As I write this, I’m on the third week of battling a nasty head cold that just decided to return for an encore performance in my sinus cavities. And, if reports from clients, friends and neighbors are to be believed, I’m not alone.
While I often tell members of the staff at my agency that they should stay home when not feeling well, I’ll be the first to admit that when it comes to myself it’s often a case of “do as I say, not as I do.”
Despite feeling like I’ve been hit with a small truck, there have been several days when I’ve gone in when I should not have – both because I could barely see straight, and because I risked spreading my illness to others.
And I know I’m not alone. I just have to look to the corner office where my father/boss sits, suffering from the same cold (a couple of his sneezes yesterday threatened to take down some walls). (Clearly, this is not a case of a business not giving enough time off to employees – rather of two people who seem incapable of taking it easy)
I could work from home, and have when I’m really feeling low. But the truth is I know I really should just log off and stay in bed. Plus, I’m convinced when I try to push through I don’t recover nearly as quickly.
So tell me readers – do you stay home when you are feeling sick?
Hell no. It’s far too much work to prep for a substitute teacher. I’d rather have a root canal than be out!
Only if I have a fever and/or vomiting/intestinal disorders
I have to save my sick time for when my kids are sick because I’m always the one who has to take off work. Fortunately I don’t get really sick like that very often.
There’s of course that parenting problem. As the primary parent with part-time work, I can never stay home from my parent job. Flu or no flu there’s pick-up & lunches & dinner & bedtime & worst of all a sick kid home when you’re sick.
I have to attend a lot of meetings, and I feel embarrassed to sniffle through them. Maybe I’m paranoid, but it seems like people don’t want to be around sick people. It really changed a few years ago with the bird flu scare. So, I try to medicate to a level where the symptoms are not noticeable to others. If I can’t, then I will work from home.