Post # 1

Member
695 posts
Busy bee
Okay, I’m four days away from our wedding, and all I hear around me (granted not right next to me) at the office is coughing and blowing noses. If you’re feeling sick, why spread your germs around to the rest of us? It’s so inconsiderate. You get sick days for a reason.
I’ve been Airborne-ing once a day and hand-sanitizing after touching any public surface in my office, so I guess that’s all I can do at this point. But SERIOUSLY — I’m going to be so pissed off if I catch this crap.
Post # 3

Member
4843 posts
Honey bee
Yes, it’s vile. Wear a mask, honestly. It’s the air-borne droplets that make you catch stuff. I don’t understand why people are even allowed to come to work sick. All they do is cause more sick time by passing it around to everyone. -_- ugh.
Post # 4

Member
5009 posts
Bee Keeper
@leenh78: In a weird way that makes me feel better… as I’ve been off work for two days so far this week with a virus.
Post # 5

Member
3551 posts
Sugar bee
You should join this thread. A point though, I’m coughing and blowing my nose like crazy right now because the mucus from my allergies is ridiculous. It may sound and look (and feel) like I’m sick but there is no way I”m giving you my ragweed allergy. Seriously can we just freeze all the ragweed already? Hayfever is miserable.
Post # 6

Member
5285 posts
Bee Keeper
This makes me SO ANGRY!! I’m a germaphobe so cant stand being near sick people! Like stay home if your sick thats what sick days are for!!!
Post # 7

Member
695 posts
Busy bee
@Eckle: Whoops! I didn’t even see that thread was posted.
Post # 8

Member
2608 posts
Sugar bee
- Wedding: May 2014 - Madison, WI
Happens a lot here. I’m very sorry to say I am at work and I am sick. I mostly work alone in a lab though and wash my hands constantly. But the thing is – I am the ONLY one here who can do my job fully. The people who are partially trained to cover for me are swamped with their own work right now. I completely feel that I cannot call in sick because of a cough and stuffy nose. My work is extremely time sensitive, I had work today that had to be completed in less than one hour’s time. If I had not been here, I don’t know what would have happened to that work because today there is no one at all to cover for me. Especially Monday-Wednesday, calling in sick is a huge deal for me. If I am still sick after tomorrow I fully plan to call in sick Thursday and maybe Friday – days when I do not have time sensitive work coming in to do.
Basically where I am, we are too short staffed at the moment for everyone to call in sick all the time. If one person is gone, that might be that entire part of their department at the moment.
Post # 9

Member
3551 posts
Sugar bee
@Ms_Purple: I’m a one woman lab. If I’m not here nothing gets done. There have been says where I haul my butt into work just to feed the cultures. Not having back-up can be super stressful.
@leenh78: I just thought it was funny because when I refreshed the page the threads were right next to each other.
Post # 10

Member
7975 posts
Bumble Beekeeper
It rather depends if you get sick days. Some people don’t. Others work specialised jobs which only they can do. Some people also get colds so often that they would never be in work at all if they went off with a cold.
I know someone who used to have a secretary who would go sick so often that they were absolutely desperate to sack her, but they were worried she might claim sex discrimination etc. It was ridiculous though… she was probably only there about 5 months a year. The employer’s attitude was “look, nobody gets that sick, that often, and it’s not as if you have a long term medical condition. You’re not in food preparation… just come in and sneeze into a hankie like the rest of us”.
Post # 11

Member
9795 posts
Buzzing Beekeeper
I don’t get sick so it doesn’t really bother me other than listening to people sniffle all day.
I worked in retail in college and it used to make me so mad when they got angry at people for calling in sick. They wanted them to show up and work sick and infect everyone I guess. It was never pleasant calling in sick. I hate retail.
Post # 12

Member
5009 posts
Bee Keeper
@kes18: I don’t think it’s ever pleasant calling in sick. I always think they’re going to think I’m faking it.
Post # 13

Member
2608 posts
Sugar bee
- Wedding: May 2014 - Madison, WI
@Eckle: Good to know I’m not alone. I also feel that part of my current symptoms are allergies. I have horrible allergies even on medication. It’s those darn chenopods and ragweed. I keep telling people, I might be sick, it might just be bad allergies or it could be both! Sometimes it’s hard to tell, especially when people around me were recently sick. Always makes me think I got their cold when really it might just be my allergies. Allergies really do make you almost look forward to that first frost.
Post # 14

Member
3551 posts
Sugar bee
@Ms_Purple: I’ve been pretty much crying for the last two weeks my allergies are so bad even on meds. As much as I am not looking forward to the Minnesota winter I really can’t wait for the first frost.
Post # 15

Member
727 posts
Busy bee
@leenh78: I agree, mostly. But I do see another point of view.
My husband works in a shop and does not get sick days. If he stays home sick, he doesn’t get paid. So he huffs it to work. Of course, he’s not the least bit productive, and probably infects everyone else (as they do to him when they are sick), but he’s getting paid. So, until they pay him to go home, he’s not going home. He’s also suggested this to his bosses several times when they mention that he should go home. They quiet right down after he suggests they pay him to leave.
If you have sick days available though, go the hell home and recover alone, that’s what they’re for!
@Eckle: And I suffer along with you for some unknown allergy that everyone thinks is a cold. It’s brutal. I wish it were a cold, because then it would just go away for another few months rather than pop up every few days and make me miserable.
Post # 16

Member
1572 posts
Bumble bee
Hoping you don’t get sick. And I totally get where you are coming from. I hold a few part time jobs, primarily teaching (at 2 different places). My attendance policy is pretty lax – I have some autoimmune issues so I catch *everything*. Keep your germs to yourself! I have legit had students throwing up in class – GO HOME. My husband swears Airbourne gets him through winter