day, requires a doctor's note.  This is absolutely ridiculous when the employee knows that it's something very self-limiting (i.e. a bad cold or a 24-hour stomach bug) and she'll likely be at work the next day.  Not only is the employee/insurance company/taxpayers paying for an unnecessary doctor's visit - but he/she can be making sick people sicker.  Often in the doctor's waiting-room there are people who are immuno-compromised for a number of reasons - they could be taking steroids, on chemotherapy, or elderly, for example.

It's true that some sick people go to work out of martyrhood, but I think more often it's a case of "turn up or lose your job".

[snoopygirl]

Unfortunately, we live in a workaholic society where taking time off is frowned upon, even when one is sick. I am lucky that I have never worked for such a company, my places have always been very understanding when someone needs to take sick time off. But many others are not so fortunate. And sick time off is held against them, even if it's not outright stated as such in performance reviews and other judgement type stuff. Haven't you ever read about people being praised and looked up to for having worked for, let's say, 50 years and never taking a day off? This is looked at as something admirable and praiseworthy. Personally, if that's what floats their boat then fine, but no one should ever be that much of a slave to their job. Everyone needs time off once in a while, be it sick or vacation time.

My mom says what makes her a good worker is that she has worked in this company she works for and in three years has never taken a day off. Well thats fine and good but some days she really should not have been at work. Yes you can show up but when you cant sit through a meeting because your back pain is flaring up does that really make you a good worker?

[momto3daughters]

I do not think its rude to work sick, knowing that 99% of the people working sick would rather be in bed. With my hubby he works sick unless he's so bad the dr will take him off. We need the money to feed the kids, and his job has a 3 point sytem and your fired. We cant loose his job or we loose everything.
I can tell you that those sick do not want to be there but if they want to survive they have to be.

[hobish]

I do not think its rude to work sick, knowing that 99% of the people working sick would rather be in bed. With my hubby he works sick unless he's so bad the dr will take him off. We need the money to feed the kids, and his job has a 3 point sytem and your fired. We cant loose his job or we loose everything.
I can tell you that those sick do not want to be there but if they want to survive they have to be.

It is not a matter of whether people would rather be home in bed or not ... heck there are days i would prefer that when i am prefectly well & i know i am not alone. The matter is that by going to work sick you are passing it along to everyone you come in contact with.

Wouldn't you (general you) think it is rude if someone came into your home with the flu or chicken pox, knowing you have kids? Well, i feel the same way about the workplace, whether kids are involved or not.

No wonder there are all kind of rumours about an American flu epidemic coming soon if this is how workplaces really treat people & people actually buckle under to it.

[fklwmn]

I do not think its rude to work sick, knowing that 99% of the people working sick would rather be in bed. With my hubby he works sick unless he's so bad the dr will take him off. We need the money to feed the kids, and his job has a 3 point sytem and your fired. We cant loose his job or we loose everything.
I can tell you that those sick do not want to be there but if they want to survive they have to be.

It is not a matter of whether people would rather be home in bed or not ... heck there are days i would prefer that when i am prefectly well & i know i am not alone. The matter is that by going to work sick you are passing it along to everyone you come in contact with.

Wouldn't you (general you) think it is rude if someone came into your home with the flu or chicken pox, knowing you have kids? Well, i feel the same way about the workplace, whether kids are involved or not.

No wonder there are all kind of rumours about an American flu epidemic coming soon if this is how workplaces really treat people & people actually buckle under to it.

Well, when my option is to either NOT be able to take off when my kids are sick and need someone home aking care of them, or risk losing my job... I will buckle away.

[hobish]

Well, when my option is to either NOT be able to take off when my kids are sick and need someone home aking care of them, or risk losing my job... I will buckle away.

...and the system will never change, and employers will continue to treat people like dirt.

It is even more egregious, IMO, that people with children assume that they are exempt. If the question is whether or not it is rude to go to work when sick it would apply whether or not the worker in question has children.

[fklwmn]

Well, when my option is to either NOT be able to take off when my kids are sick and need someone home aking care of them, or risk losing my job... I will buckle away.

...and the system will never change, and employers will continue to treat people like dirt.

It is even more egregious, IMO, that people with children assume that they are exempt. If the question is whether or not it is rude to go to work when sick it would apply whether or not the worker in question has children.

oh, absolutely. however, if I have kids, then i have more to consider about when I will take my sick days. If I stay home for 3 days with a cold, and take those occurrences, then when my kid get sick next month I will be on disciplinary action if I take off work to stay home with him. If he is out for 3 days too, that's when I get fired. But someone has to stay home with him when he is sick, and I have to have a job. So, if I'm sick, I go to work.

And yes, you may say I could find a new job, but as I posted before, this is a pretty typical absence policy. My last 3 jobs have all had identical policies.

[Rei-chan]

Well, when my option is to either NOT be able to take off when my kids are sick and need someone home aking care of them, or risk losing my job... I will buckle away.

...and the system will never change, and employers will continue to treat people like dirt.

I really don't think, at least in my great state of North Carolina, that workers buckling or not will have any effect at all on what the companies do.  NC is one of those "right to work" states.  When I read over the so called "labor laws", I found that basically the state sanctions these companies to do whatever they want outside of obvious discrimination or danger to the employee.  This includes firing for no reason, no required severance pay, they don't have to give you breaks (unless you're working like 15 hours straight or under the age of 16) and the list goes on and on.  The employers know that their employees are expendable because of the unemployment rate here.  There is always someone to take that person's place.

It is my opinion that unless something is done at the government level, nothing is going to change. 

[ginlyn32]

[

[ginlyn32]

.

[kingsrings]

Maybe what we need to do, as a socitey, is to protest the way most companies treat employees!

It could start by writing our congressmen and women, state and federal. This HAS to stop! We are people, not robots!

Ginger

This is what unions are for. But unfortunately, most unions, at least in America, don't care of their employees very well and look out for themselves and lining their own pockets before anything else.