PLEASE stay at home!!!

[busymama77]

If you're sick, with a cold, with anything that might be contagious to others in the office, please, please stay at home!! I've got this guy in my office who will come in no matter what. He's currently sick - cough, sneezing, sore throat, etc., He stayed at home last week for 2 days 'cause his two daughters and wife were sick - with THE FLU!!! He could've easily contracted it. Thank goodness I got my flu shot, but still. I'm 22 1/2 weeks preggers - I'm more prone to getting sick at this time of year.

I'm a little upset about this and I already feel like something is coming on with me. If he could work from home last week while his family was sick, why can't he work from home now?!!! We're not busy at all.

Ugh.... drives me nuts. Sorry, had to vent because I can't say anything to anyone about this. They'd look at me like I was crazy and being selfish. It's not just me - he could affect others in the office as well!!!

I'm going crazy with green tea, Vitamin C, my prenatals and keeping my distance!

[Spirit Dancer]

Even if you got the flu shot you could still get the flu because
a( they say the shot does not give you immunity till 2 weeks after you get it. and b) only about 60-75% of people who get the shot are "immune" (supposedly.)
Taking extra Vit D is good for helping avoid this flu.
Hope you do not get sick.

[Dandelionkid]

SO frustrating!!! It seems more culturally acceptable to suck it up and infect everyone than call in sick and be considered a wuss or worse yet, dishonest. I work in the hospital. During flu season last year, the nursing desk was a cacophony of coughing. Sighhhh...

[busymama77]

Originally Posted by Spirit Dancer

Even if you got the flu shot you could still get the flu because
a( they say the shot does not give you immunity till 2 weeks after you get it. and b) only about 60-75% of people who get the shot are "immune" (supposedly.)
Taking extra Vit D is good for helping avoid this flu.
Hope you do not get sick.

My DS and I got our flu shots about 3 weeks ago. He's already been sick - just a 24 hour fever thing w/ a little cough and sneezing. H hasn't been sick... well, yet.
I will have to take a look at a multivitamin or some sort to start taking. Ugghh.... I've got too much going on right now to get sick!

[ProtoLawyer]

I wish more people could, and more employers were accommodating.

My husband's ex-wife works where absences--even with a doctor's note--are considered "occurrences." A three-day absence for one illness counts as one occurrence, but then staying at home for your kid is a second occurrence.

Late because of a blizzard? Half an occurrence.

Leave early because the buses are about to shut down because of a blizzard? Half an occurrence.

Three occurrences in a year, you're out. About the only things that don't count as occurrences are pre-arranged time off, funerals, and jury duty. Even then, you get occurrences or fractions thereof if you don't try to find someone to cover a shift.

SD's got asthma, so her mom gets FMLA to care for her if she's sick and thus can't be disciplined for it. Still, if she gets sick, she's SOL. No paid sick time, either, so every sick day is a loss of already tight income.

So, lots of parents come to work sick and send their kids to school heavily medicated but sick, because they can't afford to miss work without pay and they might get fired if they do. The system just stinks.

[erinsmama]

Sounds like you're doing all you can do. You just can't control other peoples decisions & all people have reasons for what they do, even if you don't agree.

[Rowansmama]

That used to drive me insane when I worked in an office. I now WAH, so am not exposed to as many germs, but I see many kids coming to playgroups who are obviously sick. Keep your kids home, people.

I guess the only thing you can do if people are coming in sick is to wash, wash, wash your hands. Keep a nice big bottle of sanitizer on your desk and slather it on. And maybe even get one of those face masks? I bet that would send the message...put it on when sick coworker comes near you

[JessieBird]

Originally Posted by Dandelionkid

SO frustrating!!! It seems more culturally acceptable to suck it up and infect everyone than call in sick and be considered a wuss or worse yet, dishonest.

TOTALLY. I'm just about to go back to work and am dreading all the sick people that will be around. Though our managers would never out-right say so, we are definitely expected to be tough and show up no matter what. I hope that the whole H1N1 frenzy means that our office will be different this year but I'm not too optimistic. I have never had a flu shot in my life but this year, because I am going back to work after a year away and with a baby to come home to every night, the pro/con balance has swung and I've decided to get it. I feel resentment towards my workplace culture for putting me in this position. I'm terribly non-confrontational and shy but this year I'm determined to be bold and just leave the office if there are sick people around.

[plunky]

I mostly agree with you, OP. I try to stay home if I can.

But really, the office environment is such a petri dish. You have people in here who aren't sick, but are carrying viruses that they pick up from their kids or other offices, etc. The contagious phase may or may not be when the person "appears" to be sickest, etc.

[DariusMom]

Originally Posted by ProtoLawyer

I wish more people could, and more employers were accommodating.

My husband's ex-wife works where absences--even with a doctor's note--are considered "occurrences." A three-day absence for one illness counts as one occurrence, but then staying at home for your kid is a second occurrence.

Late because of a blizzard? Half an occurrence.

Leave early because the buses are about to shut down because of a blizzard? Half an occurrence.

Three occurrences in a year, you're out. About the only things that don't count as occurrences are pre-arranged time off, funerals, and jury duty. Even then, you get occurrences or fractions thereof if you don't try to find someone to cover a shift.

SD's got asthma, so her mom gets FMLA to care for her if she's sick and thus can't be disciplined for it. Still, if she gets sick, she's SOL. No paid sick time, either, so every sick day is a loss of already tight income.

So, lots of parents come to work sick and send their kids to school heavily medicated but sick, because they can't afford to miss work without pay and they might get fired if they do. The system just stinks.

Exactly! Maybe the guy in OP's office is just a jerk or thoughtless or whatever . .. . but the system in the US is just a nightmare, as ProtoLawyer describes.

Until there is some sort of guaranteed sick leave for all employees, it won't surprise me at all that people will come in with fully blown H1N1 just to avoid being fired!

[slsurface]

Yeah, I just had this discussion with my college students. I told them if they even suspected that they were sick (particularly with H1N1) that they should stay home! And no, don't go to the campus clinic either...you'll just infect everyone. Stay home and stay hydrated!

[kirstenb]

I wish I could stay home whenever I have a cold, but I just do not have that many days available to me. I have to save them for when DS is sick and can't go to daycare, or for when I am really sick with fever, etc. It would be nice if workplaces were more understanding about this.

[EviesMom]

Dh works in an office of self-employed professionals (3 companies share an office). One of them turned their intern away at the door and told him to work from home because he told the boss on the phone about his 105 degree fever, wasn't coming in the morning, the boss said no problem, take the time off, but then who-knows-why, he decided to come to work in the afternoon.

So then there's really no reason!

[busymama77]

Originally Posted by kirstenb

I wish I could stay home whenever I have a cold, but I just do not have that many days available to me. I have to save them for when DS is sick and can't go to daycare, or for when I am really sick with fever, etc. It would be nice if workplaces were more understanding about this.

We're pretty lucky that our work is. There are three out of the 12 in our office that are hourly paid - myself, one other assistant and our part time bookkeeper and we each get 10 days of sick days. If you're salaried, then they don't really keep track of sick time and this guy NEVER takes a vacation and NEVER takes a sick day - except for the two days last week. It's just ridiculous. I feel bad that he's sick and all, but something's gotta give!

[seashells]

I was like that when I was 20. My father is one of those guys who never takes sick days, he never said anything to me about it but I always assumed the company appreciated that kind of drive. I never thought about the contagion aspect. So I showed up at work when I was 20 with the flu or whatever, and when my boss told me to go home I said I was happy to work. She stopped me and explained that she didn't want to get sick, and as a favor to HER - GO HOME, NOW!! It was a lightbulb moment for me, for sure.

But I also know that other than sheer ignorance there's also other reasons people do it. Like not being able to afford to take a day off, or having company policy discourage it.

I really doubt anyone does it because they are jerks. I mean, they would have to be really far out to think, "so I'm sick, and I could stay at home and pamper myself, but I think I'll go to work and make everyone miserable." No, they are either thinking about being penalized, or not being able to afford it, or just ignorantly believing the company prefers their presence.

[seashells]

Originally Posted by busymama77

this guy NEVER takes a vacation and NEVER takes a sick day - except for the two days last week.

He must be the kind who thinks he'll get a gold star for showing up every day. Can someone talk to him and gently let him know that the company appreciates his absence more than his presence on such days?

Is there a possibility for him to work at home when he's sick, at least? So if he's a workaholic he can still get his fix but not spread his "cheer" around?

[Cherry Alive]

That's been my mantra for years. After all, sick days DO exist for a reason. And good bosses lay the pressure on people to go home when they are sick, because good bosses know it reduces productivity of the whole office.

I worked in a cube farm a few years ago (I'll never go back), and there was always about five foolish people who'd come in hacking and sneezing. It was terrible to listen to all day and so inconsiderate of everyone else there. Pretty soon most of the office was out sick.

We called these lovely people "office martyrs." Not only did they come in sick, but a number of them would act very snotty when others chose to take sick days. It really wrecked morale, and although this flu "epidemic" is crummy, part of me hopes it will silence office martyrs and keep them home more often when they have a plague.

Originally Posted by seashells

I really doubt anyone does it because they are jerks. I mean, they would have to be really far out to think, "so I'm sick, and I could stay at home and pamper myself, but I think I'll go to work and make everyone miserable." No, they are either thinking about being penalized, or not being able to afford it, or just ignorantly believing the company prefers their presence.

Not everyone does, but there are people who really think like that. As a PP mentioned, they think they deserve a "gold star" for their attendance. There are also people who believe their projects are the most important things on earth and the world will stop without their presence. Sadly, one of my parents has this attitude. While it may appear "client-oriented" it's a very crappy display of teamwork as such people don't consider the health of their coworkers.

[ProtoLawyer]

Originally Posted by Cherry Alive

I worked in a cube farm a few years ago (I'll never go back), and there was always about five foolish people who'd come in hacking and sneezing. It was terrible to listen to all day and so inconsiderate of everyone else there. Pretty soon most of the office was out sick.

Well, to be fair, I'm hacking and sneezing, on and off for most of fall and spring due to allergies.

(My SD had similar issues with asthma in toddlerhood--her DCP was thisclose to dropping her because she coughed too much, even though there was a note from her doctor indicating the cough was an asthma symptom, she's not actively ill, she's not in danger...eventually, new care was found and all was well.)

But, yeah, if you're sick-sick, stay home.

[busymama77]

Originally Posted by seashells

He must be the kind who thinks he'll get a gold star for showing up every day. Can someone talk to him and gently let him know that the company appreciates his absence more than his presence on such days?

Is there a possibility for him to work at home when he's sick, at least? So if he's a workaholic he can still get his fix but not spread his "cheer" around?

Someone just did - MY BOSS!!! He saw how miserable he looked, went in to his office and told him to go home and sleep it off - that he shouldn't be here especially if it turns out that he has the swine flu - all joking aside, etc., etc., My boss looked at me and said that he was worried about me, too, seeing that I sit the closest to his office. He closed his door and 5 mins later, he went home. He looked flat out awful.... I think he will be working from home. I just hope he takes a couple of days to get over this. I told him to take his time until he feels better. I had to crack a window in our office to just get the feel for fresh air.

[busymama77]

Originally Posted by ProtoLawyer

Well, to be fair, I'm hacking and sneezing, on and off for most of fall and spring due to allergies.

(My SD had similar issues with asthma in toddlerhood--her DCP was thisclose to dropping her because she coughed too much, even though there was a note from her doctor indicating the cough was an asthma symptom, she's not actively ill, she's not in danger...eventually, new care was found and all was well.)

But, yeah, if you're sick-sick, stay home.

This isn't allergies for him - it's a full blown cold or something. The guy could barely talk and walk - he looked like a zombie.