sick days

Working When You’re Sick

By in Learning Tags: , ,

Sick_At_Work

I’m sure, at some point in life, you’ve come to work when you were sick. We all have. Heck, I’m sick right now! (It’s just a minor cold, I think. No worries.)

Is it the right thing to do? No, probably not. When you’re sick, you should probably take a sick day. It will give you the chance to recover and spare the rest of the office from being exposed to your germs.

But what if that’s not possible? What if you don’t have any sick time or you’ve got a deadline that you’ve got to meet? If that’s the case, you can try to work while sick. Here are some ways to make the process a little easier:

  • Work from home – Ask your boss if it would be OK for you to work from home. If you’re not in the office, you can’t infect your coworkers. Also, you can cough and blow your nose loudly without disturbing everyone around you.
  • Avoid stressful and tiring situations – Do you have a difficult topic that you need to discuss with your boss or coworker? Don’t do it now. Wait until you feel better. And cancel all of the trips and meetings that you possibly can. Stress will only make your immune system weaker.
  • Stay hydrated – Drink lots of liquids, including coffee if you’d like! Just make sure to drink a lot of non-caffeinated beverages as well. And avoid alcohol. It will dehydrate you.
  • Be kind to yourself – Sure, you’ve got work to do. But don’t overdo it. Take lots of breaks and cut your workday short if you can. Eat healthy and get a lot of sleep. You’ve got to give your body a chance to fully recover.

 

Tobak, S. (2013, February 13). How to work when you feel like crap. Inc. Retrieved from https://www.inc.com/steve-tobak/how-to-work-when-you-feel-like-crap.html

 

Are You Really Too Sick to Work?

By in Humor Tags:

Calling_In_Sick

It’s February – one of the most popular months to call in sick to work. And I guess that’s not surprising. People are more likely to get a cold or the flu during the winter. But viruses might not be the only reason why people are calling in sick. According to a recent survey by CareerBuilder.com, 38% of people who call in sick are actually perfectly healthy.

So why didn’t these healthy people want to go to work? Most reported that they just didn’t feel like it, or they needed a rest. And the most common excuse that these people gave their bosses was a simple, “I’m sick.”

A simple excuse is probably best. But some people got a little more creative. Managers who were surveyed were asked to submit some of the most memorable excuses that they’ve received. Here are the top 10:

  1. Employee claimed his grandmother poisoned him with ham.
  2. Employee was stuck under the bed.
  3. Employee broke his arm reaching to grab a falling sandwich.
  4. Employee said the universe was telling him to take a day off.
  5. Employee’s wife found out he was cheating. He had to spend the day retrieving his belongings from the dumpster.
  6. Employee poked herself in the eye while combing her hair.
  7. Employee said his wife put all his underwear in the washer.
  8. Employee said the meal he cooked for a department potluck didn’t turn out well.
  9. Employee was going to the beach because the doctor said she needed more vitamin D.
  10. Employee said her cat was stuck inside the dashboard of her car.

These excuses actually seem pretty legitimate to me! Who would make these things up? But it seems that a sizable percentage of employers aren’t as trusting as I am.

Survey results indicate that 32% of managers check their sick employees’ social media accounts to see if there’s any evidence that they aren’t really sick. So if you’re home sick, but feeling basically OK, you should still restrain yourself from posting a picture of you dancing around or playing badminton in the backyard. A picture of a mug of tea, a box of Kleenex, and your sad face would probably be a better choice!