Now that smokers are mostly banished to the outdoors, thereâ??s a new work place pariah â?? those who show up coughing, sneezing
and otherwise obviously sick.
In the not-so-recent past, failing to make it to work while under the weather could be interpreted as a lack of work ethic. Or, particularly in small organizations, lack of team spirit.
But at least three factors are changing the social contract, says Karl Ahlrichs, a veteran human resources executive who recently founded ExactHire, a business system that aims to produce a high-performing worker culture.
Companies took a more active role in managing worker health, with one upshot being workersâ?? resenting others who could infect them. Also, the bird flu scare produced conferences and workshops emphasizing cleanliness. And the proliferation of high-speed Internet access allowed more people to telecommute when they didnâ??t feel well.
As a result, showing up sick is now considered bad judgment.
â??Itâ??s seen as not caring. Itâ??s seen as not being a considerate person,â?? Ahlrichs said. â??You donâ??t make other people sick.â??
What do you think?
In the not-so-recent past, failing to make it to work while under the weather could be interpreted as a lack of work ethic. Or, particularly in small organizations, lack of team spirit.
But at least three factors are changing the social contract, says Karl Ahlrichs, a veteran human resources executive who recently founded ExactHire, a business system that aims to produce a high-performing worker culture.
Companies took a more active role in managing worker health, with one upshot being workersâ?? resenting others who could infect them. Also, the bird flu scare produced conferences and workshops emphasizing cleanliness. And the proliferation of high-speed Internet access allowed more people to telecommute when they didnâ??t feel well.
As a result, showing up sick is now considered bad judgment.
â??Itâ??s seen as not caring. Itâ??s seen as not being a considerate person,â?? Ahlrichs said. â??You donâ??t make other people sick.â??
What do you think?
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Other places like Retail (Meijer and Walmart for example), the Manager in charge will try to pressure you into going, even if you are way too sick to be out of your own bed.
Reguardless, I feel that health should come first. If you (or your child-ren-) are truly sick, you should take care of that first, and then other obligations.
I am CERTAIN that most people who come to work sick do so for very similar reasons, NOT because they want to make everyone else sick.
There are a lot of companies now that use a PTO system... some call it Paid Time Off, some call it Personal Time Off... but PTO is where you get your vacation time, sick time and personal time all rolled into one and you use it when you need. There's no seperation of sick time, vacation time and personal time. I have worked for two companies that use this system. So, if I called in sick... well, then I'm also cutting into my vacation time and/or personal time. This meant, if I called in sick... it was only because I couldn't escape the bathroom.
So, to further push the point... I think people come in sick for both, fear of losing their job... and if they work for a company that does a PTO system, so that they don't have to use their PTO time for being sick and can use it for vacation/personal time. It's not because they're trying to make other people sick. If you're worried, keep the Lysol can by your desk and use hand sanitizer/wash your hands frequently... what people used to do.