When is "too sick to work"

Discussion in 'Discussion' started by Iskandar, Apr 17, 2014.

  1. Iskandar King of Conquerors

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    I was wondering what you guys might think about this subject. I'm sure some of you have had to call in to work for a sick day at least once, or if not you, a co-worker, and I was thinking about what actually makes a person sick to work. Do you guys think it should be set thing, like a person should be feeling a certain way each time to call in, or do you think it should very person to person? I kind of lean toward to latter, since not everyone takes to being sick the same as others, and someone could get a varying degree of sickness, even if it's just a cold. Some people, like me, might not even sneeze like crazy, so they might not even seem sick, but they could always get other symptoms as well. What's your views on this?
     
  2. Amaury Legendary Hero

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    I don't have a job, but I'm not one of those people that'd call in sick for every little thing.
     
  3. Ɍeno Traverse Town Homebody

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    If you feel you wont be able to work efficiently due to an illness then I feel that's the right the right time to call in sick. There's no point going into work without a calm head and there's also no need to give others, if contagious, what you've caught.
     
  4. ♥♦♣♠Luxord♥♦♣♠ Chaser

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    You'd be surprised how well you can do something when unbelievably sick. Back when I played in the pit band for a musical, I apparently had mono but didn't actually know until months later when the doctor told me. If you are focused enough, you can push through even that. The only down side is pushing yourself too far can bite you in the ass down the the line.

    tl;dr Be careful, you are human.
     
  5. Ars Nova Just a ghost.

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    Something that doesn't come up a lot in these instances is mental sickness. A chemical imbalance in your brain that causes an anxiety attack is a lot more complex than a broken leg, yet which do you expect to be let off for at your job? Just because you look outwardly fine doesn't mean you can work. In fact, often it can make it more difficult than if you had a bad fever or something.

    Of course, when you have both, that spells trouble. So basically don't do what I did and try to stock coolers while nursing a kidney stone and panic attacks (the latter of which is exacerbated by the coffee you drank this morning because said anxiety kept you up last night)
     
  6. Misty gimme kiss

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    I also think it's a very personal thing that companies have no business dictating or prying into. If someone is clearly abusing sick days, then depending on the formality/intimacy of the job they can pursue the matter, but I hated it when I called into my old job at Best Buy and they asked me what was wrong (not out of concern but because they thought I was ditching or something), tried to get me to come in anyway, that kind of thing. People don't always want to talk about their medical issues? If they really wanted to know I could have told them that my uterus had decided to fold in on itself but I don't see why that's their business.

    At my current job I've never called out, it's just not something we ever do. The one time I was physically too ill to come in (cramps) I was able to get someone to cover me. Once or twice I asked to go home early because I was feeling ill. In food service you have to be kind of careful, you can't be sneezing and coughing into someone's soda -- so one of the rules should be to not go to work if there is danger of spreading your illness to others (whether they be coworkers or customers).

    On the subject of mental illness I find that is just as legitimate a reason to call out as any other. When I was going through a bit of a bad time two years ago I still went into work as I could still reasonably perform my duties, I wasn't very talkative with my coworkers or the customers but calling out of a casual part time job on that basis is kinda ******. Again if someone is calling out everyone other shift then it's a problem but in my experience businesses give you a lot of grief & make you feel even worse for being ill. I understand it's an inconvenience, I've had to work twice as hard on nights where someone has had to call out, but I would expect others to do the same for me in return if I was ever ill. Not only that but calling in for a shift when you're paid hourly (as opposed to a salary) leaves you out of money too -- I can't imagine people would make a habit of that if they need the job.
     
  7. Styx That's me inside your head.

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    How you feel isn't the only thing that matters. If you come to work with green stuff oozing from all your orifices, tissues in hand and saying you feel fine, you're not a fucking hero. You're an infectious barrel of disease that compromises the health of your coworkers.
     
    Last edited: Apr 25, 2014
  8. Laurence_Fox Chaser

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    I have worked when I feel like complete ****. I had a really bad cold a few years ago but I soldiered through it. I had my hand sanitizer that I used whenever I blew my nose. I sneezed and coughed into my elbows. My throat felt like it was partially swollen and I could hardly talk.

    I also worked a 8+ hour shift the same day I twisted/sprained my ankle. Got myself driven to the doctor, got a boot, went back to work.

    Could I have called out? Probably not. It is so hard to get someone to cover for me. I can't ask the teenagers that work with me because they have school. And the adults act like you just offended them in the worst way. So I find that I often have to work when I'm sick because I have no choice. I would love to stay home and rest but I can't.

    I have a co-worker who will call out at the slightest sign of illness and I'm the one, regardless of how I'm feeling, that has to cover for them. And half the time I don't even think she's really sick, she just doesn't feel like working. [ This girl has laughed in a manager's face when he asked her to work a Saturday. ]
     
  9. Ienzo ((̲̅ ̲̅(̲̅C̲̅r̲̅a̲̅y̲̅o̲̅l̲̲̅̅a̲̅( ̲̅̅((>

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    I think it varies a lot. If you work with food like I do then it's very important, we were taught specifically not to come into work if we are ill in a way that could contaminate the food. I have never called in sick personally but I rarely get ill but I would if it was bad enough.

    I had to be sent home from school a lot from fainting, I fainted a lot from anxiety, which is both a physical and mental thing because normally I was too tired to do anything and I jsut needed to rest. Although, sometimes I would faint and just soldier on through it.

    So basically, when you physically can't because of either psychological or physical reasons or you pose danger to coworkers or customers.
     
  10. Hyuge ✧ [[ Fairy Queen ]]

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    When I worked at like McDonald's, I'd call in sick over the littlest things. Rarely was I ever extremely ill. There was always someone that could cover so it was no biggie. Though one year over the holidays I was supposed to be gone, but we ended up not going on vacation so I said I could work. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day they had request sheets for volunteers to work and tried to only schedule those that were on the lists. I did not sign up because I had planned on being on vacation. Even though my name wasn't wrote down, I got scheduled both days, plus the 26th and they were only supposed to do one or the other, unless you specifically stated that you wanted to work both. I got really sick during my shift Christmas Eve and we were ridiculously busy that night.

    They wouldn't send me home early, just told me to take some extra time on my break and have a bottle of water. Now, I've worked for McDonald's that weren't open 24 - hours and I've done the closing shift and you should be out by 1 AM at the VERY latest no matter how crazy busy it was and that's with only 3 scheduled closers for the night [ the manager, someone for drive - thru, and one on the grills ]. Christmas Eve at my 24 - hour store, we had 9 people closing and it still took until 2 AM to finish. By that point in time, I could barely stand up and I had a 30 + minute drive to my grandparents house ahead of me, while it was snowing. I would have just stayed home since we lived across the street, but my boyfriend and everyone else were already at my grandparents and he would have been pissed if I left him there. So Christmas day I was absolutely miserable and called in saying I couldn't come. The next day I showed up -- still feeling terrible -- and got sent home early.

    When I worked at the gas station, it was harder to find people to cover for you because there were only about 19 employees in total. I don't think I ever called in sick there. I went home early one day because I got a migraine. That was a nightmare.

    At the hotel, I'm the only one in my position. I have an assistant, but it took us a year to fill the assistant position so no matter how deathly ill I was, I couldn't call in because there was absolutely no one to cover for me and there were a good handful of days were I really shouldn't have been here. I get sick pretty easily -- weak immune system. I've only taken one actual day off for sickness in the 1 yr & 9 mo. I've been here. I haven't taken any vacations. There's been a few days here and there that I've taken off for various things: moving, birthday, friends coming to visit; but nothing big. I actually really miss being able to call in over nothing.
     
  11. Loxare Hollow Bastion Committee

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    I normally call in when I'm sick to my stomach. I work in and environment when, if it's busy, I can't leave to use the washroom. And it's busy all the time. Plus I have to get the washroom key and if I don't make it in time... well, let's just say the courtesy clerks will hate me for ever. Beyond that, normally if I don't feel like I can work properly or if I feel like I'm going to fall over, I call in.
     
  12. mindy lover Destiny Islands Resident

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    If ur contagious stop.
     
  13. T3F Chaser

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    I've never called in sick. There was one time I hurt my ankle and couldn't walk and I asked another guy to do my shift and I'll do his later on in the week. That's as close as I've come to calling in sick. I've never been sick enough to call in sick, and that says something considering I'm a waitress and I work around food all the time. I would call in sick if I had a flu or anything worse that could infect other people.
     
  14. Antidote Façade

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    It differs from person to person with what is acceptable. Only you can decide yourself if you are fit enough to work.

    I work in an office and have went in with a myriad of viruses (big, open plan office & air conditioning vents = nightmare). People are always sick here and still come in to work so the majority of us are gonna catch what they've got and get sick regardless.

    The only time I've called in sick is when I started getting labyrinthitis. I was out of action for weeks on end. My vision was spinning, I was getting motion sickness and couldn't even walk straight without falling everywhere - definitely not a condition to be sitting in front of a computer sceen with lol.
     
  15. Technic☆Kitty Hmm

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    For me, the only way I'm calling in sick is if I feel I might literally die. The new job I'm working at for instance, I've called in sick one time because I woke up with severe pains in my chest. Unless I feel this way or I'm physically unable to move, I'm going in to work. I'll drive to work if I'm throwing up the whole way because if they send me home it doesn't count against me.

    -Nights