# Calling in sick?



## Leesa (Nov 22, 2009)

When do you call in sick? What does it take for you to miss work? Fever? Headache? Ambulance?


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## Sweet Tooth (Nov 22, 2009)

Ugh. This is a challenging thing for me. In my family, you went to school/work/church unless you were basically too ill to be in public [ie had to sleep all day because you were just drained, puking, fever over say 103°]... and I think there WAS a benefit to my parents teaching me that you can't just get out of responsibilities because it's tough going sometimes. I know plenty of people who stayed home for small things, and I think the approach shows in lots of areas of their life. I tend to feel guilty if I'm home for the day and I start to feel better as the day goes on. I've actually gone into work later, say, once my fever went down.

Having said all that, I don't want to infect others. It's a delicate balance. I know I get exposed to a lot of the creeping crud at work, and I know my immune system has gotten pretty resistant to a lot of things that would fell another person, but I don't know when something would be mild for me and really hit another person hard.

It doesn't help that I also have one of those jobs that makes it hard to take a sick day. I've taken 2 1/2 in about as many years, and the 1/2 was because the drugs I had to take for my hives just knocked me out.


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## Teleute (Nov 23, 2009)

I work around immunocompromised patients, so I don't come in if I have so much as a sniffle, because being there for the day is not worth the chance of killing a patient. It's a building-wide policy (even those who don't work face-to-face with patients still use the elevators and such, and could easily transmit any diseases), and they do give us LOTS of sick hours to encourage people to stick to it. Fortunately, my immune system is pretty hardcore and I'm really careful about handwashing/infection control practices around friends who are sick, so I rarely have to take days off. It's interesting how we have to work against the idea that coming in when you're a bit sick is good work ethic.


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## KHayes666 (Nov 23, 2009)

Sweet Tooth said:


> Ugh. This is a challenging thing for me. In my family, you went to school/work/church unless you were basically too ill to be in public [ie had to sleep all day because you were just drained, puking, fever over say 103°]... and I think there WAS a benefit to my parents teaching me that you can't just get out of responsibilities because it's tough going sometimes. I know plenty of people who stayed home for small things, and I think the approach shows in lots of areas of their life. I tend to feel guilty if I'm home for the day and I start to feel better as the day goes on. I've actually gone into work later, say, once my fever went down.
> 
> Having said all that, I don't want to infect others. It's a delicate balance. I know I get exposed to a lot of the creeping crud at work, and I know my immune system has gotten pretty resistant to a lot of things that would fell another person, but I don't know when something would be mild for me and really hit another person hard.
> 
> It doesn't help that I also have one of those jobs that makes it hard to take a sick day. I've taken 2 1/2 in about as many years, and the 1/2 was because the drugs I had to take for my hives just knocked me out.



My background is similar to yours.

I could be lying on my deathbed with a hundred degree fever and pneumonia and my mother would still be screamin at me to go to work/school. I confronted her about it a few years ago and she claimed she does it to me because my grandma did it to her.

Now that's me though, for whatever reason my younger sister could have a sliver in her thumb and my mother would tell her to stay home from school. Granted, my sister hardly ever missed a day in school unless she was real sick...but the point was she got babied and I didn't.

Now when I worked for the Herald, I actually got paid vacation days where I could take a day off and still get paid for it. I would use those days to either attend a holiday, celebrate my birthday or catch up on sleep when I was working 5 shifts in a row. In terms of taking a day off and NOT get paid for it, never did that before.

I go to work no matter what, no matter how sick I am, no matter what's wrong. I've always been an ironman but to keep me out of work, I'd have to be quarantined with something very serious because colds, fevers, injuries and others can't keep me down. So far I've yet to be TOO sick to go to work/school and its been 9 years since I first started at Town Hall, 4 since I started at the Herald and a year since I've been at the Globe.

In terms of infecting others, i HATE my current job. If I had H1N1 I'd go to work every damn night and hope I take some of them with me, but I'd stay away from Town Hall because I like those people.


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## toni (Nov 23, 2009)

I hate when people call out for nonsense. "I have a head ache, I have a tooth ache, I stubbed my toe, my butt itches." BLAH BLAH BLAH. I am all about sucking it up and showing up to work. I don't call out unless I am contagious or my children are very ill and have to see a doctor. 

My work ethic has paid off because my daughter is the same way about her schooling. She never cries to stay home. If she doesn't feel well the night before she makes sure she gets a good nights rest to be ready in the morning. I am very proud!


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## SocialbFly (Nov 28, 2009)

My reply is pretty simple, fever (of greater than 99.6) or puking or the flu in the beginning stages when you are most contagious...

working in a hospital like i do, they are really pissy about call in policies, although this one is better than most. 

But that is my answer and i am sticking to it


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## Miss Vickie (Nov 28, 2009)

SocialbFly said:


> My reply is pretty simple, fever (of greater than 99.6) or puking or the flu in the beginning stages when you are most contagious...
> 
> working in a hospital like i do, they are really pissy about call in policies, although this one is better than most.
> 
> But that is my answer and i am sticking to it



Same here. I'm all for having a good work ethic, but if you're sick, how is it possibly ethical to spread your illness to your coworkers, many of who may -- like me -- have weakened immune systems. Whereas my coworker may "get away" with getting a minor cough for a few days, I run the risk of bronchitis or pneumonia with every stupid upper respiratory bug that comes along.

My boss is great about me staying home when I'm sick, although a couple of my co-workers have had a lot (of negative shit) to say about it. As though it's any of their business.  As for staying home with a headache, since I get blessedly infrequent but debilitating migraines, the last thing my patients need is a nurse whose brain is addled and whose vision is affected drawing up and giving medications. Sure it's "just" a headache but would you want a surgeon with a migraine working on you? Or a nurse seeing auras caring for a loved one? Not me. Yes, it's inconvenient when co-workers are sick, but it's far less inconvenient than getting sick m'self. I'd rather they stay home and get well.


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## SocialbFly (Nov 28, 2009)

Yeah i have stayed at home with a bad headache before, all you need to be is a nurse taking care of screaming babies...not a good idea...yeah, i agree with that one MissVickie


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## tinkerbell (Nov 28, 2009)

I rarely call in sick. But I also dont get sick that much. Its been over a year since I was sick. I wouldn't call in unless I was vomiting or had a high fever. 

I dont have sick time, and my boss always gives a hard time to people calling in sick. We currently have an employee who calls in sick all the time. She's called in more than myself and 3 other co workers combined (and if you combine all of our time there its almost 30 years). 

With the flu this season, and the panic with it, he wants us calling in sick if we have a fever and the possible flu. But we also have to prove that we were sick with the flu, as if we are off for a week he may decide to pay us. But who knows.

I would miss school a lot because I'd get sick alot and would have really bad cramps. I still get really bad cramps (crying, curled up in a ball bad), but I dont call in sick because of them (unlike above co worker who does call in because of cramps).


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## FAinPA (Nov 28, 2009)

I'm an expert at this. I worked for a publishing concern that yanked away a week of everyone's accrued vacation arbitrarily, this was six years into a ten year stint; no grandfathering of loyal workers. At that point, myself and a lot of colleagues (my two senior editors included) basically started viewing our two weeks of sick time a lot more liberally. I think this is why any company should do away with the whole vacation, personal and sick leave classifications and just give people however much "flex" time they have earned. I think more agile companies already have adopted such policies.

Anyway, I would just call in and say, "I have a general malaise." and that was good enough. We wanted to prove a point to the HR flunkies.


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## OneWickedAngel (Nov 28, 2009)

I'm another strong as an ox type. I may get the sniffles now and again, but it's not often I get an out and out cold. 

I have a butt load of sick time (I could take near six months off and still have a couple of days left over), and my boss knows it. I will use a sick day in a minute for various scheduled doctor's/dental appointment; always on payday Fridays. However, unless I have the very rare puking or high fever, I'm at my desk Kleenex in one hand, Lysol in the other. So when I actually call in sick, he knows I am truly sick. Though I will admit with H1N1 around, I will be rethinking that going to work policy if I start to feel that kind of sick again.


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## goofy girl (Nov 28, 2009)

We get PTO and not sick time so it's vacation/personal time/sick time all rolled into one. I call in if I know I'm going to be so miserable that all I can think about is being home in bed. I get migraines pretty frequently (about once a month) so I probably call in more often than some people do. 


FTR- they are real migraines- vomiting, sensitivity to noise, and tingling in my arms...not just a bad headache.


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## aussieamazonwoman (Dec 3, 2009)

Hi all,

I won;t go to work if I am sick with flu or something similar, simply because I don't think it's good idea to pass it on to people (and clients).

Having said this, sometimes I will negotiate to use a sick day in advance with my boss (i work in a high stress/high burnout field), in order to unwind.

On the flipside, the culture at my workplace is that we get the job done - so lots of unpaid overtime and things.


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## comaseason (Dec 4, 2009)

The nature of my nerd like job allows me to work from home. If I'm vomiting or have a migraine I'll go lay down and then when I'm feeling better I log right back in. I really like the flexibility my job can provide me. I never go into the office if sick. I think of it as a courtesy. 

I've gotten sick plenty of times from other people at the office, all that recycled air and whatnot, and I was just like it woulda killed you to stay home huh? Now I gotta listen to someone blow their nose for 8 hours? No thank you. So frequently I've been working from home not when I'm sick but when others at work are.


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## FredtheFA (Dec 7, 2009)

The last time I called in sick was about 3years ago but I came into work and one eye was red and the boss told me I should go to the emergancy room. I probably will not call in especially if I contract the H1N1 I will pass it on to those I do not care to work with. I know that's messed up but oh well.


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## Miss Vickie (Dec 7, 2009)

FredtheFA said:


> The last time I called in sick was about 3years ago but I came into work and one eye was red and the boss told me I should go to the emergancy room. I probably will not call in especially if I contract the H1N1 I will pass it on to those I do not care to work with. I know that's messed up but oh well.



I'm sure their families -- maybe elderly people or children whose immune systems aren't up to the challenge of battling H1N1 -- appreciate that.

And yes, you're right. That's "messed up", though I'd choose perhaps much more colorful language, were I not worried about getting infracted.

I only hope that other people are more careful about your and your family's health than you are of theirs.


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## indy500tchr (Dec 13, 2009)

I hate calling in sick. I've taught w/ sinus infections and mono before because it takes TWICE as much work to plan for a sub then it does for me being there sick. 

The only times I've called in were when I had a temp. (which at our school there is a policy that you have to be fever free for 24hrs. w/out the use of a fever reducer before you can come back) or I've been puking.


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