people coming into work when they are ill

lachesissss

I just wear a hazmat suit with a built in HEPA air purifier and encased my desk in air lock with an antechamber stocked with lysol, booties, and Purell at work. It really p*ssed off HR. But on the brightside, I've never been sick either.

CherokeeBabe

I remember when I was a waitress, we didn't get paid for time off, and if we missed 3 days of work in a 365 day period, we were FIRED. And that included sick days, with doctors notes. It didn't matter. 3 days out of the year and you were gone. I went into work sick many times, and it was disgusting.

I worked in food service, I went to every length I possibly could to wash my hands and my face and my arms, etc, every hour with antibacterial soap. I sneezed into tissues, and vampire-sneezed into my arm when I couldn't get my tissues out (in the dining room). I brought a second work-shirt with me to change into because I didn't want to carry the germs around all night and possibly expose others. I wore sterile latex gloves obviously when handling any food directly, but I still felt GROSS and hated every minute of it. I had no choice though, the time it would take to get over the cold would have been all it took to lose my job.

You would think in Food Service where you're coming into close contact with both Customers and their food, they would be more reasonable, but this place was not.

I got out of that place after around 18 months, but man was it icky.

LiftAllThePizzas

With many of those things, you are contagious before and/or after you have any symptoms, not just when you are "feeling sick." With some you can be contagious for weeks after your symptoms go away.

LMT2012

All the more reason to wash your hands. Illness is a fact of life.

justkeepswimng

I took off of work today because I do get paid time. We are allotted so much paid time for everything and once you've used it all, you don't get any more time off. There is no taking unpaid time off because if you try it, you get fired. Therefore we take our time off sparingly. Like a person mentioned earlier, that person may must have allergies/asthma. I do, and when I get sick, I sneeze and cough and lose my voice for weeks or even months at a time.

Having said that, your coworkers SHOULD definitely cover when they sneeze and cough.

I know some germ-a-phobes at work though who hear a sneeze or a cough and freak out. Then they start spraying everything with lysol, which is incredibly inconsiderate to those of us with allergies. If you are going to de-germ things, definitely use the wipes and not the sprays. We should all be more considerate of one another.

Having said that, if you spend all your time anti-bacterializing and hand sanitizing, you will be more likely to get sick. Our bodies need to be exposed to bad germs on occasion to built immunity to them.

But, yes, you have a right to be offended if your coworker is sneezing and coughing all over everything. Have you tried nicely asking her to cover up or use a tissue?

KathrynCatlady

I have been in similar situations with sick people being thoughtless of myself and others. It consumes my mind (trying to avoid being near them, washing my hands a lot, etc), stresses me out, and make me mad!

You are definitely not alone. People need to be more mindful. If I absolutely must be at work. I cover my coughs and sneezes, I carry Purell for my use after a sneeze or cough, etc, etc.

jenilla1

If you have paid sick days where you work, then sure I agree with you. Where I work we don't get paid if we call in sick and not only that but we have to bring in doctor's notes, which in most cases aren't free. And I don't know about anybody else, but I would feel kinda stupid making a doctor's appointment for a cold.

This is especially bad when you don't have insurance and it's $80 just to get that doctor to write you a note...

Cp731

I hate using my sick days for when Im actually sick.

MyChocolateDiet

Just curious how you all feel about people asking if you got a flu shot. One school mom complained to me that she thought another mom did not get her kids and herself flu shots. That mom complained that a different mom openly asked her if she got her kids flu shots. I kind of wish no one would talk to me about it because they are all talking about each other and none of it involves me but do you think there is a fair amount of social policing about the flu shots? I'm getting a little sick of hearing about it. Do you think people have the right not to be confronted about this since some people seem as concerned about what's in those shots as other people seem about the flu itself?

I'm not asking who's wrong or right about getting the shot, just about whether it's right to ASK someone if they got it. for some reason HIPPAA or something like that comes to mind but since I'm a terrible "on the spot" responder, I'm just left dumb each time someone brings it up?

LiftAllThePizzas

I'd be really interested to see data about how often germophobes get sick compared to anyone else. I bet it makes little or no difference, other than all the extra stress of being scared of life all the time.

ryamcshme

Where I work I have to decide if it's bad enough to stay home and take the consequence. I'm not to worried about not getting paid for the day but if I miss too many days in a certain period I get fired. It doesn't matter if I'm sick, playing hooky, in a car accident or having open heart surgery. If I miss so many days I am gone and I can't do that.

LiftAllThePizzas

Just curious how you all feel about people asking if you got a flu shot. One school mom complained to me that she thought another mom did not get her kids and herself flu shots. That mom complained that a different mom openly asked her if she got her kids flu shots. I kind of wish no one would talk to me about it because they are all talking about each other and none of it involves me but do you think there is a fair amount of social policing about the flu shots? I'm getting a little sick of hearing about it. Do you think people have the right not to be confronted about this since some people seem as concerned about what's in those shots as other people seem about the flu itself?

I'm not asking who's wrong or right about getting the shot, just about whether it's right to ASK someone if they got it. for some reason HIPPAA or something like that comes to mind but since I'm a terrible "on the spot" responder, I'm just left dumb each time someone brings it up?

I don't get it. If someone is all afraid of the flu, they can go get their own flu shot and stfu. If I get the flu and they get the shot, they won't catch it from me or anyone else who didn't get the shot, so what exactly is their reason for being concerned about what choice anyone else made?

Markguns

You're not over reacting. I'd file a concern with Human Resources. :grumble:

pinkraynedropjacki

Sometimes it's just not money wise to miss work. I don't know about you but anything less than dead & I was at work. Unless I was throwing up.... I was there. You only get so much paid sick leave you know.

Do you complain about people walking the streets when coughing & sneezing as well? You are just as likely to catch something that way...or worse... from touching a railing after a sick person & not washing your hands.

Jorra

I remember when I was a waitress, we didn't get paid for time off, and if we missed 3 days of work in a 365 day period, we were FIRED. And that included sick days, with doctors notes. It didn't matter. 3 days out of the year and you were gone. I went into work sick many times, and it was disgusting.

I worked in food service, I went to every length I possibly could to wash my hands and my face and my arms, etc, every hour with antibacterial soap. I sneezed into tissues, and vampire-sneezed into my arm when I couldn't get my tissues out (in the dining room). I brought a second work-shirt with me to change into because I didn't want to carry the germs around all night and possibly expose others. I wore sterile latex gloves obviously when handling any food directly, but I still felt GROSS and hated every minute of it. I had no choice though, the time it would take to get over the cold would have been all it took to lose my job.

You would think in Food Service where you're coming into close contact with both Customers and their food, they would be more reasonable, but this place was not.

I got out of that place after around 18 months, but man was it icky.

This. If you ate at my restaurant this winter, someone sick has come in contact with your food. No work = No money = No bills. If we want this to change, we need to actually make health care accessible and beneficial to everyone.

kelly_e_montana

If you have paid sick days where you work, then sure I agree with you. Where I work we don't get paid if we call in sick and not only that but we have to bring in doctor's notes, which in most cases aren't free. And I don't know about anybody else, but I would feel kinda stupid making a doctor's appointment for a cold.

^^^^^ This. I have neither sick days nor insurance, and I am required to provide a doctor's note to call in sick or risk being fired. A trip to Urgent Care costs me about $90 and adding that to the fact that I would be losing my pay for the day, it's just not going to happen. I'm not paying $90 to prove to someone who won't give me sick days that I really am sick with a cold just so they won't fire me.

I also work in the hospitality industry. The industry is pretty much set up so that we are forced to come in sick and spread it to our customers. That sucks, but that's the way it is. On the flipside, my customers blow their noses into hankies and don't wash their hands and/or sneeze all over me. Then they wonder why we are all sick. My skin is cracked open and bleeding on my hands from the amount that I wash them.

kdeaux1959

I just don't get sick... that ends the dilemna...

redraidergirl2009

Not everyone can afford to go to the doctor and get a doctor's note.

Not everyone can just take off work with no ramifications. Many of my jobs required a note or else you would be written up.

LiftAllThePizzas

Do you complain about people walking the streets when coughing & sneezing as well? You are just as likely to catch something that way...or worse... from touching a railing after a sick person & not washing your hands.

Yep, that, and every store or public place you go into, anywhere you touch a door or sink or money. Combined with the fact that the contagious phase of many viruses happens before anyone even has any symptoms, means it's probably rare that you actually catch anything from a coworker coughing or sneezing at you.

Face it, you aren't going to avoid getting sick by shunning outwardly sick people or living inside a cloud of Lysol.

crazytreelady

I know in the health care field where I live, sickness is taken pretty seriously and people are usually sent home when they come in sick haha.... You get like A LOT of sick time though....

In other fields I believe it should be the same, and I feel bad for people that don't get sick time.... Some companies are stupid to not give their employees sick times, as one person can infect a whole group, slowing production....

Case in point, if you have sick time, use it, if you don't, I guess you're going to work, because missing one day is basically saying goodbye to two weeks of groceries.