Vent: Inconsiderate co-workers (somewhat long)

ydawg05 · February 2012

Last week one of my co-workers got what seemed like a cold and was coming to work coughing, blowing her nose etc. She complained about being exhausted etc. Later in the week I heard her telling another co-worker she has been fevering. I'm sitting there wanting to scream, "WHY ARE YOU HERE?!".

Seriously, this is one of my biggest pet peeves that people just think its OKAY to come to work sick. No one else wants your crud. We work for an agency that has VERY good benefits when it comes to sick leave, there is no way that she doesn't feel like she doesn't have enough sick leave to stay home for a couple days so that she can recover/not get the rest of us sick.

So, I spent the weekend miserable, coughing and stuffed up. Thanks co-worker. Bonus: she came in today and announced that she went to the doctor Friday (FINALLY) and was diagnosed with pneumonia. OMG, seriously? I nearly died from pneumonia as a kid and the last time someone came to work with it, DH got it from them and had a fever of 104 degrees and should have been admitted to the hospital.

Some people are just so inconsiderate of others. They have no clue what is going on in other peoples lives...maybe so and so can't afford to be sick bc of xyz reason. Personally, I'd prefer not to have pneumonia because I'm pregnant. But I'm not out at work yet so I don't feel like I can talk to her about it other than just saying its rude.

Okay...vent over...thanks for reading. Anyone else want to share their joys of inconsiderate co-workers?

beckslea · February 2012

I would be upset, too. Does your work have a policy in place re when not to come in?? Or even an unofficial policy that could be enforced?

I always go to work if it's just a cold (we get them all the time from daycare) but would never come in with fever or other signs of a more serious bug. I also have my own office and work in a sort of secluded part of the building (an addition) where only a few other people are.

IBackBevo · February 2012

Not a coworker, but I just posted a long vent about my boss in its own thread.

numb3rMel · February 2012

Regardless of you being PG, talking to her about it or your manager isn't rude IMO. I would have told her to go home if I heard her coughing up a lung. Taking a sick day to be sick isn't much fun but its also not fun to share it with the rest of the staff and have everyone dropping like flies at work.

I'm sorry and I hope you do not have pneumonia.

My joy of inconsiderate co-workers is just that they take and make personal phone calls all.day.long. I'm fine with a little bit but I do not need to know every detail of your life because you're too stubborn to go to the breakroom to make a phone call.

kpowers982 · February 2012

My office is the same way. The managers here will be on their death beds and come in, sun up to sun down. IMO it's doubly cruel here - I have several coworkers in my area with immediate family members that have had cancer or organ transplants...they above anyone don't need the germs! I mean geeze. The office will survive one or two days without you. You've got your phone and ipad surgically attached to your hip. It's cool.

ydawg05 · February 2012

kpowers982:
My office is the same way. The managers here will be on their death beds and come in, sun up to sun down. IMO it's doubly cruel here - I have several coworkers in my area with immediate family members that have had cancer or organ transplants...they above anyone don't need the germs! I mean geeze. The office will survive one or two days without you. You've got your phone and ipad surgically attached to your hip. It's cool.

This is exactly what I'm talking about. People need to take into consideration that other people have reasons they can't deal with having your crud and would really like it if you didn't bring it to work. You're right, we WILL survive a few days without you! argh.

MarisaKathleen · February 2012

I've never understood it to be honest. I'm not saying that some of us don't have important jobs, but the world is NOT going to end if I don't come in for a day. Unless you're a doctor/surgeon/some medical profession, chances are people are not going to die if you don't come to work.

Since most people are easily reached via technology, I hope that the future brings about all working from home. :-)

blindvictory · February 2012

Dat's nasty. If you're going to be enough of a jerk to come in and spread your microbes around, have the courtesy to wear a surgical mask or something.

The thing that sucks for me is that I work retail. In a drug store. I have to interract with sickies regularly, who hand me money with the hand they just coughed into. I have an enormous bottle of hand sanitizer under the register and it gets used very often. Thankfully I just turned in my two week notice...blegh.

MomiJerz · February 2012

IMO I think its inconsiderate to think that soemone shouldnt come to work because they have a cough or a cold. I mean Im just saying people have bills to pay and maybe they dont have sick days. of course if its some sort of contagious rash or fever thats different but in some cases you arent contagious anymore once you find out what it is.

Im sure my view on this is the unpopular one but I just think that people have responsibilities and jobs to do and if they feel they need to be at work so be it.

There are no rules at any job I have worked at that say you cant come in if you are sick so I wouldnt know about the rules part.

But I know me perosonally I have come to work many times when I was sick and so have my co workers... I use most of my sick days when my daughter is sick and I cant afford to not get paid so I suck it up drive on and stay away from people and my co workers do the same thing.

But when it comes to my kid I most definitley keep her home at the smallest sign of anything because I do not want her to get anyone elses kid sick.

Unem · February 2012

I completely agree with you if you work at a company with a great sick leave policy.

I'm not so lucky. I go in with a cold, but once I get a fever I'm out of there, for my sake over the sake of the people I work with.

When someone gets sick at my company, it goes around the whole building. It sucks, but it's the culture of the place.

ydawg05 · February 2012

blindvictory:

Dat's nasty. If you're going to be enough of a jerk to come in and spread your microbes around, have the courtesy to wear a surgical mask or something.

The thing that sucks for me is that I work retail. In a drug store. I have to interract with sickies regularly, who hand me money with the hand they just coughed into. I have an enormous bottle of hand sanitizer under the register and it gets used very often. Thankfully I just turned in my two week notice...blegh.

Congrats BV, seems like this is something you've needed to do for yourself. I hope it brings you some sanity

redjetta22 · February 2012

That is a huge pet peeve of mine. My company has no sick leave. There's just scheduled and unscheduled absences. An unscheduled absence counts the same as if you've been excessively tardy in your employment record so it can really make you look bad. So basically there's no such thing as an excused sick day. If you take a day off sick, you are using a day that you could use as a vacation day. So people come in to work practically on their deathbed to save their time off. People seem to have this martyr complex where they brag about being at work even though they're SO sick. Idiots. It makes me beyond angry.

Trissyboo · February 2012

I don't have a problem with people coming to work with a cough or a cold. I mean it is that time of the year and for some it is inevitable. What I do have a problem with are co-workers who refuse to cover their mouth, sneeze into their arm, or use simple hand washing methods to prevent the spread of whatever it is that they have. If you have been battling somethin for more than three days its time for you bit the bullet and go to the doctor or stay home and get some rest.

I find that 10 time out of 10 I get sick because I have not had any rest. Trust me when I say the work will be there when you return and with plenty of rest you will be able to conquer the tasks that you left behind. So.. get some rest, go see the doc, and try to be considerate of others.

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