Money Moral Dilemma: Should you risk spreading the lurgy to colleagues?

surviving-ok

there's some research saying that those who struggle in with 'colds' etc have shorter life expectancies than those who don't by quite a number of years and a more prone to strokes etc in later life; if anybody HAS to struggle in becuase of money they have my deepest sympathy. however the self-righteous 'it's only a cold' bridge can all drop dead of pneumonia, emphysema, pleurisy, bronchitis, ashthma or anything else that 'just a cold' can develop into. And leave the rest of us to long, happy non-selfrighteous retirements.

SandC

That's fair enough but a lot of people I know who don't go into work when they have a cold, they don't sit around at home cuddled up warm doing nothing but getting better. That's especially if they have children - they pretty much carry on as normal at home even if they have considered themselves too ill to go into work.

So on that score you are just as likely to have your cold develop into something more serious if you're still doing all your cleaning, running round after the kids etc.

From my point of view yes by all means have time off with a cold - but only in the first couple of days when you are really feeling rough (and it does vary from person to person and cold to cold). Surely you are still spreading the germs when you're feeling much better but still sniffling and coughing?

Fluffi

If was a freelancer, in debt and needed the money then I'd definitely go into work and risk infecting others! Its not nice to risk making others sick but what other choice is there?

When I first started at my current Company I was paranoid about not getting paid if I was sick and not getting paid because sick pay was discretionary. :eek: Now that I've worked far more days in unpaid overtime than I've ever taken in sick leave, I've effectively accrued my sick pay so I do take day off if I'm really sick.

Jo_R_2

I don't know if this is being pedantic or not, but believe me (speaking from horrible experience here!), if you were battling a nasty flu then you wouldn't be able to get out of bed, let alone go to work!

Oooh it does annoy me when people say they have the flu when they don't have the flu at all, they just have a cold. And those who have had flu will know *exactly* what I mean!

But if I just had a nasty cold and was up and about anyway then I'd probably go to work, show willing. If my manager saw fit to send me home then fair enough.

Welshwoofs

I used to work in central London and everyone (including me) dragged themselves in to work because if you weren't 'seen' to be ill your career suffered in a myriad of subtle ways.

I'm now in a very lucky position and work from home. In the last 5 years of working from home I've had a total of 3 days off sick and am far healthier than when doing the city commuter 'thang'

SandC

City commuting must be very bad for your health - all those germs around on packed out public transport. No wonder you are healthier now.

katmal

I implore you all PLEASE don't go to work with the lurgy; I know for some people it's not possible for financial reasons but I beg you to consider others.
I have chronic asthma and am missing a 1/3 of one lung and every time somebody comes to work with a heavy cold or chest infection and coughs and sneezes and splutters near me I end up in hospital with a terrible chest infection and pleurisy on oxygen for a week or so.
I'm feeling a little "sensitive" on this issue at the moment having been sat next to someone at work with a nasty cold a couple of weeks ago I was rushed into hospital a couple of days later and although home now am finding breathing an awful struggle.
I don't expect colleagues and the general public to care about my welfare but would urge people to think twice before "struggling on" that they may be putting elderly or vulnerable people at risk. Thanks for reading my rant!

SandC

I am sure they do care about your welfare, but you have to consider the attitude of some employers towards having time off for colds. Quite often you can deteriorate as the day goes on but simply think 'well I'm here now'.

I totally understand how difficult it must be for you, but again, how long are people supposed to have off? It's hard to judge and sometimes you do have to consider yourself - if you feel well enough to go in, then why wouldn't you? At what point in a cold does it stop becoming infectious?

dragonthoughts

I used to be a freelance IT consultant, still turned up for work, and produced a decent result, in the Netherlands, whilst suffering from glandular fever (diagnosed after my temperature made it to 103℉). I did take care to avoid colleagues, although comments were made about how far away my coughing could be heard.

For the last 5 years, I have had a degenerative neurological disease and have, in practical terms, become unemployable. I have to go to hospital regularly and am on some strong painkillers much of the time. This makes potential work patterns unpredictable. Despite this, I still try to find employers that will accept me. (To their credit, the University of Sheffield did employ me as an external lecturer for a specific course, for 2 hours per week only, and made the timetable flexible around my medical issues)

I'm an accredited world class expert in my field, which does limit job options, as many companies see me as heavily over qualified. I am do a little unpaid voluntary work as an invited expert to the World Wide Web Consortium (the organisation that creates the standards that allow the world wide web to work), but I'd rather have paid work!

I was head-hunted by Google, 18 months ago. However, Google is the only company to have ever turned me down after a technical interview, so suspicion falls on the enforced gaps in my CV, or my medication.

So, would I work, sick or not, YES, but I don't object to other people who are genuinely ill taking time off, I enjoy working, when I can.

brokeinwales

If I was so ill I couldn't concentrate properly (and it can happen with a very bad cold occasionally) I definetly would go sick. If I was just "under the weather", I might consider postponing any meetings/ presentations etc, but find some more low key work I could do, or try and work from home - so at least I was being productive in some way, without passing it on to others or making myself worse.
My OH works in catering and time off is a huge issue for him. It's usual for your employer to phone and pester/ guilt trip you on a regular basis if you're off sick (when I was in the same industry my boss called me up when I'd just come out of hospital having a serious infection treated to ask if I could work that evening!) - and because sick pay isn't paid until you have a doctor's note, you can potentially lose a lot of money through having the flu - hence an industry where arguably one DEFINETLY shouldn't work ill (i,e, food handling) is one that's most likely to encourage employees to work when ill.

Whilst in some places I've worked I've seen people take time off for the most ridiculous reasons (the car broke down - get a bus!!) I've also seen people struggle through a work day when they clearly should have been in bed, if not at the doctors.