Sick co-workers: WWYD?

[Kathi OD]

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.

To be fair, it's not just "call center management mentality." The same kind of thinking is rampant throughout the corporate world. FWIW, it's also rampant in education, too.

 

[Aliceacc]

There are no "100% guarantees" when it comes to health.

I'm a high school teacher. I teach 180 kids a day, in addition to the 300 in my study hall and the other 2,000 or so in the halls.

A lot of them are sick.

That's how it goes. I take the normal precautions, and hope for the best.

 

[dogluva]

There are no "100% guarantees" when it comes to health.

I'm a high school teacher. I teach 180 kids a day, in addition to the 300 in my study hall and the other 2,000 or so in the halls.

A lot of them are sick.

That's how it goes. I take the normal precautions, and hope for the best.

I am an elementary teacher. The best way to build an immunity is to teach. Knock on wood but I haven't been sick in years.

 

[tvguy]

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.

I agree. And, the reality is, those folks were most contagious in the 24 hours before they showed symptons, so you're already exposed.

 

[englishteacha]

If you'll feel more comfortable moving, you could move desks. However, I think washing your hands/using sanitizer/wipes and wiping down surfaces with clorox/lysol wipes is probably just as effective. Stay hydrated, too. I'm a teacher and still get sick when there's something bad going around. I'm more concerned for my baby's health, so I make sure to wash often with soap and water. (Sanitizer is fine, but I'm sensitive to fragrances, so many of them make me sneeze!) I'm lucky to have sick time banked I can use. My doctor gave me a heck of a talking-to a couple years ago for dragging myself to work even if I was sick...I'd never really get better.

 

[torinsmom]

Talk about a human petri-dish--try working with 4-6 year olds! Parents keep sending them back and after lunch, their medicine wears off and then we've been exposed for half the day. Seriously, is your being at work more important than the health of the other 19 kids and 2 teachers? People who are sick belong at home in bed.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I am an elementary teacher. The best way to build an immunity is to teach. Knock on wood but I haven't been sick in years.

Agreed! When I first started working with preschoolers, I was sick all the time. Eleven years later, I get maybe one or two mild colds a year. The kids cough and sneeze and I can literally feel the droplets hit my hands and arms. I run for the sink to wash up and I sanitize anything they sneezed on with a Chlorox wipe, but my immunity must be pretty good! I also get my yearly flu shot.

 

[Styx Fan]

To be fair, it's not just "call center management mentality." The same kind of thinking is rampant throughout the corporate world. FWIW, it's also rampant in education, too.

Amen on the corporate world. The worst place I ever worked in regards to coming in sick was a bank branch. Employees had very limited sick days, and if you called in beyond that you were in jeopardy of losing your job. So people came to work sick. Really ticked me off....at that time we all used a few centrally located computer terminals and phones. I greatly resented having sick co-workers spreading their illness to me so I would have to use my sick time. Of course, we were already exposed to all the customers bugs, but why make it worse.

In my case it was a relief when I left the bank and went to a call center.....we didn't have a certain number of sick days....if you were sick, you were expected to stay home. And since our office was entry into better jobs in the company, people took their jobs seriously and usually had good attendance.

The worst person I ever knew for going to work sick was my friend who is now the CFO of his company. I used to yell at him all the time for that. Kept reminding him he was passing on his germs to his more sane employees who would stay home if they got sick....and then he would complain when they missed work

 

[Lilliputian]

I'd take Vitamin C (about 500 mg several times/day), D3, and elderberry syrup. All of those will boost your immune system and help prevent the flu. And be extremely careful to not touch your face unless you have to and have just washed your hands. That's just a good idea all the time.

 

[Li Li]

Somewhat off topic, but your mention of pertussis/whooping cough caught my eye, OP.
I had a coworker who doesn't believe in vaccinations and his youngest got whooping cough. A few weeks later, I got a cough/cold but I didn't connect the two. After recovering, I got the same cough/cold 2 months later. Another two months go by and you guessed it...another spell of cough/cold!
I had gone to doctor after the second instance and went back again. This time, I happened to remember and mention the whooping cough. Doctor suggested it is a good idea to get pertussis vaccination again during adulthood and it is combined with tetanus shot so it gets you up to date with that too! Obviously, this is anecdotal and not scientific, but I have not had a cough/cold spell since that shot over 3 years ago! *knock on wood*
Long story short (too late): perhaps talk to your doctor about updated pertussis vaccine.

 

[Planogirl]

Won't a mask muffle your voice?

Keep in mind that it's also allergy season or at least is around here. DS and I are really struggling with allergy problems right now.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Won't a mask muffle your voice?

Keep in mind that it's also allergy season or at least is around here. DS and I are really struggling with allergy problems right now.

How about put the microphone under the mask or take it off at your station? Put it back on during breaks? And get a flu shot.

I have worked in a call center and yes unless you are dead you have to come in.

 

[tennisfan]

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.

I work as an EMT in the UK and we pretty much have to come to work sick as they have this new sickness policy that means you get put on warnings for a certain amount of months which if breached could lead to dismissal & people have been sacked from it.

 

[shortbun]

I would wear a mask, spray down my cubicle regularly and yes, ask to move. No guarantees though. I think you are smart. I heard the other day that everyone avoiding passing this flu is helping stop the possibility of an epidemic. Personally, I'm staying in as much as possible and the rule here is wash your hands as soon as you walk in the door. Also, DH went to the grocery the other day. He passed the bags to DS, stripped off his clothes, took a shower and ran his clothes thru the laundry. DS washed his hands as soon as he finished putting everything away. All fruits and veggies were washed immediately and seriously, I'm allowing all packaged goods-cans, boxes, etc. to sit for at least two full days prior to use. We have masks here if we need them. The whole point is to NOT be part of the problem. We all had shots early.

 

[shortbun]

Won't a mask muffle your voice?

Keep in mind that it's also allergy season or at least is around here. DS and I are really struggling with allergy problems right now.

DH wore a masks in some parts of his old job. Masks do not inhibit vocal communication.

 

[Bonniec]

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.

And wear a mask if you can.

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

You can talk fine with a mask on.

Talk about a human petri-dish--try working with 4-6 year olds! Parents keep sending them back and after lunch, their medicine wears off and then we've been exposed for half the day. Seriously, is your being at work more important than the health of the other 19 kids and 2 teachers? People who are sick belong at home in bed.

Sometimes, yes. I hate the way the school system works with kids. My older two never caught anything, but my youngest catches every little thing that goes around school and it is SO frustrating. The rule here is they can go to school as long as they don't have a fever or are vommiting. In kindergarten, he was sick every single month. To the point where the doc was planning to do some testing if it continued. And then we switched schools and so far he has only been sick once during first grade. I don't know why.

But yes, people have to pay bills and most jobs are not very understanding of continuous time off for a sick kid. Not everyone has family who can watch them. I agree that it SHOULDN'T be like that. It's not fair to the other kids, families, and teachers. But sometimes you have no choice. It's another failure of the system imo.

 

[torinsmom]

And wear a mask if you can.


You can talk fine with a mask on.



Sometimes, yes. I hate the way the school system works with kids. My older two never caught anything, but my youngest catches every little thing that goes around school and it is SO frustrating. The rule here is they can go to school as long as they don't have a fever or are vommiting. In kindergarten, he was sick every single month. To the point where the doc was planning to do some testing if it continued. And then we switched schools and so far he has only been sick once during first grade. I don't know why.

But yes, people have to pay bills and most jobs are not very understanding of continuous time off for a sick kid. Not everyone has family who can watch them. I agree that it SHOULDN'T be like that. It's not fair to the other kids, families, and teachers. But sometimes you have no choice. It's another failure of the system imo.

I think people don't think about how their child might not have gotten sick if someone else hadn't sent their child to school sick. Then they are doing the same thing and perpetuating the cycle. Some parents seem to think that their child is fine to come to school when they don't have a fever because they gave them tylenol.

I am supposed to have surgery next Thursday and I am so worried I will come down with this crap and have to postpone. I have been walking around with a torn tendon since late July and I want it done.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I think people don't think about how their child might not have gotten sick if someone else hadn't sent their child to school sick. Then they are doing the same thing and perpetuating the cycle. Some parents seem to think that their child is fine to come to school when they don't have a fever because they gave them tylenol.

I am supposed to have surgery next Thursday and I am so worried I will come down with this crap and have to postpone. I have been walking around with a torn tendon since late July and I want it done.

Wear a mask in public and get a flu shot.

I am telling you my dd had Type A with NO FEVER. Type B is the evil one that is going around.

 

[Mkrop]

Talk about a human petri-dish--try working with 4-6 year olds! Parents keep sending them back and after lunch, their medicine wears off and then we've been exposed for half the day. Seriously, is your being at work more important than the health of the other 19 kids and 2 teachers? People who are sick belong at home in bed.

I think the problem is the corporate culture or even the schools. People are penalized for taking time off. Take too much sick time for yourself or your kids, risk being fired. Keep your kid home too much, worry about being in trouble with the school.

I know when I was working 10 years ago, my boss would have a fit if I took time off bc of being sick, or one of the kids being sick. Most times I managed bc my mom would watch them and she would take them if they were a little under the weather, but I also was not dumping a puking kid on my mom to babysit, that isnt her job, it is mine! Then my mom would get sick and I didnt always have someone else that could watch them. It was a vicious cycle that year. My boss was a complete PITA about it. Btw that and some other things, that is when we decided I needed to stay home, now I know this is not possible and the sick policy was only one factor.

Won't a mask muffle your voice?

Keep in mind that it's also allergy season or at least is around here. DS and I are really struggling with allergy problems right now.

Yes!!!!! Both DSs will probably be starting by the end of Jan, but we are suppose to get some warm days over the weekend, stuff will try to bloom and my kids will be affected. So not every cough or sniffle is from a cold/flu and therefore contagious!

 

[dogluva]

Agreed! When I first started working with preschoolers, I was sick all the time. Eleven years later, I get maybe one or two mild colds a year. The kids cough and sneeze and I can literally feel the droplets hit my hands and arms. I run for the sink to wash up and I sanitize anything they sneezed on with a Chlorox wipe, but my immunity must be pretty good! I also get my yearly flu shot.

I have never had a flu shot and have never had the flu! I am afraid I will end up sick if I do! I heard this is nonsense but its working for me.