Why do people come to work when they are on death's door?

[LoraJ]

Where I work it is because they use or save all of their sick days for when their kids are sick. But when they are sick they think nothing of coming to work and getting the rest of us sick.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

Because i get no sick time. When I call out I do get paid however I will have some sort of disciplinary action when I come back. Seriously. 1st time out gets an informal talk. 2nd time actual entry in my record. 3rd time letter in leiu of suspension 4th time termination. That's it. Finito. Over. I have not called out in many years because if this policy. If I'm not dead I'm coming to work.

And potentially spread it to all the other people at work who have the same constraints. Absolutely inconsiderate.

 

[Micca]

I've had some jobs where my boss was one of those "haven't take a sick day in 20 years" kinda guys. It sucks to call in sick to those guys because it's like they think you're a wimp or lying about being sick. Fortunately I don't have a job like that any more.

 

[dzneprincess]

And potentially spread it to all the other people at work who have the same constraints. Absolutely inconsiderate.

Oh well. That's the rules that my company has set. I follow their rules. Their stand is they pay me to be here I better be here. You did see the part of my post that states we do no get sick days correct? We have vacation time that we schedule in November of the previous year. We are not alllowed to call in on the day we are sick and request to use a vacation day. That is the corner I am painted in and I do what must.

 

[FireDancer]

You are assuming that every working adult gets PTO/sick days. Not so.

If you took a job that doesn't have paid sick time then you need to budget into your life the possibility that you will be taking unpaid time for a few days when you are sick.

 

[sbell111]

You are assuming that every working adult gets PTO/sick days. Not so.

He is also ignoring the fact that most people don't have the ability to negotiate extra sick days.

I've been hiring people for many years now. Never have I even considered relenting to a request for extra sick days.

Reasons why someone might come in sick:

• The work needs to be done whether the person is sick or not
• Not enough sick days
• Stigma attached to taking sick days
• Need to save sick days for other purpose
• Didn't realize that he was as sick as he was until he was at work in the thick of it
• Just wanted to share the love with the OP

 

[Mrs. Charming]

Am I the only one who feels that this "no sick time" or reprimand/termination for staying home for an actual illness should be illegal? We aren't robots!!

 

[~disneydiva~]

Am I the only one who feels that this "no sick time" or reprimand/termination for staying home for an actual illness should be illegal? We aren't robots!!

Thats what I was wondering....

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

Am I the only one who feels that this "no sick time" or reprimand/termination for staying home for an actual illness should be illegal? We aren't robots!!

Like I said in my earlier post, even though we had "sick time", using it was problematic for your career. You can't prove something like that in court, because it is never listed in a review or discussed - but it is there. There are many people who have never taken a sick day because of it. I once worked through the flu - 103 degree fever - to avoid the stigma. I just warned everyone to stay away from me.

I actually got a few pats on the back for that one - team player and all...

 

[FireDancer]

He is also ignoring the fact that most people don't have the ability to negotiate extra sick days.

I have found extra PTO to the one of the easiest things to negotiate for. The harder things are stock options, use of a corporate car, apartment, or jet, a better bonus structure, use of corporate airline miles for personal travel, and things like that.

If you can't get the PTO that is understandable, but get some of the other things to compensate for it.

 

[tazdev3225]

I hate it when people who work with the public don't stay home. It isn't quite as bad in an office environment if you can close your office door and isolate yourself from the office. if you can't, stay home.

I don't buy the "they'll fire me" or "can't afford to stay home" argument. If you manage your PTO you will have plenty and no one is going to keep you from using the time off you have earned. Don't live so close to the edge that you are a day's pay away from bankruptcy, this is what a savings account is for.

If you need more PTO (or sick days) negotiate for it when you are negotiating your compensation package.

It really shouldn't be that hard for an adult to do these things.

If you took a job that doesn't have paid sick time then you need to budget into your life the possibility that you will be taking unpaid time for a few days when you are sick.

I have found extra PTO to the one of the easiest things to negotiate for. The harder things are stock options, use of a corporate car, apartment, or jet, a better bonus structure, use of corporate airline miles for personal travel, and things like that.

If you can't get the PTO that is understandable, but get some of the other things to compensate for it.

You're very lucky if you can do that. My DD works with the public in a casino. She has pink eye, strep throat and an ear infection. She tried to call out and her boss refused to give her the time off. She was told to use hand sanitizer while she was handing out the cash. She works one day a week if she is lucky because when she had her son she lost all her seniority. She also has no medical coverage for the same reason. She knows she will be in trouble when she goes back to work even with the drs. note.
My other DD works at the same casino in the same position. They actually threaten suspension or firing if they call out too often for being sick. They also lose their seniority which then effects the hours they work and the shifts they get. They have a union and their union rep is one of their bosses. Not everyone can stay home because of the long-term ramifications. They also don't have the luxury of preparing for the unexpected illness when they live paycheck to paycheck. Another common fact for many people.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Mostly because they don't want to get fired.

This!

While expecting people to stay home when they are genuinely sick, absence policies and upper management are not usually leniant enough to make that practical.

As for barfing--if it was a girl, I'd say that maybe she were pregnant. I had to pull aside a co-worker who was near me all the time and let him know that if I ran off that would be why. I withheld from upper mgmt, but I wanted at least one person to know why I was so sick and not misjudge or worry.

Firedancer suggested unpaid leave. Not all employers allow that.

It's very easy to suggest these things based on privileges we may have with our own employer--but for many, it just isn't easy to put into practice.

To those who have all the answers and are *more responsible" ...kudos to you for entering a career/job that is more leniant. Not everyone is so fortunate. Why not just brag that you make a heck of a lot more money as well?

 

[Kim&Chris]

Because i get no sick time. When I call out I do get paid however I will have some sort of disciplinary action when I come back. Seriously. 1st time out gets an informal talk. 2nd time actual entry in my record. 3rd time letter in leiu of suspension 4th time termination. That's it. Finito. Over. I have not called out in many years because if this policy. If I'm not dead I'm coming to work.

Wow, that's horrible. In your case, I can definitely understand your postition. What makes me furious is the fact that my company is pretty generous with PTO, so these sickos that work around me have no excuse. Grrr.

 

[sunnyday123]

I hate it when people who work with the public don't stay home. It isn't quite as bad in an office environment if you can close your office door and isolate yourself from the office. if you can't, stay home.

I don't buy the "they'll fire me" or "can't afford to stay home" argument. If you manage your PTO you will have plenty and no one is going to keep you from using the time off you have earned. Don't live so close to the edge that you are a day's pay away from bankruptcy, this is what a savings account is for.

If you need more PTO (or sick days) negotiate for it when you are negotiating your compensation package.

It really shouldn't be that hard for an adult to do these things.

Except when you cannot negotiate for more days, and you have to schedule those PTO days, and there aren't any available when you happen to be sick. And while my company gives sick days, they are counted against you. Use more than 4-which really isn't hard if you have kids- and you are out the door. Add to the fact they are looking to get rid of people because they have outsourced and we're just dead weight, and calling out is just not an option.

 

[LiLIrishChick63]

my reasoning for never calling in used to be because i worked for smaller companies who didn't have someone to cover for me if i did call in.

i remember the one time i TRIED to call in at one of my jobs and the boss told me "ohno...you can't call in. there's no one here to replace you, i'm expecting you here in 2 hours." and the only way i was able to get out of work was when i got a hospital note taking me off of work.


other people don't call in because of the money situation. either they don't have sick time and can't afford to loose a day of work, or their sick time doesn't pay them enough

 

[dhcoffey]

I'm a court reporter in a multi-county circuit. There's three of us in our office. Most days, we are all in a different court in a different county. Last Monday, I was sick but had to go in because we were having jury trials. I don't show up, they can't have court. Not a possibility, so if I have to go in sick, that's what I do.

Heather

 

[DebD4T]

DH is a union worker. He gets no sick or personal days. If he doesn't show up, he doesn't get paid.

In addition, since the economy is so bad, he hasn't had vacation time in about 5 years. Instead, he has furlough (which is unpaid) or gets laid off.

Since times are so tough and jobs are few and far between, his employer will look for any reason to lay someone off. Sorry, but staying home is not an option for us.

As for keeping savings for such a scenario... experiencing anywhere from 10 to 26 weeks out of work (every year) has kind of made that impossible for us.

 

[Mermaid02]

DH is a union worker. He gets no sick or personal days. If he doesn't show up, he doesn't get paid.

In addition, since the economy is so bad, he hasn't had vacation time in about 5 years. Instead, he has furlough (which is unpaid) or gets laid off.

Since times are so tough and jobs are few and far between, his employer will look for any reason to lay someone off. Sorry, but staying home is not an option for us.

As for keeping savings for such a scenario... experiencing anywhere from 10 to 26 weeks out of work (every year) has kind of made that impossible for us.

That is one crappy union!

 

[sunnyday123]

DH is a union worker. He gets no sick or personal days. If he doesn't show up, he doesn't get paid.

In addition, since the economy is so bad, he hasn't had vacation time in about 5 years. Instead, he has furlough (which is unpaid) or gets laid off.

Since times are so tough and jobs are few and far between, his employer will look for any reason to lay someone off. Sorry, but staying home is not an option for us.

As for keeping savings for such a scenario... experiencing anywhere from 10 to 26 weeks out of work (every year) has kind of made that impossible for us.

That is one crappy union!

They are all like that, unfortunately. My X is a union worker, and has been laid off since November, his first time in 19 years. Their vacation pay is added into their regular work pay, so they can take vacation, but you don't get a paycheck. No sick time, no personal days. And with hundreds of guys on a waiting list who are desperate for a job, if you call out, you can be replaced within the hour.

 

[Gigi22]

Several years ago my MIL developed a bad cough, she coughed up some blood, went to dr. who told her she had likely bled because she was coughing so hard. Time passed, a family friend who was a dr. saw he cough up blood. Got on the phone and made her go to the hospital asap. She had TB. And, she had been dutifully going in to work the entire time. Her employer had to close down the entire floor of the building where she worked so it could be properly cleaned and to allow her colleagues to return to work. Ever since, I've been extremely leery of people going in to work while sick...