Have you ever had the pleasure of sitting next to your cube-mate who is coughing or sneezing all over the place? Don’t you wish that he or she just stayed home that day, so as not to spread their germs throughout the office, or even worse, directly onto your desk?
There is an incredible tug-of-war that employees struggle with every time they are ill. If you call out sick, sometimes people don’t believe you. The naysayers think you could be the boy who cried wolf. But this is not always the case! Now do I think that sometimes people take sick days when they are not really sick? Yes, of course. Sometimes you need a mental health day, or sometimes the weather is just too good to not hit the beach or the golf course. Or sometimes, you are just super tired and need the extra few hours of sleep.
However, the average adult comes down with a cold a couple times a year, so it’s not all that unexpected when someone catches the sniffles. Typically you are infectious in the first few days of your illness; this is the most critical time when you should NOT come to work. Stay home and keep your germs quarantined inside your home! There’s nothing worse than when your whole team at work falls like dominos, one sick employee after another. This is terrible for productivity and morale. Furthermore, if you work in a service industry such as a restaurant or hotel, you are bound to come into contact with unsuspecting patrons or guests… and you’re likely to spread your illness to a whole bunch of folks. There’s nothing worse than getting your morning cup of coffee after your barista just sneezed on it.
So the next time you are feeling under the weather, take the day off. It’s far better to rest and get well than to spread your virus to your co-workers. Even if you don’t have sick time or don’t get paid for sick days, do everyone a solid and stay home!
