Calling in sick?

Inspired by today’s commentary in the Los Angeles Times regarding this very topic...

It seems like so many people pick up a nasty cold or a virus and then dutifully show up to the office anyway. Privately, I tend to categorize them into two groups: the martyrs and the "heroes."

The martyrs would love nothing more than to stay home, but they feel they have just too much on their plates or are simply too indispensable. They act as if everything will fall apart without them, viewing their presence at work as a selfless sacrifice for the greater good.

Then you have the "heroes." These folks practically despise illness and look down on anyone who stays home. To them, pushing through a 101-degree fever is a badge of honor. Their arrival at the office is seen as an act of bravery.

In the end, they might manage to power through their little bug, but in the process, they end up spreading it to at least five other people. Or even worse—they overdo it, crash hard, and end up stuck in bed for two weeks with pneumonia instead of just two days, all while having infected God knows how many colleagues, their families, and even the random people on the subway.

And nobody wears those masks because they don't want to be laughed at. I remember when my mom was quite ill and exhausted after dealing with some serious respiratory and urinary infections while she was in the hospital. I witnessed someone come in to visit her roommate—an elderly woman battling cancer—who was sneezing and coughing all over the room. Apparently, the visitor was even a doctor, which honestly makes the whole situation even more frustrating.

I really believe we need to raise awareness about staying home when you're sick and avoiding unnecessary outings. There are people around you who can get infected, especially vulnerable populations like children, the elderly, and those with chronic conditions. Ultimately, the cost—both personally and financially—is much higher than if everyone had just been smart enough to stay home.

I’ve seen some business owners on this forum claiming they can’t wrap their heads around why people with a stomach bug would stay home instead of dragging themselves into the office. They say they’d show up regardless. Well, let me tell you something: if you’re dealing with a boss like that, you have to explain that you aren't coming in because you don't know how many times you've been stuck in the bathroom, and frankly, you don't feel like infecting half the department or the entire company.

Then there was that one user recently who mentioned she suspects she might have tuberculosis, but she isn't going to get tested the "normal" way because if the results come back positive, she'll be hospitalized—and she just can't afford to miss work.

Look, I get it. Sometimes people are backed into a corner where it’s either work or getting a medical leave notice, but I honestly can't wrap my head around being that reckless with things like TB or chickenpox. It's highly contagious. At the end of the day, I don't care what anyone does with their own health, but don't go making it everyone else's problem.🤷

Oh, sure, they have to clock in and out. And if they end up dying from tuberculosis, I guess they’ll just be filing paperwork from the grave, right?
Honestly, I don't know whether to laugh or cry at this.
And half of those people who claim they "can't afford to be sick because they have to work" end up being forced to stay home anyway because the illness completely wipes them out. They can't even stand up. So, if we're being blunt, they basically get fired a week earlier or later regardless.

I actually went through this myself once: *sprinkles ashes over self*: about 13 years ago. When my manager saw me looking like that, instead of sending me home—considering how young and capable I was back then—she decided that was the day she was going to walk all over me. In the end, I actually ended up needing two weeks of home healthcare.

I end up calling in sick with some bug just so my coworker doesn't have to carry the entire workload by themselves.
It feels like I’m burning through my vacation days just to deal with these seasonal viruses every few days.
Besides, people tend to show up at my place when they're already feeling under the weather.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think showing up sick is ever the right move.

For me, the absolute worst part is when someone stands right next to me and lets out a massive cough.

Or even worse—when someone comes over, practically breathes all over me, and then follows it up with:"Hey, do you have anything for an upset stomach? Everyone at my house is sick!"

I used to push myself like that, but never again. I don’t have a single sick day to my name. Think about it: if you’re 40 years old with a solid work history, what are the odds that you’ve actually never been sick once? Honestly, almost zero.
I kept dragging myself to work because I was terrified of getting fired. Guess what? I ended up losing my job anyway. Look, if I had needed surgery or some serious illness that physically kept me pinned to my bed, I wouldn't have had a choice. But this was different. I was just forcing myself through it... and now that I'm out of a job, I'm stuck dealing with the fallout of that mindset.

I once worked with this one "genius" in my office. He was constantly sick—always had a cold, always sniffing, basically living in a state of perpetual flu (probably because he was a heavy smoker and his immune system was shot). Since we shared a phone line and everyone took turns picking up, he’d be the one constantly lunging for it, grabbing the receiver the second it rang. And you guessed it: he was a walking germ factory. I tried asking him nicely to stop, but nothing worked. Honestly, I started avoiding the phone altogether whenever he was sick just to stay away from him. He was reckless and just plain rude about spreading his germs around. Toward the end of his career, he actually got mad at me. He stopped talking to me entirely—a mix of my blunt feedback regarding his behavior and years of mutual professional dislike. Eventually, he retired, and I truly celebrated that day.🙂—hopefully, the viruses are gone too, or at least significantly fewer. Some people are just inconsiderate; if you don't call them out and make it clear they can't act that way, they'll just keep doing whatever they want. Thank God he's finally out of my hair...👋

swiftbear86 said:I feel like I have to push through and go into work when I'm sick, otherwise my coworker ends up having to cover the entire shift alone.
Plus, if I take a few days off for a flu, I end up burning through my PTO.

I hear you, but wouldn't it actually be more efficient if you worked while they were sick, and then swapped roles when you're the one feeling under the weather? It seems better to have a healthy person handling the full day rather than someone struggling through their shift, which might just drag a minor bug out into a week-long ordeal.

Do you really show up to the office when you've got a 102-degree fever?
And do you wear a mask?

Melissa James70 said:Fair enough, but isn't it actually better if you're the one sick working all day, rather than them being sick while you cover everything? It makes more sense for a healthy person to pull a full shift instead of someone pushing through while they're under the weather, which just ends up dragging their illness out for a whole week.

Would you seriously show up to work with a 102-degree fever?
And would you even wear a mask?

Have you ever actually walked into a CVS and seen anyone working behind the counter in a mask?
How are you supposed to talk to customers?
Besides, I’d need to wear a mask constantly just to protect myself!
With my Hašimoto-teratutura hitting 102, I’d barely survive, and honestly, I can't even remember the last time I ran a fever that high.

Trust me, pulling shifts at a pharmacy from 7 AM to 8 PM all by yourself is no walk in the park.
Maybe when you're ten years younger, it'll feel easier.
Look, my job is just a bit different in that regard.
Of course I agree that if you have a virus, you should stay home and rest for a day or two—mostly for your own sake, but also to look out for the rest of the team.😉

I totally get where you're coming from—showing up to work when you're actually sick is just bad business. Either you aren't performing at 100%, or you're basically walking around like a biohazard infecting the whole office.
But...
Look, I'll be real: back when my kid was in daycare, I was calling out way more often than I'd like to admit. We were talking about a week off every couple of months because she’d catch something and stay sick for a full week at a time. My husband and I would basically trade off playing nurse. Even though I made sure she caught all those little daycare germs so she'd eventually build some immunity, I never actually took a formal sick day unless I was truly horizontal or running a 104 fever.
Honestly, I doubt my boss at a place like Starbucks or any major US firm would have put up with that kind of absenteeism.

So, yeah, it's definitely not as black and white as it seems on paper...

Melissa James70 said:In the end, they might successfully power through their little virus, but they end up spreading it to at least five other people in the process. Or even worse—they push themselves too hard, collapse, and instead of a couple of days off, they’re stuck in bed for two weeks with pneumonia, having infected God knows how many people along the way. Their family, their roommates, even the random commuters on the subway.

I am firmly in favor of raising awareness so people stop showing up to work sick. Don't leave the house unless you absolutely have to, because there are people around you who will catch whatever you have—including those who are particularly vulnerable, like children, the elderly, or people with chronic health conditions. Ultimately, the cost (both personally and financially!) is much higher than if they had just been smart enough to stay home.

I actually know more people who sniffle their way through the workday than I do people who bother to take vacation days or call in sick. 😢 When I was younger, it didn't bother me as much since I could usually dodge every virus all year long. Right now, though, I'm out on medical leave, and it looks like it'll be two weeks, thanks to some bug I likely picked up at the office. 🙂

I have a friend I used to work with who lives alone; she has no one else around, and I suppose she just gets bored staying home, so she drags herself to work even when she's clearly ill. Naturally, a huge chunk of the staff catches her virus, and yet, hardly anyone ever takes time off. It’s true that some people genuinely enjoy the feeling of being "indispensable."☕

So, did you guys know that in the US, you can’t actually call in sick just because you have a runny nose?

If you want to stay home, you basically have to burn through your PTO.

Since the average American spends about a week four times a year dealing with a stuffy nose, your entire vacation fund just vanishes into a pile of used tissues...

And don't even get me started on those times of year when everyone is sneezing at once, making it impossible to even request time off if you actually wanted to.

I received mine. ☕
One day, three days... I live in the US, so what does that mean?

Those fall under the J00-J06 codes, which cover acute upper respiratory infections—things like sinusitis, laryngitis, and tonsillitis. They even have specific codes for viral infections (whether the virus is confirmed or not), and so on.

Foreign studies have actually coined a specific term for this phenomenon: "presenteeism" (I think we might have come up with our own way to describe it, too). Researchers have calculated that when sick employees show up to the office, the ultimate cost to the employer and the broader economy is staggering—we're talking about an impact of roughly $150-$250 trillion annually here in the US!!! Why does this happen? Even if those individuals feel just well enough to clock in, they end up passing germs to coworkers with weaker immune systems, who then struggle much harder with the illness and are forced to take full sick leave. On top of that, they aren't performing at 100%, which ultimately hurts the company's bottom line.

http://jobsearchtech.about.com/od/wo...esenteeism.htm

http://articles.latimes.com/2005/jan...alth/he-hero10

"Contagious workers jeopardize the health and productivity of all employees..."

Try explaining that logic to American employers. They look at anyone with a common cold and immediately label them as malingerers, slackers, or lazy.

I don’t get why everyone acts like it’s normal for people to show up to work sick. It’s like they’re living in some alternate reality.

Of course people come in sick, but it isn't because they think they're indispensable—it's actually because they know they're completely replaceable. So many bosses basically threaten you: "Take a sick day, and don't bother coming back."

Then there's the other issue: when your paycheck takes a 30% hit, you really feel it, especially since wages are already low enough as it is.

It’s actually 30% less than the full amount for those days you were out sick, not the whole thing. Also, most companies will just grant you two or three days off without even asking for a doctor's note. Some managers might act a bit arrogant toward "blue-collar" workers, but if you're in a specialized role that requires specific expertise, you aren't exactly going to get fired just because you took a couple of days off to recover. I’m currently on my sixth job, working for all sorts of different companies—varying sizes, industries, and ownership structures—and I have yet to see anyone lose their job over a few days of sick leave.
I truly believe there are other employers out there who do this, which is honestly shameful. I mean, what kind of boss actually profits from replacing a high-quality employee just because they took a sick day for the first time? As we've already established, it's been proven that forcing people to work while they're unwell ultimately leads to greater losses in the long run.

I fall into a high-risk category because I’ve been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, which means even a slight fever can trigger a relapse. Because of that, I have to go to extreme lengths to avoid any kind of infection—whether it's bacterial, viral, or anything else. On top of that, I deal with asthma, so any respiratory infection puts me at risk for a major attack. I work a full-time job just like everyone else, but honestly, every single person who decides to "tough out" their strep throat or sinus infection is a direct threat to my health. ☕ If an MS relapse happens, the damage might actually be permanent. Last year, I didn't even get vaccinated because my neurologist wasn't comfortable with those newer combination shots.
And when I inevitably have to take medical leave because someone else's little virus triggered one of my two chronic conditions, I’m looking at being out for anywhere from two weeks to a full month. 🙂:
So, I have to wonder: how much does it actually benefit the employer in the long run?

All I can do is wash my hands ten times a day, try not to touch my face, steer clear of anyone sniffing or coughing, and proactively load up on things like propolis and vitamins to stay ahead of it.

It honestly feels exploitative and just plain crude to penalize people by cutting their pay while they're out sick. In many parts of the country, you don't see those kinds of wage cuts during medical leave. And let’s be real—that is precisely when people need the money most, to actually cover their treatment. But hey, that’s probably a whole different conversation and a topic for a much longer deep dive...

It’s not a shoulder issue, it’s the neck. A few days of sick leave, a slight dip in the paycheck—which, let's be honest, isn't exactly a fortune either.
Unfortunately, those kinds of places exist. The problem is that these companies run on razor-thin margins, and overtime is basically treated as standard working hours. When one person calls out, the whole system falls apart for the boss. Sadly, labor laws and inspections actually allow this kind of stuff to slide.

Melissa James70

The company I used to work for was really pushing me to turn in paperwork within just one day for an absence. They wanted everything justified immediately, especially since they’re so strict with newer employees who haven't even earned any PTO yet. Personally, I don't think anyone should be coming into the office while they're sick, but I know plenty of people who do it anyway—which honestly just ends up spreading the germs to everyone else.

I get the feeling they held it against me because I had to miss a couple of days when I caught a nasty virus. It happened during my very first month on the job, though I ended up staying there for about five months total.

Only total monsters and bullies would harass and grill employees just because they missed work due to a virus. Honestly, they’d probably be happiest if an employee actually dropped dead from complications... But hey, that’s a story for another file...