So a co-worker lectured me about coming to work sick.

[redqueen]

I have a cold. I've had this cold for six days now. What does he want me to do, take vacation time?

What do you loungers think? Note: no fever... just coughing, sore throat, headache. Do you take time off when you're sick, but not really that sick? I do sound sick... I'll give ya that. I don't feel that bad, though... only felt really bad for a couple days (the weekend, natch).

[NMDemDist2]

1. infecting your co-workers isn't nice

but you're on the back side now and probably not contagious so yeah, I'd be at work

[blue cat]

2. no

only with fever or when i need to stay in bed such as a migraine, or frequent trips to restroom.

[redqueen]

4. That's how I see it...

:shrug:

[ThomCat]

3. The bottom line is, you do what you need to do.

If you must be at work then you go to work. :(

[redqueen]

6. Hah... good point!

Big boss & four others are going overseas on Friday for a global customer meet. Today I'm passing out the mobiles so we don't pay out the wazzooooo for roaming charges while they're there.

If I'd have asked for vacation, I'd have got a hearty laugh as a response. (My boss is a jolly guy.)

[texas1928]

5. I went to work with a sore throat so bad I could not swallow and an ear infection...

My ear was draining puss, and hurt to no end. But I went to work so that I would not leave my department short handed.

[redqueen]

8. Seems like I get those kind of infections once a year.

I'm used to it now so I don't put off visiting the doc till it gets that bad... hope you manage to catch it earlier in the future!

[Parche]

7. Dr Parche Is In

Go out and get this immediately, pour half a glass with Mist or 7-UP or Sprite
take it in the morning and at night......it works trust me

I take it when a cold is coming on, and I havnt had one for a year, everyone around me
has cold or flu.......................

Trust me this stuff works


That will be $20 for my services........:rofl: :hi:

[StrongBad]

45. As a random aside...

...this stuff is a miracle worker for hangovers too!

[grace0418]

47. I keep a box on my desk for just that reason. It's amazing.

I just got back from two weeks in Europe, took one every day. But there was a mix-up and we didn't bring enough packets for the whole trip and some idiot hacked all over me about three days ago. Sure enough, I got a cold on the airplane yesterday. But I've been taking it again since getting home and the cold is already diminishing.

[pitohui]

9. tell him he can lecture you about coming to work when he's willing to pay your bills EOM

.

[datasuspect]

37. HELL YES!

that is the point exactly.

[guitar man]

10. hey

I'm out of vacation days for the year, so I'd have to lose pay to take off, not an option. So if you have to go to work, you have to go to work, that's just how it is...:(

[MissMillie]

11. Well, I catch everything everyone brings into work w/ them

but it's not up to me to lecture anyone.

If I end up sick because someone came in and infected me... then I'm staying home to get well.

[redqueen]

14. From what I hear / read,

this kind of thing just has to run its course... so since my job isn't so demanding, don't see how staying home would even help me get well any faster, even if I was all that sick.

:shrug:

[madinmaryland]

12. Why should you waste your sick days when you are sick!

By all means go into work! Save your sick days until you want to have some time off that you feel up to doing something!

:hi:

[redqueen]

13. Time off...

that's funny!

:rofl:

[Deep13]

15. Sorry, I have to agree with her.

You don't have a right to expose everyone else there to a known health hazard. Maybe some people find a head cold to be merely inconvenient. They always knock me on my ass and result in secondary sinus infections.

Frankly, vacation time or whatever is irrelevant to the issue. Illness is a foreseeable inevitability and we all have to prepare for it as best we can. Six days is a long time for an active cold. Seems like you are either running yourself ragged and not getting extra sleep or else it is more than just a cold.

[redqueen]

16. That whole diagnosing people without much info is getting pretty popular

I see.

[Deep13]

17. "It seems like...."

I did not say it is. I said it seems. That is an accurate statement because it does seem that way to me based on the limited information.

[redqueen]

18. Fair enough...

here's the thing... I only started getting sick on Friday... so if this guy even knew what he was talking about, he wouldn't have waited till I was past the contagious stage to lecture me.

It seems like maybe if you always get a secondary infection, maybe you might be a bit more wary about speculating about others not taking care of themselves properly. :P (trying to be lighthearted here!)

[Deep13]

21. I get 2ndary infections because of chronic sinusitis.

I take drugs for it every day just to breathe properly. Anyway, I didn't start this thread.

[redqueen]

27. I used to have chronic otitis media.

Every spring, with the allergies... ugh.

Hope yours goes away too, at least for a while, like mine did.

[Deep13]

28. Thanks. After 30 years, it is probably unlikely. n/t

[redqueen]

29. Well regardless, I still hope it gives you a break.

I had it for 3-4 years, then it went away for nearly 20 years... now it seems to be making up for lost time.

[Zookeeper]

19. After six days, I don't think you'd be that contagious anymore....

unless you have strep throat. Have you had a throat culture?

The policy for public school students is "don't stay home unless you're bleeding, barfing or have a fever." Or within 24 hours of starting an antibiotic for strep.

If you have to be at work, perhaps you could put some hand sanitizer gel, antiseptic wipes and Lysol spray on your desk for the use of your co-workers who are concerned about catching whatever you have.

[redqueen]

23. Gosh no, it's not strep.

Most of my family are nurses or doctors... I grew up with a healthy respect for serious ENT issues.

And hell no I ain't buyin hypochondriac supplies for them!

And no, anyone who knows about colds knows I'm not contagious anymore.

[zabet]

20. If you have not

got a fever, you are probably past the point of
being contagious to your co-workers. (was an EMT
for years). If you have
to work, you have to work. You have to live your
life to your priorities, not his.
Unless said co-worker is
going to donate some of their vacation time so
you can stay home, they should just shut up.
Sorry if I sound harsh but, I have dealt with the
same crap before at work. Who does some one think
they are to tell me when to work and when not to, other
than the boss?

[redqueen]

25. No... I never had a fever at all!

Which was surprising cause I really felt shitty over the weekend... but no, no fever.

God, I'd have loved to have had a fever... then I would have told my boss to fuck off. :P

[trackfan]

22. I try to save my sick days for playing hooky.

When I mildly I'll, I go to work.

[bigwillq]

24. If you know you're not contagious

then I say go to work. Unless you know you have a fever (which is usually a sign of being contagious) or if you have something catchy other than a cold then go to work. I don't take time off if I am sick but not that sick. The workplace breeds illness anyway...I always believe if you're gonna get something, you're gonna get it.

[redqueen]

26. Hehe... funny you say that...

most of my immediate family members are nurses or doctors... and there's a little war between the two camps: the ones who think "eh what's the big deal, it helps your immunity" and the ones who think quite militantly otherwise. It's always an entertaining holiday season.

[porphyrian]

30. If you've had it for six days, it's unlikely that it's still contagious.

You were probably spreading the plague all willy nilly a couple of days before you showed symptoms, though, Typhoid Mary.

[redqueen]

31. Naaah...

cause then my kids would have it. God knows they're little germ factories. I was here on Friday when I started with the coughing, and still nobody else is sick. This guy's just a born whiner. :P

I think I got it at a buffet. Stupid company meeting! Argh! I hate buffets! Shoudla skipped dinner. That'll learn me.

[porphyrian]

33. It was probably in the yellow stuff. Always skip the yellow stuff. - n/t

[krispos42]

32. I take it your job has a lousy sick day policy?

Mine does. If you call out sick, you get sick pay for the SECOND day onwards, with a doctor's note. Not the first day.

So I go to work sick. If I'm going to be sick and miserable, I'll be sick and miserable with a day's pay in my pocket. A day's pay will buy a lot of happiness later on, yanno?

Obviously, keeping me from spreading my disease throughout my coworkers is not a priority to management, so it's not a priority for me, either. That's my attitude.

[IndianaJones]

34. selfish. nt.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

35. i am always amused how many divide and conquer tactics the rich have at their disposal

its your company's fault for not giving you sick time. you have every right to not want to take limited vacation days for this.

[datasuspect]

36. some places, you don't work you don't eat

if you work somewhere where they have sick days, i would take them (and then have to balance that with whatever drama was going on between me and management).

[Javaman]

38. Lick his telephone and walk away.

:rofl:

[redqueen]

39. ...

:loveya:

[Connonym]

40. Coughs can linger for weeks after an upper respiratory infection has cleared

Tell you coworker to wash his hands stay out of your face. Sheesh.

[oregonjen]

41. The Japanese wear face masks to cover the mouth and nose

Maybe you should wear one of those? I'm sure you can find them in an Asian market. ;-)
Hope you feel better! :hi:

[renie408]

42. Not a lounger, but I say hack on him. n/t

[SocratesInSpirit]

43. I feel for you, I really do - I just went through the same crap last week

I had a minor cold...I didn't have a fever, but I had a scratchy throat, runny nose and cough. One of my coworkers was paranoid she'd get sick and she didn't want to because she was going on vacation. I totally understood and tried to stay away from her, but we work together on some projects so it wasn't always possible. It got really irritating when every time she'd see me, she'd say things like "you'd better not get me sick!" and "If I get sick because of you, you're paying for me to go on vacation next year!" When I'd had enough of it, I told her to ask our boss what she'd think if I took the week off, and she finally shut up.

If I had a fever or felt severely weak, that would have been a different story. I am a firm believer that if you feel too sick, then don't go to work. But Jesus Christ, people! I can't stay out of work for every little cold! :eyes:

[redqueen]

48. Very well said!

:hi:

[SPKrazy]

44. Hey i work in a hospital

that punishes you for calling in sick

3 times in 12 months and oral warning
4 times written
5 times termination

:eyes:

[grace0418]

46. Well, in this age of declining benefits, "pooled time off" (which in most cases

is just an excuse to give people less overall time off), and companies looking for any excuse to can people, I can hardly blame people for coming to work sick. My company makes this big deal about having PTO, which means the time can be used for vacation, sick days, personal days, etc. But the overall number of days sucks. If I ever want to take a vacation or some time off around the holidays, I pretty much can't get sick all year. And the people at my office who have kids are really screwed because in addition to the unexpected illness they might have, the kids can also get sick. Add in all the school holidays that kids get but office workers don't get, and you've pretty much used all your days off before even taking a short vacation.

Some people I know have lots of days off, but it's severely frowned upon when they use them. What's the point of having the time off if you get a black mark for using it? It's an empty gesture then. But I've heard tales of people getting reprimanded for taking the days they supposedly have as part of their benefits package.

So yeah, it sucks being around sick people, but I don't blame anyone for coming in when they are well enough to stand. That's why I keep Airborne and Emergen-C at my desk, and I wash my hands often.

[deadparrot]

49. I *wish* I could take off every time I had a cold.

Unfortunately, it just doesn't happen. And with winter coming, it's basically a fact of life. Sometimes you have to work when you're not feeling 100%.

So no. I don't agree with him.

[calico1]

50. If you are not contagious then I don't see

a problem. I know from experience that sometimes people seem sicker than they really are. I once had laryngitis and totally lost my voice. It lasted almost a month! It got so I was afraid my voice would never come back. I had to stop talking totally to get my voice back! But people would say to me stuff like "you poor thing, you must feel terrible." Well I felt fine, I just didn't have a voice.

The people that do piss me off are those that are contagious, know it and come to work to be "troopers." Then they walk around all over the place instead of at least staying in their office or cubie. I hate that.