Sick co-worker rant

khall7109 · October 2014

A coworker of mine is sick. I asked him to stay home yeaterday (I may have told him that if he comes into work and makes me sick I will kick him in the balls- in front of everyone including management). My problem here is if I get sick there is very little medicine that I can take, it's very selfish of him to work while sick because he can infect everyone. I definitely escalated the situation much further than I should have and I'm quite ashamed of my outburst. Managements response was asking me who will do his work. What this tells me is that my work doesn't care about any of their employees- 1) sick guy- he could be getting better faster by staying home and taking care of himself. 2) the rest of us are clearly worth putting at risk.

I can't even take the Flushot because they make me Ill. My doctor told me no flu shot, just stay away from sick people, take my vitamins and wash my hands.

Sad thing is that sick guy is my best work friend, and this is our first fight in 4 years.

laurajayne11 · October 2014

Um... I don't really want to get sick whether I'm pregnant or not... But I have no right at all the dictate to others whether they attend work or not! It sounds like you make a bit of a scene! Best ways are always to calmly explain in a reasonable manner if you want people to listen to you. Or come into work in a full on contamination suit- that'll get your point over just as effectively I should imagine!
Edit- cos words are hard.

LaxMOM44 · October 2014

All my Co-workers work sick, it kinda drives me nuts but then I just try to stay away from the sicko's and wash my hands.

devinefisch · October 2014

I can't think of any instance where I'd feel it was okay to tell someone they can't come in to work because I think they are contagious. Now if they were coming to my desk with their coughing and sneezing self I would politely tell them to back off that's for sure. Still unfortunately everyone's world does not cater to our every whim just because we are pregnant. That being said I really hope you don't get sick. Maybe you have a job that you can work from home? Your friend won't be the last to come in sick.

amedbery · October 2014

Yeah, it would be nice for him to be more considerate, but you can't dictate to him whether he comes to work. Just avoid him until he is better and be diligent about washing your hands, etc. it's not really the rest of the world's job to tiptoe around you just because you are pregnant - it is your job to take whatever precautions you need to in order to stay healthy.

khall7109 · October 2014

Thank you all or your honesty, I needed that reality check.

mlee116 · October 2014

bvsbabymomma said:

You were way out of line. Although it sucks that he came to work sick, you don't get to dictate other adults' actions just because you're pregnant. The world is full of things that could be risky to you or your baby but all you can do is control what YOU do. You should just stay home if coworkers are sick and you feel uncomfortable.

This. And I totally get the frustration, but you can't dictate what others do. Unfortunately, this isn't going to end once you have the baby either. Sick people are going to think its fine to come around your baby too.

Case in point, last night at church this little girl comes up and gets right in DS's face and then says "I got to leave school today because I have a fever!" Of course I was irritated and wondered why the hell her parents brought her, but its not my place to say anything. So I was nice to her but I just made sure DS and I kept our distance from her the rest of the night.

jpagano113 · October 2014

I know the frustration you feel... The girl that sits next to me at work is sick every month. One month it's bronchitis, then the flu and she never takes a sick day. Luckily I worked from home a few days to avoid her but ufnfortunately even taking public transport everyday I'm surrounded by infected people all the time

just wash ur hands a lot and don't touch your face!

Mousy345 · October 2014

I feel sorry for the sick man. Have you thought about bringing him herbal tea or chicken soup? It is not unlikely that he feels like crap and wishes he HAD stayed home.

A bit of sympathy? Especially for someone you call a friend??

goatlady12 · October 2014

I get frustrated with this, but I have a coworker that comes over to my desk and touches everything while telling me she feels ill. That drives me insane, if you feel sick don't touch other people or their things.

That being said, you can get mad about it, but can't really force another adult to go home. If they had flu symptoms I would probably say something, but not over a cold.

weezy29 · October 2014

If someone has a fever, the flu or a stomach bug they should stay home, period! It's rude and inconsiderate to put others at risk because you refuse to stay home.

However, if it's a cold, sinus infection or just feeling under the weather I can see still going to work. If the person was truly sick, I 100% understand your feelings but even so, it isn't your place to make such a big deal about it. In that case, it's probably easier for you to avoid the person and take measures to keep yourself well, like washing hands and avoiding the person.

Manateearmz · October 2014

I hate when people come into work sick! We have the ability to WFH if needed so that saves me a lot.

I agree with @twolittledogs‌ wash your hands, stay away from him, use Lysol and Clorox wipes on everything!

ColoradoBoat · October 2014

Our new (less than 2 months) CEO told a sick staff member who was about to enter our all staff meeting not to come in and to finish what she needed to get done and go home. The only reason the staff member came in was because our CEO was about to head out for travel and staff member had just been traveling and wanted to make sure they touched based in the one day they had together in office.

I have to tell you that I fell in love with CEO when she told co-worker to go home.

cwbh928 · October 2014

We have a few sick employees right now, one in particular is in our area. Actually his cube is right next to mine and a co-worker. He is super sick but unfortunately, during month end close no days off are allowed! So we are all here!
I would never tell someone to not come to work - not my place! HOWEVER - I use hand sanitizer and every time he leaves his desk I spray his area with Lysol! I don't know if it helps but I don't care. My co-worker thinks it's hilarious and what's even more funny is that he hasn't noticed. #sorrynotsorry

khall7109 · October 2014

Couple things to mention just as a side note- not trying to justify my behavior just explain it a little bit. My coworker has 3 weeks of sick days built up. I never said it was just a cold- it's definitely more flu like. My coworker is usually complaining about sick people coming to work right along with me.

Manateearmz · October 2014

beckym1205 said:
I definitely have been a bit more "testy" about people being sick around me. I'm pretty sure I told my husband I would seriously hurt him if he got me sick a few months ago... and he did get me sick (and no I didn't harm him). Hope you're able to keep from catching anything.

Oh I tell DH all the time that if he gets me sick I'm burning the house down. I've already had a double ear infection in the first tri and I don't want to deal with that twice.

hzander2013 · October 2014

While telling him you'll kick him in the balls may not be the best way to tactfully handle it, it is inconsiderate to knowingly bring your germs around anyone that may be compromised in any way if you have any other option, particularly if it is more flu than cold.

I volunteer at a children's hospital on the oncology floor and I stay away if I've been exposed to anyone who has recently fallen ill.

I've been extremely fortunate to work at companies that request employees stay away and work from home if able while ill as not to infect the entire office. I've also informed my boss on occasions where I was not wanting to get sick myself and did not want to sit five feet from a sniffling co-worker too selfish to not take advantage of our generous office policy on the matter.

Hopefully you guys patch things up and he gets well and you don't get sick. I wouldn't beat yourself up too much for your reaction and just move forward.

ColeyCannoli · October 2014

Sort of an aside, years ago during the Swine flu scare I was visiting Japan with some friends. Nearly everyone in Tokyo was wearing a protective mask to prevent spreading disease. I thought it was brilliant and I adopted wearing a mask (cheap at CVS) whenever I'm feeling sick but still have to go to work or want to go out. Yeah, I get a lot of weird looks but I wish other people would consider it instead of just hacking all over their desks and coworkers. It could also help protect you (or at least make you feel a little better) to wear one. Or to go in with full PPE: mask, paper gown, eye shield... that'd show him

hzander2013 · October 2014

I'm not at all saying it is the same. My point is general consideration from people towards coworkers, pregnant or not, would be nice.

She brought up two points. It wasn't just a cold, she said symptoms were more flu-like. That's definitely more serious than a cold. If it's anything like the bug going around in my area, people are down, practically unable to move, for a couple of days at least.

Also it's her best work friend who likely then knows she's unable to get a flu shot. I'm certain that if she told him this and asked for either her option to work from home or for him to consider a sick day to get well himself that it wouldn't be out of line. The response may not be her choice, and the guy can do what he wants, some people don't realize how their actions impact others.

My point about the hospital was that it's just always good to be aware at least of the sick people you may be around and take extra care not to get sick yourself or pass it along if you can at all help it.

That was all.

Anyways, hope everyone is able to avoid the flu this year and has a happy and healthy rest of 2014.

Meether · October 2014

My coworker came in 2 days after she had the flu and my director flipped out on her. She clearly didn't look well but did not want to use up her paid time off. She ended up having to leave that day and took off the week. Our company only gives 5 sick days so people come to work sick even though they'd rather rest at home. I worked for a European company at my last job and we had unlimited sick days....no one abused it. I was there for 4 years and took one sick day for that period. I blame these behaviors on crappy benefits.

ColeyCannoli · October 2014

RaeChay said:

I find it unlikely that anyone especially non-medical could discern whether a coworker had cold vs flu symptoms. If it's the flu, one sick day isn't going to cut it anyway, and people usually feel awful enough to stay home. A cold is more likely to present worse at first glance because you're probably going to have a nasty productive cough, sneezing, and nose running like a faucet. It gets reiterated in all of these germaphobe posts, but one's own hand hygiene is going to be the most important in preventing illness, so being an asshole to other people is unwarranted.
^WSS. I am a nurse and I couldn't tell you without some real assessment and workup whether someone off the street who was sniffling and sneezing was suffering from cold or flu. I would also like to take this opportunity (for what feels like the thousandth time) to reiterate that influenza is a respiratory condition- so if the guy had anything bowel/nausea/vomiting related, that's also not flu.

This. Though I will say the flu can have gastro side effects in children. The biggest difference between the flu and a cold would be high fever and severity. You feel a lot sicker and a lot more achey with the flu than with a cold but "a lot sicker" is not easy for a doctor to define without tests, let alone coworkers.

JCM285 · October 2014

Sorry if this is an UO but I am a teacher and I get sick all the time. I always go to work unless I have a fever, the flu, or a virus. Its easy enough to go to work with a cold/sore throat even though it stinks. I'd rather have a day off when I'm feeling well and can get things done than when I'm sick and just sitting on the couch...

JennMof3 · October 2014

Sick people at work can be very frustrating. We had a guy come to work after his dr diagnosed him with shingles and said he was contagious. People can be really inconsiderate and it's more than a little bit annoying.

However I would caution all of the people who are mentioning using hand sanitizer might wanna look into the risks a little more. About a month or two ago the local news stations were cautioning pregnant women about the use of those products and even hand soaps with antibacterial. Their reporting was showing the chemicals were showing up in umbilical cord blood tests and the women's urine.

perfectlove09 · October 2014

katehgee said:
Yeah, sorry, but unless your work involves licking your coworker I think you're overreacting. Avoid him as much as you can and wash your hands a ton. It'll be ok.

Lol this just made me giggle. Several times. I'm actually still laughing. I want to know who here works somewhere that involves licking your coworker. Now THAT would be an interesting thread!

perfectlove09 · October 2014

ColeyCannoli said:
Sort of an aside, years ago during the Swine flu scare I was visiting Japan with some friends. Nearly everyone in Tokyo was wearing a protective mask to prevent spreading disease. I thought it was brilliant and I adopted wearing a mask (cheap at CVS) whenever I'm feeling sick but still have to go to work or want to go out. Yeah, I get a lot of weird looks but I wish other people would consider it instead of just hacking all over their desks and coworkers. It could also help protect you (or at least make you feel a little better) to wear one. Or to go in with full PPE: mask, paper gown, eye shield... that'd show him

This is actually very common in Japan. What I've learned from my visits there is that they don't get sick time (mostly) and the masks protect them all if someone isn't feeling well. I've been about 3/4 times and there are always tons of people with them on. I wish it was popular here too.

khall7109 · October 2014

Hi guys, just wanted to let you know that I was able to avoid getting sick!! However my sick coworker, who isn't sick with a cold- not sure where you all got that from, was able to infect 2 coworkers before he was finally sent home for a week. I hope they all get better soon!

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