Folk Coming Into Work Sick

digitalscream

This is why companies who don't offer paid sick leave are shooting themselves in the foot. Yes, it may directly save a few quid here and there, but when half your workforce is off sick then nothing gets done. The knock-on effect on the people who don't get sick just increases their stress levels and reduces their effectiveness too (on top of knowing that if they're ill, they don't get paid either), and just makes it more likely that they'll be looking for another job soon.

Stupid decision to make IMO.

My daughter's currently doing a year's placement with us, and she was ill recently - she was shocked when she was basically told to go home by the whole office (she's always had waitress/cleaning jobs and the like), and even more so when I explained to her that she wasn't going to lose any money because of it. Neither her nor her friends had ever encountered such a thing; I had to explain to her (twice!) why it's better for the company if an employee stays away when they're diseased, and I'm still not entirely sure she believes me.

ennspek

I've gone into work sick in the past and been told by colleagues and manager to go home and I refused. I had four incidents of sick was in the previous 12 months and a fifth meant a disciplinary hearing.
Half of them got sick. I understand why big companies have to have rules but to reduce it to a numbers game is stupid.
Even the best employees have a bad run of luck.

57Deluxe

haha - ref post: Observations on getting old(er)

read this as  - Folk Coming Into Wok Stick

DrJazzTap

Depends on the boss you work for. I've had a few that expect you to march on, as they come in sniffling and snuffling all over the invoices. 
I say if you're ill you shouldn't be in. Especially not infecting everyone else.

Maynehead

My company recently brought in a trainer for a 2 day training course. He was sick, and he passed on his flu to half the office. The other half (including me) then caught it from the half that was sick, and everyone's family (including my wife) then caught it from us.

Talk about irony...

p90fool

thomasross20 said:

I'm taking a half day, I feel like sh!t. And I'm standing for about 4+ hours at this gig tomorrow. 

If you're going to a jam-packed gig with the same ailment then you have no right to moan at your colleagues. 

You won't be in line for a disciplinary for missing a Steel Panther gig. 

ThePrettyDamned

I am very unproductive when I have a nasty cold - I'd be better to rest fully so I'm ill for less time. 

I'm a weakling to colds. Tummy bugs I can handle, aches and pains are fine but colds knock me flat. It only takes a couple of days to recover to a point where I'm really productive again. If I go in and force my way through it I not only don't do much, but what I do do is done poorly. 

thomasross20

p90fool said:

thomasross20 said:

I'm taking a half day, I feel like sh!t. And I'm standing for about 4+ hours at this gig tomorrow. 

If you're going to a jam-packed gig with the same ailment then you have no right to moan at your colleagues. 

You won't be in line for a disciplinary for missing a Steel Panther gig. 

It's different and you know it. 
And I don't work for some dark ages company. 
Disciplinary? What a joke!

stickyfiddle

I got flu a few weeks ago. Proper can't get out of bed stuff, not just a cold. I had my first full-on sick days in several years, then worked from home 2 of the 3 days once I was vaguely useful again. I got paid, HR haven't given me any shit (yet) and my colleagues were very happy I wasn't in the office when I might have been contagious.

I really don't see any other reasonable position to take. 

That said, the same company refused a colleague a month off unpaid for mental health reasons, leading him to quit instead, so I suspect it's down to individual managers & directors than it is overarching company policy.

CabbageCat

thomasross20 said:

p90fool said:

thomasross20 said:

I'm taking a half day, I feel like sh!t. And I'm standing for about 4+ hours at this gig tomorrow. 

If you're going to a jam-packed gig with the same ailment then you have no right to moan at your colleagues. 

You won't be in line for a disciplinary for missing a Steel Panther gig. 

It's different and you know it. 
And I don't work for some dark ages company. 
Disciplinary? What a joke!

I agree that the prospect of a disciplinary is not worth bothering about for some companies. Certainly I'd get away with it no problem.

But if spreading germs is bad in the office then it's also bad at a gig.

CHRISB50

I can't believe people are running the risk of getting into trouble if they take a day off sick. 

There's obviously some seriously shitty places to work out there. That's just ridiculous.

p90fool

CHRISB50 said:

I can't believe people are running the risk of getting into trouble if they take a day off sick. 

There's obviously some seriously shitty places to work out there. That's just ridiculous.

Not for a day off, but if you go over 3% in six months you have to have an attendance review where I work.

I used to laugh about it when I was younger because I was never ill, but now I'm in my 50s things start to go wrong with my health occasionally and it's more of a concern.

One issue I have at the moment has involved two GP appointments and three hospital appointments over a five month period. Not only am I waiting on biopsy reports to see if I have cancer, I also have to try and talk my way out of the first of three strikes before I'm fired.

Believe me, the erosion of working peoples' rights over the last few years means this is real life for many of us, and going somewhere else is really not an option around here.

Consequently I'd be seriously pissed off if someone jammed up next to me at a gig is coughing and spluttering all over me.

thomasross20

So are you for or against taking days off ill for work? 
My work are pretty good, tech companies (in the UK) usually are - got off a few times for taking partner to chemo. 

Jeremiah

In my old job I made a suggestion that they replace sick leave with 'healthy leave' - if more than say 30% of the office come into work while sick, then those who are not sick should be able to take the day off to prevent them catching diseases.

Didn't go down too well. 

dindude

I've taken a total of 3 days off work for sickness in 18 years, and all occasions because I was bedridden. And yes I'm rather proud of it. Sorry but can't stand the fact that people go off for a sniffle.

p90fool

I was the same until I hit my 50s...

thomasross20

Ha! I didn't even mention to anybody at work but so many people have been coming in ill, half the office is knocked out.. and given some people have health conditions where even catching a headcold is a threat, our director sent out an email telling us to stay off working if we're ill as it's inconsiderate and non-productive. I was glad to read that!

axisus

If I'm well enough to work I'm in work. It's what I'm paid to do. If I think I'm contagious I would probably not go in but sometimes there is stuff that has to be done that only I can do. 

Having said all that, I virtually never get sick.