TheSamba.com :: View topic

Fri Dec 07, 2018 6:39 pm

I am a project manager and work in a large building with close to 500 people in three connected massive offices.
I come into contact with many folks throughout the day in meetings or stopping by their office cubicles to get project information.

Every year, someone comes to work with some sort of bug (not the driving kind) and spreads it to all of the coworkers.
We have VPN access just for cases like this.

Currently I'm in the beginnings of a cold that I contracted at work.
Patient "0" came in Monday of Thanksgiving week and was told to go home mid day. He came back in the following Monday and was again told to go home.
But the damage was done.

Now folks are spending 3-4 workdays at home due to this one idiot, that felt he just had to come to work.
Remember we have VPN. So there's no need to come to work sick. We can work from home, attend meetings via Skype while viewing what is being presented on screen.

Other than owning your own business.
I cannot understand, why workers at large corporations. Feel they are being of service coming to work sick and spreading their germs to masses of people. When they can work remotely.

Rant over.

Fri Dec 07, 2018 7:39 pm

I have had jobs where there was no paid sick leave. If I was sick and stayed home I DID NOT get paid so I was financially forced to go to work sick because I could not afford the loss of pay. My last job I did have sick leave, but when we took it we were disiplined for using it so again I went to work sick.

Fri Dec 07, 2018 8:04 pm

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Fri Dec 07, 2018 8:27 pm

Some people get a sniffle and call in sick for days. Others take pride in their attendance and don't want to ever miss a day even if they have the flu. As a manager, if I see a person come in sick, I go over to them and thank them for their commitment then TELL them to go home gently. Our company does have sick time to utilize.

However, some come in sick and spread their cooties before they look sick. Those are the dangerous ones. Some don't even know they are coming down w/something and are extremley contagious.

My work around for this time of year is to dress appropriately--

I mean, you can never be too sure, right? :wink:

Fri Dec 07, 2018 9:52 pm

This is closer to the business I'm in.

But cleanroom suits are not very appropriate construction meeting attire.

Of course, in a cleanroom. The air is filtered to the point that no organism can get recirculated back to your respiratory system.

In an office environment. Germs (cooties) have a free for all to contaminate at will. :shock:

Fri Dec 07, 2018 10:00 pm

vwracerdave wrote: I have had jobs where there was no paid sick leave. If I was sick and stayed home I DID NOT get paid so I was financially forced to go to work sick because I could not afford the loss of pay. My last job I did have sick leave, but when we took it we were disiplined for using it so again I went to work sick.

That's the problem I have at work. We don't get sick days. Luckily I work by myself for most of my 12 hour shift.

Sat Dec 08, 2018 7:18 am

I was in charge of our department for a dozen years. I told folks in advance not to come in while sick, and did send folks home.

Yes, coming in sick shows selfishness and actually hurts the business.

Sat Dec 08, 2018 7:32 am

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Sat Dec 08, 2018 11:26 am

Sick pay? What's that? If I want a day off with pay because I'm sick I have to use a vacation day. If I stay home because I'm sick I need a doctors note to return to work or I'll be charged an unexcused absence and I can have only 3 of those per year. That's a pain to go to the doctor just for a note to say you were to sick to go to work but not sick enough to see the doctor, plus it would cost me the co-pay of a doctor's visit. I see both sides of this discussion.

Sat Dec 08, 2018 11:32 am

67rustavenger wrote:
This is closer to the business I'm in.

But cleanroom suits are not very appropriate construction meeting attire.

Of course, in a cleanroom. The air is filtered to the point that no organism can get recirculated back to your respiratory system.

In an office environment. Germs (cooties) have a free for all to contaminate at will. :shock:

Do you work for Genentech ?

Sat Dec 08, 2018 12:39 pm

Dwayne1m wrote: Sick pay? What's that? If I want a day off with pay because I'm sick I have to use a vacation day. If I stay home because I'm sick I need a doctors note to return to work or I'll be charged an unexcused absence and I can have only 3 of those per year. That's a pain to go to the doctor just for a note to say you were to sick to go to work but not sick enough to see the doctor, plus it would cost me the co-pay of a doctor's visit. I see both sides of this discussion.

That's the problem. You must spend $100 at the doctors office to get a note excusing you from work that pays $100 a day

Sat Dec 08, 2018 1:34 pm

I telecommuted so there was no such thing as a sick day.

Sat Dec 08, 2018 2:12 pm

In my profession, many of the attendees (children) are sick much of the time. We just have to make the best of it. Lots of hand sanitizer is the order of the day. Doesn't always work, though.

Sat Dec 08, 2018 3:38 pm

wow...never realized it was that bad out there. I suppose if I worked for a place that demanded a doctors note I would either quit, never sign up with them from day 1 (unless it was an obscene amount of money) or pack some spare clothes and just shit my pants in the bosses office (yea, I am that jerk that would do it just to prove a point)

another thing I guess that I am surprised about (or at least picked up in this thread) is it seems that no one ever had 10-20.00 a week their entire working career to stash for being out of work. I had that covered years ago to have 6-8 months salary stashed just in case. I have added to that quite a lot over the years. a broken hand/leg etc and I can't work....

Sat Dec 08, 2018 4:32 pm

On the reverse side of the coin I now receive $50 more a month in retirement because of the amount of unused sick leave I returned and was converted over to in-service time.

Sat Dec 08, 2018 5:51 pm

Unused sick leave? What's that? For my employer it's "use it or lose it" and they hold a firm line on that. You'd be shocked as to how may guys lose track of how many vacation days they have and end up giving them back to the company and not being reimbursed.

The guys that get hurt the most are the ones with a young family. I remember my kids were sick frequently which was then passed on to me. I was rather new at the company and had little vacation time to take off for illness. I now have 5 weeks which gives me flexibility, but it sucks using a vacation day just because you're sick.

Sat Dec 08, 2018 6:02 pm

vwracerdave wrote: Dwayne1m wrote: Sick pay? What's that? If I want a day off with pay because I'm sick I have to use a vacation day. If I stay home because I'm sick I need a doctors note to return to work or I'll be charged an unexcused absence and I can have only 3 of those per year. That's a pain to go to the doctor just for a note to say you were to sick to go to work but not sick enough to see the doctor, plus it would cost me the co-pay of a doctor's visit. I see both sides of this discussion.

That's the problem. You must spend $100 at the doctors office to get a note excusing you from work that pays $100 a day

Another thing my company did recently that is related to this. I need to give a 7 day notice for a vacation day, so if I am sick and want to use a vacation day to get paid for that day, I still need a doctors note and the 7 day period will be waved. If I don't get the doctors note I can still use a vacatino day and get paid, but I'll be written up for not giving a 7 day notice for the vacation day. I am allowed 5 or 6(can't remember) of those a year before disiplinary action is taken.

Sat Dec 08, 2018 6:36 pm

vwracerdave wrote: Dwayne1m wrote: Sick pay? What's that? If I want a day off with pay because I'm sick I have to use a vacation day. If I stay home because I'm sick I need a doctors note to return to work or I'll be charged an unexcused absence and I can have only 3 of those per year. That's a pain to go to the doctor just for a note to say you were to sick to go to work but not sick enough to see the doctor, plus it would cost me the co-pay of a doctor's visit. I see both sides of this discussion.

That's the problem. You must spend $100 at the doctors office to get a note excusing you from work that pays $100 a day
This is crazy for another reason. If I'm sick it doesn't mean I go to the doctor.

I was sick for over a week a couple weeks ago.
Normal cold/stuffy nose/coughing
I'm not going to the doctor for that.
If I'm a worker, I should stay home and get better unless it's super serious, not go out in the world and infect more people and possibly make myself worse by not resting as much as possible.

Sat Dec 08, 2018 7:23 pm

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Sat Dec 08, 2018 8:28 pm

EverettB wrote: I was sick for over a week a couple weeks ago.
Normal cold/stuffy nose/coughing
I'm not going to the doctor for that.
If I'm a worker, I should stay home and get better unless it's super serious, not go out in the world and infect more people and possibly make myself worse by not resting as much as possible.

My last job fired you if you were past 3 sick days in a row unless you brought in medical documentation.