Why do people come to work when they are sick?

[ShanaMama]

I know how horrible it feels to come to work feeling horrible and then have coworkers scream at you that you are going to get them sick. It's a really hard call to make when to take off.
But why, why do my coworkers have to come in when they are sick? I am a magnet for germs. I get sick every winter. I usually end up with bronchitis. And I am in my first trimester and would really NOT like to get sick today.
But I don't want to be nasty to this girl- just go home and get away from me! And don't come back till you're on antibiotics!
I so do not want to get sick now!!

[tnrnchick74]

Maybe you should invest in a surgical mask? Wear it around people who are coughing and hacking...and otherwise sick. I have found that when I do this, people ask me if I'm feeling ok - and I say "I'm feeling fine, but you are obviously sick and I don't want to catch your germs". That usually takes care of the problem :12:

[egfmba]

Maybe you should invest in a surgical mask? Wear it around people who are coughing and hacking...and otherwise sick. I have found that when I do this, people ask me if I'm feeling ok - and I say "I'm feeling fine, but you are obviously sick and I don't want to catch your germs". That usually takes care of the problem :12:


This is hilarious!!! I love this idea!

eva

[vludmilla]

I would think that wearing a mask is rather extreme. Sometimes when people are coughing and hacking, they are actually NOT contagious. In the past I've been sick for a few days but then had a cough for WEEKS afterward. Should I have stayed home for a month? I think not. I understand that a bad hacking cough sounds scary but sometimes it just isn't contagious. Also, antibiotics are NOT appropriate for many illnesses. If you've got a virus there is no need for antibiotics.

[ShanaMama]

Maybe you should invest in a surgical mask? Wear it around people who are coughing and hacking...and otherwise sick. I have found that when I do this, people ask me if I'm feeling ok - and I say "I'm feeling fine, but you are obviously sick and I don't want to catch your germs". That usually takes care of the problem :12:

ROFLOL!!! That's a great idea!

[tnrnchick74]

I would think that wearing a mask is rather extreme. Sometimes when people are coughing and hacking, they are actually NOT contagious. In the past I've been sick for a few days but then had a cough for WEEKS afterward. Should I have stayed home for a month? I think not. I understand that a bad hacking cough sounds scary but sometimes it just isn't contagious. Also, antibiotics are NOT appropriate for many illnesses. If you've got a virus there is no need for antibiotics.

I have asthma and bad allergies so I often have a hacking cough...but its also obvious when someone has the "crud" that you want to avoid. Viruses are contagious as well as bacterial infections. I work in an NICU, so they take contagions very seriously...fever >99.5 = stay home until fever free for 24 hrs; runny nose with green goop = stay home; ANY infection that you are on antibiotics for = stay home for a minimum of 24 hours; pink eye = stay home until cured...even if it takes 2+ weeks.

Yeah a mask may be extreme in some situations, but in the NICU it's better to be safe than sorry. A mild virus that would be annoying to you can kill our little babies.

[vludmilla]

My daughter was a premie and was in a NICU for weeks and therefore I'm very acquainted with the worries about illness and tiny babies. I was hypervigilant for months and months after I brought her home. Most people with 3 month old babies are out going shopping and eating in restaurants. I don't think I did anything like that until she was at least 6 months old. That said, I thought the mask and stay at home thing was extreme. Of course, if the coworker you were referring to works in the NICU, then I completely agree that hypervigilance about illness and contagion is more than appropriate. If you work in an office or similar setting, as most of us do, then a little coughing should not be so intolerable. That was my point.