Do you work when your sick ?

[GeorgeG]

Before I retired from my regular job I had a ton of sick days available to me due to years of service, but I rarely used them. I had to be really sick to call in or go home sick. Most of that was work ethic and some was knowing that I would have a lot of catching up when I got back.

My work now is as a musician and there are no sick days. The working bands I play with I have to be really sick not to play, but the "hobby" bands I sometimes skip just because I don't feel like playing or want to go to Disney that day.

 

[hulagirl87]

No sick days here. I'm a SAHM. But when I did work, I was not a big fan of calling in. I felt too guilty. I would have to be super sick in order to call in.

 

[Katie Dawn]

I think the answer depends partly on what you do at your job. I am a social worker and visit families with young children (birth to five years old) in their homes. If there is even a chance that I could be contagious I will cancel the visits I have scheduled for that day. My co-workers do the same. I try not to go into the office on those days either so that I don't inadvertently expose my co-workers (who would then expose the families they visit.)

However, 1) I can do paperwork from home (and there is always plenty of paperwork to be done) and 2) none of my co-workers have to "pick up the slack" when I'm gone. I reschedule the visits that I missed for another day. There is no guilt-trip for staying home when you're sick, it's actually good client care.

I know that things are not so straight-forward in many occupations and there can be backlash from either supervisors or co-workers who may have had to pick up the slack in your absence... I'm thankful that, for right now anyway, I don't have to worry about how my boss/co-workers will react if I'm ill... sounds stressful!

 

[SookieStackhouse]

Yea I do if I am not like way too sick. I figure I'd just assume be miserable at work as be miserable at home if it's just a cold.

OR if I am sick but still functional, and my husband has a day off... I will just go on to work so I won't have to deal with him.

 

[Silly Little Pixie]

I'm a teacher, so I stay home when I'm sick! I don't want to expose my students (and their families).

Unfortunately, we have a lot of parents at our school who bring their children even when they're sick. They want that perfect attendance award! Then of course, these children go on to infect everyone else- including me and my children. Ugh.

 

[aprilgail2]

I have an unusual knack for getting sick Friday night and being well by Sunday night. And I wish I was kidding.
I've used 17 sick days in the past 31 years.

LOL--I have used 17 since this January!!!

 

[LaraK]

Yes.

 

[minkydog]

I'm a school nurse and I rarely get sick, despite the fact that I'm surrounded by little coughing, sneezing, vomiting germ vectors. I will go to work if I'm just dealing with a cold or sinus stuff--it's hard on the staff when I'm not there. I wash my hands a lot. But if I have a fever or vomiting i stay home and they have to cope without me.

 

[aedensmom]

I do - it's a bigger pain to go in, get all the copies I need for the sub, write down what I want everybody to do for that day and drop my kids off and then go home. By that point, it's almost time to get the kids from daycare. I have to be really, really sick to stay home. I have used 1 sick day so far this year. Usually, I have to plan when I'll be out and being sick doesn't lend itself to that. But I teach high school so my kids can keep their distance from me when I'm sick and use lots of hand sanitizer.

 

[minkydog]

Unfortunately, we have a lot of parents at our school who bring their children even when they're sick. They want that perfect attendance award! Then of course, these children go on to infect everyone else- including me and my children. Ugh.

Ugh. This is the bane of my existence. I had one last week whp was out Monday and Tuesday with fever and vomiting. Dad brought him back to school on Wednesday at 11:15. The poor kid felt so bad he kept laying his head down and holding his stomach. I called his dad and told him to come pick the boy up--he obviously shouldn't have been at school and any parent with half a brain would know that! I think he just wanted the kid off his hands. Too bad. I kept that boy in my office for the 45 minutes that he stayed in school.

 

[Poohforyou]

I telework on a regular basis so when I'm sick I can easily work from home. I've only taken a day off when I recovered from surgery or had the flu.

 

[Fly4free]

I can not even count all the times I have gone to work being very sick. The company I work for has a very strict sick policy. I was even going to work with a 101 fever and later found out I had the swine flu when I went to the dr. because I was unable to breathe. I was called into the attendance office and scolded baecause I went over the amount of occurances allowed in the last 12 months. I had to bring a note in from my dr. proving I was suspected to have the swine flu and should not be working with the public.

It's policies like that that encourage employees to come to work no matter what you have and share it with everyone else! Unfortunately I have to stay home to take care of my kids when they are too sick to go to school. That leaves almost no sick time for me.

 

[That's So Raven]

I guess it depends on how sick I am and if I'm seriously contagious or not. I normally work through a sickness if it isn't serious.

 

[clh2]

I can not even count all the times I have gone to work being very sick. The company I work for has a very strict sick policy. I was even going to work with a 101 fever and later found out I had the swine flu when I went to the dr. because I was unable to breathe. I was called into the attendance office and scolded baecause I went over the amount of occurances allowed in the last 12 months. I had to bring a note in from my dr. proving I was suspected to have the swine flu and should not be working with the public.

It's policies like that that encourage employees to come to work no matter what you have and share it with everyone else! Unfortunately I have to stay home to take care of my kids when they are too sick to go to school. That leaves almost no sick time for me.

I also work for a company that has a strict policy about how many times you can miss work. So - it is like they are encouraging you to come in sick. So - unless I'm tossing my cookies, so to speak, I do suck it up and go in. Plus - if you are sick more than 3 days at a time, you "MUST" have a drs note to get back into work - at your expense.

 

[JLTraveling]

I work for myself (freelance writer), so it's very rare for me to take a whole day off sick. Instead, I have the luxury of working whenever I want, so I'll generally take it easy for whatever few hours I feel the worst, then make it up later that day or the next.

I used to work for the theme parks, though (Disney, Sea World and Universal--not all at the same time). I had to be pretty much at death's door before I'd take a day off then. No sick pay (I was technically part time, though working full time hours), and a point system that strongly discouraged call-ins.

I remember one day shortly before Christmas at Universal. I was working at Earthquake (now Disaster), and we were slammed, so we were on five-minute cycles. One spieler in each of the preshow rooms, plus a team on the soundstage...all day long, no breaks. We were all sick, kept passing a nasty flu around since nobody could stay home and recuperate. It was a horrible day, gulping water every time I passed the fountain and nearly strangling trying to avoid an extended coughing fit during each spiel. Yuck!

My advice: Stay well away from the CMs during cold and flu season, especially during holiday rushes. Nasty bugs run rampant, and everyone simply has to work.

 

[disneyquestions]

Last Monday I woke up with a horrible cold. Clogged head, stuffy, runny nose, bad cough, the works. I put myself on antibiotics, and took day time cold meds and went to work.
I had no choice - I was training my replacement, as well as training for my new position, and the person training me only had 3 days to train me since she was quitting.
The worst part was, my replacement got sice 2 days later (not from me, she got it from her son who had just started day care, and had pink eye, upper respatory / sinus infection and... something else) so SHE was called out by that Wednesday.

Bottom line - Being sick stinks!!!!!


ETA - Last time I tried to take a day off (not because I was sick, but because it was Halloween, I was in charge of the goodies at my kids school, and I wanted to see their parade that I had missed every year before) and my boss was such a nasty &(&*% about it, I don't even bother anymore.... And no, I didn't ask the day of, I tried to schedule it 2 weeks in advance, and she just flat out told me no. Shes a mother of 2, btw....

 

[grafxgirl]

Depends on how sick I am and what I have because I am a teacher and don't want to get my students sick. If it's minor like a cold then yes. This February I was awfully sick so I stayed home for a week. I ended up with bronchitis, flu, uti, and strep all at THE EXACT SAME TIME!

 

[onelilspark]

I'm in sales and have a home office...so generally if I'm sick enough to stay home, I'll reschedule appointments and do paperwork, etc. I get migraines often though...I tend to work through those.

 

[grafxgirl]

I do not have any sick days, so if I do not work, I do not get paid. Hurrah for per diem work, huh?

I work with migraines often, it is a challenge.

I went to work with a migraine on Friday. It is very hard with a classroom of 20 kids.

 

[Colleen27]

Yes. A deadlines still have to be met and the phone isn't going to answer itself. I'm a freelance writer and the entire office "staff" for DH's construction business so there's no sick leave or anyone to cover for me. But the upside is that I'm not sharing my germs with any coworkers, I can work from the comfort of my couch, and aside from answering the business line I can usually nap/rest through the worst of anything I happen to catch.