With flu season upon us, one topic comes to mind- calling in sick. Most of us know one of two people: those who don’t hesitate to call in in order to get over an illness, and those who proudly proclaim “ I never call in sick.” As for myself, just listening to the boasting of the latter type makes me a tad nauseous.
I will and have called in sick to get over something. I work in the cold, my job is physical and most importantly, I work with food. I have never called in because of being really tired or hungover. But, just to show you I’m not sitting upon some ivory tower passing judgment on the rest of you, I will admit to this: years ago I called in to avoid jail time. I am not proud of this, but allow me to explain.
I had a boss who was lazy, an ass-kisser and seemed to enjoy pushing my buttons. Now this was before I was the zen-like meditation loving individual I am now:) One day she had pushed me too far, and hours after being at home I was still so pissed off that I knew it wouldn’t take much for me to end up punching her pretty, delicate little lights out. So, I took a mental health day and channeled my energy into documenting the reasons for my ire and getting her gone- a much more productive approach in my opinion! Also, it worked- she was let go just weeks later.
There is a third type of person that deserves mentioning: the hard-partying, social media loving, forgot everything was displayed for the world to see so I called in sick type. I love these people, as long as they’re not in my department and we’re not short-handed because of them. They keep things amusing and they make me very grateful that social media wasn’t around when I was younger- if that were the case, I don’t believe jail time could have been avoided!
Of course, there are people who are battling constant sometimes life-threatening illnesses. Work should always take a back seat to your health. I pray I’m never in that position, but for those of you who are, my heart goes out to you.
Now, back to those of you who never call in sick. If indeed you have gone years and years without illness, kudos to you and please tell us your secret because you are clearly doing something right! However, if you get sick like the rest of us and feel the need to be a hero, please don’t. Don’t get me wrong, we all know when someone calls in it automatically calls into question whether or not they’re actually sick. And no one likes having to take on extra work, but I’ll gladly take on the extra work if you don’t get me sick as well.
There are always exceptions to the rule- maybe you don’t have sick time and/or truly can’t afford to miss any time from work. If you can though, and choose to be a martyr, consider this- the person/people you infect may not have that luxury and are now forced to make some tough decisions because of you.
Your employer will most likely love that you never call in-despite the fact that it will cost them more in the long run.
Employers will often work you as hard as you’re willing to be worked and then demand a doctors’ note when you are ill and need time off. It can be a slippery slope and isn’t always as simplistic as I’ve made it seem. I hope that in the coming months you will consider others regarding your decision to stay home or go to your beloved place of employment. And please opt for a mental health day if the alternative is inflicting bodily harm on your employer- your friends and family will appreciate not having to come up with the bail money:)