Do You Work When Sick, or Give Yourself a Sick Day or Two?

As the cold rain sprinkles down across Southwest Oklahoma, it's hard to ignore the number of sneezes and snorting going on throughout the building. It's that point in the year when everyone either has no more vacation/sick leave to take, or they don't want to ruin their upcoming holiday by burning the days left they've saved all year being miserable at home.

It needs to be said... If you're sick, you shouldn't be at work since your decision might impact others' lives. Ain't nobody got time for spreading the sickness around the holidays.

It's just allergies...

In December? Who has seasonal allergies in December after eight hard freezes?

All the same, I've done it too... but I was typically working alone. It's not even a worry anymore. I spent the pandemic building an office studio at home from all of the spare parts I found in the basement at work. No more sick days, just work-from-home days, but some people don't get that option.

I've worked with one person that would always come in sick. That person wouldn't even hide it, and they certainly wouldn't let it get in the way of social time. "I'm not running fever, it's not contagi(coughcoughcoughcough)ous." All because they didn't want to give up one of their days off to get better.

"If you can be sick at home, you might as well be sick at work."

It's more of an old-school mentality, work before all others... While it still exists in our older generations, the youngest generations are tuned into it also. With the ability to work remotely from anywhere, sick days are increasingly shrinking across the board. If only every place of business had that option. I'd swing by your house if you had hot links and smokey beans ready for me...

I'd like to get your thoughts on it, and since we're practically strangers, there's no reason to not be honest... Do you go to work when you're sick? Or do you do the responsible thing and stay home?