4/27/2006
Too Sick to Work?
We all know that there are plenty of people out there who have called in sick when they were OK to work.
There are many reasons for this:
* People need to take a “mental health” day.
* Something came up .
* There are too many chores that need to get done.
Lastly, and my favorite, your bat-$@#%-crazy manager drives you to do it. Of course, this could go under “mental health” day, but I think it needs its own category.
Mental Health Day:
People need to take a “mental health” day. This, more and more, is becoming widely acceptable as a reason for calling out. Mental stress is just a valid reason as physical stress to need time off to “defrag”. Sometimes it just feels good to watch morning re-runs of “Little House on the Prairie” rather than deal with the joys of work. Believe me, I would have rather watched episodes of “Saved by the Bell” and/or “Trading Spouses” than go in most days. Besides, sometimes it is absolutely necessary to go to the beach in order to make oneself feel better.
Something Came Up
Of course personal days should be used in most cases for last-minute issues, but if you have the sick days to burn, then every so often this isn’t a bad option. Are you having furniture delivered or is the cable guy coming by for an appointment? Are you really going to go to work after coming in at 4 am from seeing U2 and then driving half the night back home? How functional will you be at work? It shouldn’t be a crime to take a sick day as long as it’s done within reason.
Chores
Again, personal days should be used for things like this, but sometimes it can’t be avoided. I mean, you can only take so many personal days when you’re interviewing for other jobs.
The Devil Made Me Do It
Sometimes your manager is an idiot and you just cannot be around the stupidity for another minute. Constant exposure to that couldn’t possibly be good for your health. Also, if this idiot has caused a ridiculous amount of stress, then you actually will be sick when you call out. I remember taking a sick day once to have an upper endoscopy performed to confirm acid reflux. It was something that I looked forward to because I would have the day off. There’s something really wrong when you look forward to having a medical procedure like this just to have a day off from work. But I was.
All in all, sick days need to be taken when you are truly sick. It’s also important for employers to remember that happy employees don’t call out sick as often as the unhappy ones. There’s a correlation there to be aware of. If you find yourself calling out more and more when you’re not actually sick, it may be time to ask yourself if it’s time to move on.
© Copyright 2006 Pied Piper Consulting
Comments:
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Little House on the Prairie sucks.
And yet, it sucks much less than working some days.
IP would like to update everyone that he loves his new career and doesn't mind working late or driving all over creation for meetings. Doesn't even mind waking up in the mornings. Life is good.
Oh, and old Boss has repeated his offer several times that: "When this new thing doesn't work out, you can come back." Thanks for the vote of confidence pal. I'd rather nail my penis to a burning building.
In which case, I would not be peeing freely.
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And yet, it sucks much less than working some days.
IP would like to update everyone that he loves his new career and doesn't mind working late or driving all over creation for meetings. Doesn't even mind waking up in the mornings. Life is good.
Oh, and old Boss has repeated his offer several times that: "When this new thing doesn't work out, you can come back." Thanks for the vote of confidence pal. I'd rather nail my penis to a burning building.
In which case, I would not be peeing freely.
# posted by 
: 7:58 AM
: 7:58 AM < Home>
