Sick People

[MJ]

One of my personal rants is that right now we have four co-workers with the full blown flu - sitting here coughing, wheezing, sneezing, and touching everything in sight. They only stay home for 1 day and then bring all the germs back in and get everyone else sick.

I think I am safe as I am flying out today for the HOB show -

Arrrgghhhh

[AnneG]

Douse them all with Lysol, or campaign for a better sick policy!!

[raspathens]

About a week ago I was sitting at a bar and ordered my usual turkey sandwich and sweet tea for lunch. The discussion behind the bar was about how my server was in the process of fighting the flu. She looked like hell. Also, there is a bartender that I have gotten to know who insists on shaking my hand with his fat sweaty paw every time I go in there. He is a perpetual sniffle guy. What is with people?

[Jay52]

Much of my business includes regular resturant visits. You would not believe what goes on out there. Resturant and bar owners cannot get good help at the pay they offer. On the flip side, the people that are employed as servers must work to make ends meet and that includes working when they are sick. I can't tell you how many times I have heard employees told that if they don't show up, they are fired. Panic sets in and its all because the owners are too lazy to lift a finger to help.

A server makes next to nothing other than tips, and thats one of the reasons they have to work.

Things are very bad out there and not just in the resturant business either. Its everywhere.

Blame it on the business owners. Not all, but the majority.

[Muzza]

Hey... you want to see how many sick people I see at work!!!!

Muzza

[AnneG]

Yes....how many?

[darlene]

I teach string instruments to kids in public school and there is always a myriad of different illnesses going on with them. I love them dearly but they sneeze and cough all over me, especially since I have to go to each one constantly and touch their hands, forming them into the correct playing position! Amazingly, I must have built up an immunity over the years, because I rarely get sick.

Instruments carry a plethora of germs! The one time I remember most vividly is when a girl had conjunctivitis. Of course, that makes eyes painful and itchy and I'm sure she was touching her eyes. I caught pinkeye from her 3 times!!! I'd get rid of it and then teach her class and get it back again. One day in desperation, I brought Lysol in and covered the piano and washed her violin all over in it! We both got over the darn thing after that.

Just before my round of school Winter concerts last year, all the kids in one school came down with the stomach virus. I couldn't afford to miss school because I had in-school assembly programs as well as concerts to give, and I had to rehearse them as well, so I donned rubber surgical gloves and followed strict removal procedure so I wouldn't get any germs on my hands and made it through unscathed. When the kids saw me in rubber gloves they thought *I* had something near-fatal!

I had to explain it was a preventive measure.

I keep hand sanitizer with me always!

--Darlene

[Poptopian cult member]

Five words people:

Wet Ones antibacterial moist wipes (Kills 99.9 percent of bacteria)

OK, ten words if you count the parentheses...

Here's the thing... this is one thing you need to be pro-active about. The world will not change for you on this... your hands (and rubbing your eyes, believe it or not) are way up there in how you get viruses... so keep some of these handy... or whatever antibacterial you prefer... Darlene's right!

[Muzza]

Anne... today... about 70. Sometimes its more... sometimes its less. I am very experienced at washing my hands now.

Muzza

[ECatw]

I always follow a coworker's advice whenever I'm on an airplane. Turn off the air vent so it doesn't blow any recycled germs on you and never touch the magazine(s) that are in the pouch in back of the seat in front of you. This seems to work whenever I travel. Good advice and yes always wash your hands for a least 15 seconds!

[HT from Mo]

I've not really gotten sick - flu, etc for several years. But chronic sinus problems are what I'm "sick" of!

As for washing hands, I've heard that you need to wash your hands for as long as it takes you to say the alphabet.

HT

[LostControl]

In all my years of working, I've only had 1 employer who offered sick day benefits. That's the reason people come to work ill - they need the pay.

With kids, parents send them to school sick, because keeping your kids home from school means having to stay home from work yourself, or finding alternate care arrangements. I think I'm the only parent who keeps my kid home when he's ill. My mom is a teacher, and there have been some very sick kids sent to school, because the parents had to work...

[The Kiwi Connection]

Here in NZ everyone is entitled to at least 10 sick days a year, this includes time off to look after a sick child or family member.

We also get 4weeks paid holiday a year in addition to the Statutory Days (Easter, Christmas, etc.)

Do you get Bereavement Leave or Maternity Leave?

[AnneG]

Bereavement leave and maternity leave are usually standard, although coverage varies by employer. Bereavement may be granted (1 day) but might be limited to just a 'close' family member (parent, sibling, child).

My boss is a cat lover, and she gave me a bereavement day when my mother's cat died (my mother wanted the cat buried out of town.....).

So - anything is possible!

Anne

[The Kiwi Connection]

Bereavement Leave is much the same here Anne.

[darlene]

Immediate family bereavement leave for teachers in my school system is up to 5 days for an immediate family member (spouse, child, parent, etc) and 1 day for others.

We get 10 sick days and 3 personal days (that become accumulated sick days for the next if you don't use them that year), but they do look askance at you if you take more than a couple of days off per school year.

Since they don't get a sub for me and my kids only see me once a week for a 35 minute lesson, I don't take off unless I can't stand up.

--Darlene

[Julie]

I work in a nursing home. We only get a paid sick day on the 2nd day of the illness and only if we go to the doctor and get an excuse. The pay isn't that great, so everybody comes to work sick. So frustrating.

A sicky came in my office the other day and used my phone and then proceeded to cough and sneeze all over my favorite pen that she picked up. I told her to keep it and as soon as she left the room, I got out the Lysol and cleaned my phone, desk, door, etc.... Yuck!

[BeatleJay]

Something I don't understand is the fact that so many people think the right thing to do is to sneeze or cough into thier hands! Gee, that won't spread any germs, will it?

[MJ]

LMAO - oh and today at work one came back and it looks like 2 are on their way out with the flu - so I believe there is only 1 person left to get it or some lower dose version like I have - my nose just keep running and running and running - I feel like I should be walking around with a tissue shoved up my nose - and I HAVE been known to do that - it looks so attractive lol.

[JuliaD]

Last Thursday I woke up at 2 AM extremely sick, after going to bed perfectly fine at 11 PM. I'll spare you the gory details, lets just say in 20 hours I lost 6 pounds!

Lots of people at work have been sick since Thanksgiving, I'm just one of the latest casualties. I DO believe hand washing helps tremendously, but remember, I get icing and food coloring on me a hundred times a day, there are probably doctors who don't wash their hands as often as I do at work.

With the economy, and the holidays upon us, yes, most people need the money, but for the better part, most people need THE JOB... you miss too much work in my neck of the woods, you're fired, sick or not. Employers just don't care anymore.