Do you go to work when you're sick?

lizzybethclaire

Believe me, I understand some people don't get paid if they are home sick. My issue is with a co-worker who has conjunctivitis (pink eye). We are both fortunate enough to work somewhere that gives us 15 days of sick leave per calendar year. I know for a fact she has not missed 15 days yet. She said yesterday she was having problems with her eye and came in and ANNOUNCED she had pink eye. I was immediately grossed out, having memories of when I worked in day care during a "pink eye epidemic" where it took a full 2 weeks before we weren't sending kids home to everyday with it. It is extremely contaigous and the usual rule of thumb is no work or school until you have had the drops for 24 hours. Her appointment yesterday was at 3. So she was still contaigous this morning, with a papertowel on her eye, and at work. We work in a small, enclosed office with no air. She sits two chairs away from me.
Ironically, she has tried to stay home before when her dogs were sick (which sick time doesn't cover and I'm kind of surprised that she tried). So why the heck wouldn't she stay home today?

so now I post this to you, my mfp'ers. Wouldn't this bother you? I am not going to complain to HR, but I'm really tempted to because she could have put us all at risk. A few of us have small kids (not me) and they are just as mad as I am.

To the wider audience: How sick do you have to be before you stay home from work?

Also, I may have spelled things wrong.

lawandfitness

I take sick days for my kids, not for me as my kids are in daycare and come home sick once every 2 months...today I am working with an ear infection and sinusitis, you do what you got to do...

But I would be annoyed with this chick, for the simple fact that she was willing to stay home with her sick dog, but came in the office with pink eye.... that's just weird if you ask me!

Richie2shoes

I hate wasting a sick day on being sick, but I'll stay typically stay home if I am.

maddymama

Does your work have an "illness policy"? Our place of work does, and it clearly states to stay home with what, similar to a school or a child care facility.

In general, if it's a cold, I'm at work, but if it's pink eye, a fever, or something contaigious, I'm at home. I know that a few people I work with have compromised immune systems and can't fight off illnesses as easily as others. Also, I'm sensitive to people being around me with digestive illnesses (rotovirus, norovirus) bc my daughter seems to end up in the hospital dehydrated from them when other people simply get an upset stomach for a day or two.

cwolfman13

It depends on the sick...if it's something highly contagious...fever, etc I stay home. Just a case of the sniffles, I'll go in.

When someone comes in sick who is contagious with something nasty and then I get it, I'm pretty much at home planning their demise. Because not only do they get me sick, I usually then pass that along to my wife, toddler, and infant baby. If you're contagious, stay the **** home and stop spreading your nastiness.

socomary

To answer the topic question: "HELL NO". Going to work sick is just plain irresponsible. That being said, I understand that not everyone has the same flexibility with sick days. There needs to be change management there...

My0WNinspiration

Well I have no choice. Besides, I got it at work, May as well pay it forward.

mrs_schultz2012

depends on how sick - with a cold, yes, I will go to work

if I have strep throat, pink eye or anything that's icky and contagious like that, or the throwing up with the flu...no, I'm staying home!

KANGOOJUMPS

YOU have to go to work here
you just have to
or else.

penrbrown

I do not get paid sick leave. One day off work sick can lose me a few hundreds dollars. Money I can't afford to lose.

So no. I don't call in sick.

In two years I've called in sick twice. Once because I kept fainting and my doctor ordered me to bed rest (I had a wicked case of pneumonia).

And then this year I called in sick with the flu because I honestly just couldn't stand.

Anything else and I'll work through it.

CaliforniaSweetheart

Yes. I work with children who get me sick. I try and reinfect them when they're well again as a form of revenge. :laugh:

twinkiemon

If I feel like I'm too sick to drag myself out of bed and drive to work that's when I call out - but I have to be REALLY sick with the flu, throwing up, something like that.

For me, though, I work at a dental office and we have access to masks and we're already wearing them 90% of the time anyway, so I can just put one on the entire day to stop anyone else from getting my cold or whatever.

JustJennie1

When I worked for Corporate America we didn't have sick days. We had "Paid Time Off" days or "PTO" days. I hoarded my PTO days because my husband and I go on vacation three times a year for a long time.

With that said if I know whether or not I will be able to make it in to work if I'm sick. If I woke up in the middle of the night and felt like crap I usually made the decision then and there that I would be calling in the next day. In the case of pink eye I'm fairly certain that I would stay home. Mind you, I still got paid if I stayed home but the day that I used was taken out of my PTO days aka; vacation time. There were lots of times I would go to work and bug out around 2 or 3 in the afternoon because if I did that then I wouldn't get charged for a half day.

It did annoy me, however, when people were always sick and came in coughing, sneezing and horking up god only knows what on their desk.

Car0lynnM

I hate when people come to work sick. Stay at home!! You're no good to anyone if you don't get better, and if you get me sick, I'll be royally pissed. When I start feeling sick, I take a day and rest--sleep,drink fluids, do nothing. Usually that takes care of it. Listen to your body!!
(I would report a case of pink eye to management and get that person out of the office until it's clear. That's just plain wrong.)

MrsDrk

No and as someone who has managed others- I hate it when they come to work sick. Having one person out is workable, having an office sick because of one person - not so much. That being said, we have a generous time off package that separates our sick from vacation time, so folks don't have to feel the need to use their well deserved vacation time on an illness.

Now that I work from home full-time, I watch my sick time pile up and never have the chance to use it lol.

cubbies77

depends on how sick - with a cold, yes, I will go to work

if I have strep throat, pink eye or anything that's icky and contagious like that, or the throwing up with the flu...no, I'm staying home!

Colds are contagious too.

jnichel

My office has a policy that if you have anything contagious, more than the common cold, stay your *kitten* home. I can do about 90% of my job from home, so when I am sick, I don't usually have to take PTO.

Blacklance36

I stay at home. I HATE being around sick people at work and wonder why they are being so inconsiderate. Inevitably they make others sick. I have a coworker who comes in with colds. She sniffs and sneezes and then puts paper on my desk. Gross!

GiGiBeans

I'd gladly stay home when sick but unless I am constantly, not just occasionally, hovering on or over the bowl, I'm expected to show up. I'm not all that important it's just that there is rarely anyone to fill in for me, especially without much notice.

alpine1994

It kind of depends. I get 3 sick days per year at work so I kind of have to decide based on how many I've used, what part of the year it is, how likely it is that I'll get this sick or more sick, etc. I just sit at a desk all day so I can pretty much deal with whatever unless I am constantly throwing up or something like that. I would honestly probably go to work with pinkeye only because I don't really need to talk to people or be around them.

Flixie00

I adopted a new rule when I joined MFP and my gym, if I am well enough to go to the gym, I am well enough to go to work. Not been off of work sick since I joined MFP :laugh: I go to work with colds, eye infections and even with my wrist in plaster (right wrist and I am right handed).

When I left school, I joined the British Civil Service, and we were allowed a certain amount of sick days per year and everyone treated them like additional holiday entitlement. I believe this has changed now.

lorac321

Stay home with pink eye for sure! I would say something to HR.

LauraMacNCheese

I don't get paid if I'm not here & I can't afford that loss. So, I called in sick twice in the past 4 years & went home early twice in the same time frame.

First time I called in was because I had coughed my voice into oblivion & since my job revolves around being on the phone, I said "can't do it today"

Second time was because of food poisoning

Went home early in 2009 because my son had just had his tonsils removed the day before & refused to drink anything for his dad. So to avoid an ER visit I left at noon.

And the second time I left early was because, once again, my voice vacated the premises.

penrbrown

I stay at home. I HATE being around sick people at work and wonder why they are being so inconsiderate. Inevitably they make others sick. I have a coworker who comes in with colds. She sniffs and sneezes and then puts paper on my desk. Gross!

Probably because they can't afford to stay home.

Isn't it just as inconsiderate to assume they are deliberately trying to inconvenience you?

Blacklance36

I stay at home. I HATE being around sick people at work and wonder why they are being so inconsiderate. Inevitably they make others sick. I have a coworker who comes in with colds. She sniffs and sneezes and then puts paper on my desk. Gross!

Probably because they can't afford to stay home.

Isn't it just as inconsiderate to assume they are deliberately trying to inconvenience you?

They are not trying to inconvenience me, they are making me sick too.

avababy05

As a manager,I would be sending her home and tell she needs a note to return.

If I'm not contagious,I work.

I've worked with chicken pox once I confirmed I was not longer dangerous to others.

In December,I worked with pneumonia.

The only thing I cannot tolerate is working with a migrane.Cannot stare at a computer all day when I have one of those

stephdeeable

I'll go with a cold, but when I get strep throat I won't go. It's contagious and also, it just sucks.

But, if I got paid sick days I'd be all "Just stubbed my toe, seeya Monday!"

LetsMakeupXtina

yes. i dont like leaving my clients hanging like that.

Iceman420

My company doesn't give us sick days, so I usually go to work when I'm sick. I only stay home when I'm too weak to move.

cdgabbert

Pink eye - nice - and that she'd call off for sick dogs - apparently issues there!! I would be furious if someone at work didn't call in with something contagious like that.

The weirdest thing I ever called off for was for continuous hives I kept getting from some allergic reaction that kept happening at work ... and I didn't get paid because I couldn't "prove" the allergy was THERE... well I would leave early because my eyes would start swelling shut... finally the boss had the ducts sprayed down and cleaned and NEVER broke out again - but still NEVER paid for days I missed because it only affected me and I couldn't prove it was there... (oh this was for about two months... )

wikitbikit

I got fired from my last job for calling in sick. They were Scientologists though, so it wasn't unexpected that I would eventually be fired for something.