Do you go to work when you're sick?

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lizzybethclaire
lizzybethclaire Posts: 849 Member
in Chit-Chat
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.
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Replies

  • lawandfitness
    lawandfitness Posts: 1,257 Member
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    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
    Richie2shoes Posts: 412 Member
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    I hate wasting a sick day on being sick, but I'll stay typically stay home if I am.
  • maddymama
    maddymama Posts: 1,183 Member
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    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
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    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
    socomary Posts: 52
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    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
    My0WNinspiration Posts: 1,146 Member
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    Well I have no choice. Besides, I got it at work, May as well pay it forward.
  • mrs_schultz2012
    mrs_schultz2012 Posts: 395 Member
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    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
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,472 Member
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    YOU have to go to work here
    you just have to
    or else.
  • penrbrown
    penrbrown Posts: 2,685 Member
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    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
    CaliforniaSweetheart Posts: 989
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    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
    twinkiemon Posts: 216 Member
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    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
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,843 Member
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    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
    Car0lynnM Posts: 332 Member
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    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
    MrsDrk Posts: 153 Member
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    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
    cubbies77 Posts: 607 Member
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    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
    jnichel Posts: 4,553 Member
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    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
    Blacklance36 Posts: 755 Member
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    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
    GiGiBeans Posts: 1,062 Member
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    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
    alpine1994 Posts: 1,915 Member
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    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
    Flixie00 Posts: 1,195 Member
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    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.

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