I think now is an opportune time to talk about an ever-prevalent question when you have a job: what do you do when you're sick? Considering Brendan digested some mischievous chicken, and that right now my plugged nose wants to kill me, I thought I'd muse on the moral dilemma that arises when you're actually SICK and have to decide whether to go to work. Just to let you know, I will not talk about the subject of "calling in sick" when we're healthy because, like inventing a fever in elementary school to miss a test, we all do it. Here are the scenarios; you can decide for yourselves and leave your comments below.
On Tuesday, Brendan felt fine until lunch: a half-hour after his chicken parm, Sam forced him to go home, as he had food poisoning. Although he felt awful, he was reluctant to leave and miss out on a day's work. He felt he would be letting me down (I assured him I'd be fine), and that he should wait it out. Sam and I, both slightly vomit-phobic, thought it was best if he take care of himself. Luckily, Brendan is back in the office today, and he's as energetic as ever.
On my end, a cold has left me a bit dazed and grumpy today. The worst part is that my nose has been completely blocked since Monday--and I'm talking breathe-out-of-your-mouth blocked. This morning I debated calling in sick, thinking that if I came to work I could spread my cold to everyone else, but I decided that the work is more important. Sudafed is useful, but my eyes are starting to glaze over.
So my question is, how much harm does working through sickness cause? Does the quality of your work slump so much that it's better just to stay home? Or, if you stay home, will you lose the valuable time you need to get your work done? Then there's always the conflict of losing a day's pay, which can be crucial for us poor students. I think that either way, we get behind when we're sick, so I guess we have to let our immune systems decide for us. Readers, tell me your opinions and stories about being sick on the job!
Other than that, week three is going well. Our subject for video number 4 : interns and the city. Check out the video shortly...I'm keeping you in suspense.
Goodbye, Au revoir, Ciao, Later,
-Kate
4 comments:
Kate,
I'm sorry that you have a stuffed up nose. I always appreciate the integrity of those that go to work knowing that it is going to be a tuff day.
I manage the valet at the Hotel Monaco in Salt Lake City, and a lot of times I find myself working with guys that aren't as meticulous in their work ethics.
Cheers!
If memory serves, there are studies out there on this very subject.
My honest opinion is that it's better to take a sick day and get better, than to risk heading into the office and playing the role of Typhoid Mary/Mark (as the case may be).
Hope Brendan and yourself are feeling much better.
Hello!
I just discovered the content of this blog, thanks to an email announcement from Experience and I'll register on this feed to keep following it. So, good luck to both writers for this Summer internship! I look forwards to more articles from you!
I agree with yyz-ramp-rat. I would add that sickness represents a signal from your body that, sometimes, you should listen to. I know lots of people with very strong professional conscience who will not leave work until they actually pass out. They will assure you that they aren't so sick that they can't work and that they should simply wait for the symptoms to die out on their own. They'll argue that with good medicines and lots of plant infusions, they'll be fine. The problem then is that they will either end up in the hospital or at least be ordered to stay in bed for 2 or more weeks. They might also drag these symptoms for weeks and weeks, thus adding to the usual stress of daily life and risking exhaustion, even burn-out. The other problem is that their sickness might also reduce their concentration at work and make them do serious mistakes that can harm the work of their colleagues and even the whole company. In my opinion, taking a proper care of one's own body and not pushing it beyond its limits all the way to its breaking point is also a personal responsibility towards oneself and people around at home and at work.
Moreover, being sick at home doesn't mean you get completely disconnected from what is going on in the office. In my former job, when I would get really sick (fever, nausea, strong head- and articulation aches, coughing, asthma...), I would still do some work from home, at a slower pace of course (Thank you computers and Internet!). My boss would call me from times to times to ask how I was doing and keep me updated on what was going on at the office. So, when I would return to work a few days later, I wouldn't be completely behind schedule and ignorant of the latest developments.
Where are you all interning at?
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