Sick co-workers: WWYD?

[SeaSpray]

I'm in Massachusetts which is one of the states that is currently being hit very hard with widespread flu outbreak.

I work in a call center, literally surrounded by dozens of people. I was off last night (Tuesday) but I'll be going in to work at 6pm tonight.

On Monday night I had at least 7 people within 15 feet of me who were coughing, sneezing, hacking, etc etc. It's not easy to try and hold your breath and speak to customers on the phone at the same time. LOL

The COO/CFO of the company sent an email to the entire company acknowledging that many employees are sick right now, and they are setting out boxes of tissues and pumps of hand sanitizer in all public areas.

So.... I'm thinking of asking my supervisor to move my seat temporarily, away from the "human petri dish".

There are plenty of empty desks in the evening and it's a simple thing for me to set up my stuff at a different desk.

Is this how you would handle it? I don't see any other choice. I don't want to have to miss work, worrying about catching the plague, but I also don't want to get sick and/or bring anything home to my DH and DSs who have health issuse such as asthma, heart condition, etc.

DH and I both have had our flu shots, but I don't feel 100% guaranteed, and also, it seems that it's more than just the flu going around at work. At 2 people have pertussis/whooping cough.

Blech.

 

[sam_gordon]

I'm in Massachusetts which is one of the states that is currently being hit very hard with widespread flu outbreak.

I work in a call center, literally surrounded by dozens of people. I was off last night (Tuesday) but I'll be going in to work at 6pm tonight.

On Monday night I had at least 7 people within 15 feet of me who were coughing, sneezing, hacking, etc etc. It's not easy to try and hold your breath and speak to customers on the phone at the same time. LOL

The COO/CFO of the company sent an email to the entire company acknowledging that many employees are sick right now, and they are setting out boxes of tissues and pumps of hand sanitizer in all public areas.

So.... I'm thinking of asking my supervisor to move my seat temporarily, away from the "human petri dish".

There are plenty of empty desks in the evening and it's a simple thing for me to set up my stuff at a different desk.

Is this how you would handle it? I don't see any other choice. I don't want to have to miss work, worrying about catching the plague, but I also don't want to get sick and/or bring anything home to my DH and DSs who have health issuse such as asthma, heart condition, etc.

DH and I both have had our flu shots, but I don't feel 100% guaranteed, and also, it seems that it's more than just the flu going around at work. At 2 people have pertussis/whooping cough.

Blech.

I would keep hand sanitizer at my desk and use it often. If you change desks, how would you know the person who sat at the desk during the day didn't have something contagious? You might want to consider wearing a mask. That should help prevent you catching something yet still be able to answer calls.

What about whoever used the door handle before you?

 

[WDSearcher]

If everyone is coughing and sneezing, moving your desk isn't really going to help. All those germs are going airborne and will still be in the space. Plus, as PP said, you have no way of knowing who else has been at the desk you move to.

I would talk to my doctor and find out if there's something I can take that is preventative. Wash your hands, use sanitizer, take Vitamin C, etc. Some people are just prone to colds, others aren't. I work in a big open space with offices, cubes and open areas. No one really has a ceiling -- all the offices have half-walls and surround a courtyard where people gather for meetings, lunch, etc. People are sneezing and coughing all the time. I have never had a cold. The guy next to me -- who literally smells like a bottle of sanitizer! -- gets colds four or five times every winter. Go figure.

Of course, the biggest living petrie dish is still elementary school. So if you have kids in K-6, you're sunk anyway!

 

[Mkrop]

I saw today that you can pick it up anywhere, the door handle, the pen to sign for your credit card purchase etc. So the best thing to do is to wash your hands often and NOT touch your face at all.

 

[Christine]

I think changing desks is a good idea. I would sanitize the area you are working in and try to remain 6-8 feet from the other workers. While the easiest way to catch colds/flu is to touch a droplet, it is also proven that you can catch it within the air if you are "within range". Staying about 8 feet away gives you some sort of safety net from what they are coughing and sneezing out into the air.

 

[SeaSpray]

Thanks for the replies so far!

Our office is HUGE. I could, theoretically, be placed at a desk that is nowhere near anyone else, so I wouldn't have to worry as much about the airborne germs. Also, I do wipe down my keyboard and mouse and phone each evening before I start. We each have our own phone headset, so at least I'm safe there.

I do have hand sanitizer on my desk at work, and I'm very careful about touching door handles, etc. I'm a slight germophobe in every day life to begin with, but not as bad as most germophobes. lol

I should add that the evening shift has only about 20 people total (about 100 desks/short-walled cubicles in the office), but we are all seated near each other, which is why I figured that it's a viable option for me to move to a different desk and not be in the vicinity of the the coughs and sneezes.

Fortunately my DSs are older now, so no classroom germs to worry about. Even DS21 is on winter break from college right now.

 

[Christine]

Thanks for the replies so far!

Our office is HUGE. I could, theoretically, be placed at a desk that is nowhere near anyone else, so I wouldn't have to worry as much about the airborne germs. Also, I do wipe down my keyboard and mouse and phone each evening before I start. We each have our own phone headset, so at least I'm safe there.

I do have hand sanitizer on my desk at work, and I'm very careful about touching door handles, etc. I'm a slight germophobe in every day life to begin with, but not as bad as most germophobes. lol

I should add that the evening shift has only about 20 people total (about 100 desks/short-walled cubicles in the office), but we are all seated near each other, which is why I figured that it's a viable option for me to move to a different desk and not be in the vicinity of the the coughs and sneezes.

Fortunately my DSs are older now, so no classroom germs to worry about. Even DS21 is on winter break from college right now.

Distance is your friend! Not foolproof but it cannot hurt.

Droplet transmission occurs when contagious droplets produced by the infected host are propelled a short distance through coughing or sneezing and can come into contact with another person's conjunctiva, mouth or nasal mucosa. Influenza can be transmitted by large droplets, which generally travel 3 to 6 feet. Since these droplets generally are large (greater than 10 micrometers) and do not stay suspended in the air, this mode of transmission is not affected by special air handling or control of room pressures. Large droplets appear to be the primary route of nosocomial [hospital acquired] transmission.

Droplet nuclei (airborne) transmission entails the production of infectious droplet nuclei, generally 5 micrometers or less in diameter. In contrast with larger droplets, these droplets can remain suspended in the air and be disseminated by air currents in a room or through a facility to be inhaled by a susceptible host. Small droplet nuclei and aerosols can remain suspended in the air for prolonged periods and travel significant distances. Small particles appear to be more infectious, with both the degree of infectivity and the severity of illness and is directly related to particle size. Aerosols smaller than 10 microns have been shown to cause more severe disease and require a smaller inoculum than large intranasal droplets. Preventing the spread of droplet nuclei requires the use of special air handling and ventilation procedures.

There is no evidence that influenza transmission can occur across long distances (e.g., through ventilation systems) or through prolonged residence in air, as seen with airborne diseases such as tuberculosis. Organisms transmitted in this manner must be capable of sustaining infectivity, despite desiccation and environmental variation that generally limit survival in the airborne state. However, transmission may occur at shorter distances through inhalation of small-particle aerosols (droplet nuclei), particularly in shared air spaces with poor air circulation. An experimental study involving human volunteers found that illness could be induced with substantially lower virus titers when influenza virus was administered as a small droplet aerosol rather than as nasal droplets, suggesting that infection is most efficiently induced when virus is deposited in the lower rather than the upper respiratory tract.

 

[IheartMickey]

When I had the swine flu they forced me to stay home because everyone was too paranoid that they were going to get it. I had no sick time left so I went without pay even though it took 3 weeks for my doctor to diagnose it. I wasn't even really contagious anymore!

Then tons of people who had the sniffles called in sick claiming I gave it to them lol. Nobody else in my office caught it.

 

[Kellydelly]

I would not move your desk, if nobody else uses it, it is just your germs . Keep washing your hands and don't touch your face. If you are really paranoid wear a mask. Keep yourself hydrated and it doesn't hurt to bump up your vitamin C intake.

 

[LuLuO]

I too would ask to move as far away as possible. I'd also be bringing in the Clorox wipes and the red Wet Ones. My husband works in a cube and there are people constantly coughing over the walls. Yuck. One guy walked up to his cube hacking and said that he was going home early but he didn't know if he'd make it.

Also, maybe ask management to hand out masks to those who are hacking and coughing. Ok so that may be over the top but hospitals and doctors offices do it so why not?

 

[ICF]

Unless there is some reason that you have a weakened immune system or something I'd not move.

Why should you move and not any other (currently) healthy person. What happens when you move....then does Suzy want to move too...then Mary, Bobby and the rest? Before you know it, everyone is desk hopping.

The germs are all around, not just in your office. Moving your desk isn't most likely going to keep you any healthier. Wash your hands well on a regular basis and hope for the best.

 

[Baliezer]

Moving your desk is not going to do anything. The germs are in the air and on surfaces. As soon as you touch the door handle to walk into your office, you are touching germs. As well as going to the bathroom. Your best bet is to try to boost your immune system. I would take airborne twice a day along with a multivitamin and emergen C. That along with hand washing are your best bets.

 

[SLP958]

Honestly, I would not do anything different except be very mindful about keeping clean hands.

But, I work in a hospital and think nothing of hearing coughing, sneezing, and hacking.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I would not move your desk, if nobody else uses it, it is just your germs . Keep washing your hands and don't touch your face. If you are really paranoid wear a mask. Keep yourself hydrated and it doesn't hurt to bump up your vitamin C intake.

It is NOT PARANOID to wear a mask. I took my dd to the ped today and asked for a mask.

I am taking care of my dh who had bypass surgery.

A mask & hand washing can really help your chances of not getting sick.

A mask has an added benefit of keeping your fingers off your face during the day at work. That is another thing you can do too.

Good Luck!

My 21yodd had the Type A flu WITH NO FEVER! Yep. The urgent care said she was not the first one they saw like that.

 

[DebbieB]

How can she wear a mask in a call center? I don't think you can talk with a mask on.

 

[WDSearcher]

It is NOT PARANOID to wear a mask. I took my dd to the ped today and asked for a mask.

I am taking care of my dh who had bypass surgery.

A mask & hand washing can really help your chances of not getting sick.

A mask has an added benefit of keeping your fingers off your face during the day at work. That is another thing you can do too.

Good Luck!

My 21yodd had the Type A flu WITH NO FEVER! Yep. The urgent care said she was not the first one they saw like that.

But wearing a mask so that you don't pick up germs and pass them along to someone who's immune system is sensitive after major surgery is a little different than wearing a mask in an office environment so you don't catch a cold.

 

[Christine]

But wearing a mask so that you don't pick up germs and pass them along to someone who's immune system is sensitive after major surgery is a little different than wearing a mask in an office environment so you don't catch a cold.

To be fair, the OP's main concern was her son who has asthma and her husband with a heart condition.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

How can she wear a mask in a call center? I don't think you can talk with a mask on.

They are very different now and you can hear perfectly through them. When my father had his transplant we were given them for his safety and my mom had a lot of them because of their insurance. She has COPD now and used them. I can hear her clearly over the phone even when she wears them.

Now if the OP has a head piece to wear then it would be a problem.

OP, here's hoping you make through the next few weeks healthy! fingers crossed.

 

[atp]

That sucks, I would hate having go to work if there was someone sneezing and coughing right next to me. Even though it wouldn't necessarily mean I would catch it, it would certainly feel like I was about to catch something. Not fun.

What I would do is make sure my hands didn't touch anywhere from my neck up while at work, and wash my hands very well once I got home. I would also drink lots of water like others suggested.

Maybe your company could also instruct people to cover their mouths and nose with a tissue when they sneeze or cough to decrease the chances of others getting sick.

As for moving your seat temporarily, I don't know if that would make a huge difference or not. I'd be a little unsure about asking to do that. I would be worried that people around me would be offended and would treat me differently because of that. But, I have to interact with people around me at work on a regular basis, if you don't it may not be an issue.

 

[doxdogy]

My biggest pet peeve with the call center management mentality. They want you there even if you are sick. We have quite a few people in sick and should be at home getting better. But they are so afraid of losing their jobs, they drag themselves to work. Then the rest of us have to worry about catching it from them.