If You Are Sick, Stay Home

I want to take this opportunity to get on my soapbox about people who are ill with some sort of cough due to cold/, or the flu, or bronchitis, or anything involving fever. If you have one of these types of illnesses and you work for a living, do your co-workers a favor and stay home.

I don't know why it is that America has become the country where work comes before everything in life, but for whatever reason it has and it is probably the one thing I dislike most about this great country. I think we should adapt to the European way of life where we close the doors for a month every year and deal with the work when we return from holiday - seems like a much better way of life. The same goes for sickness. I don't understand for the life of me why people come to work when they are sick - that's what sick leave is for, people!

I bring all this up because this week my supervisor is sick. On Monday she sent us an email that she had fever, etc. and that she was going to work form home and go to the doctor later that afternoon. We never heard from her again that day and then she showed up to work on Tuesday morning with a terrible cough and looking like death warmed over. I told her not to be coming in with some disease and spreading her germs around. I also asked her what the doctor said - well, she didn't go. Her fever broke mid-morning on Monday and so she decided not to go to the doctor. All I could think was "I wonder how many days I have until I am feeling terrible?" Wednesday, she came back to work and her cough was worse than it had been on Tuesday. She came to me around 11:30 that morning and asked me to take care of some things for her that afternoon because she was leaving to go to the doctor - thank you!

Wednesday afternoon she sent us all an email and said that she was sorry in advance if anyone gets sick because she is contagious! Great, just great. This, friends, is a prime example of why people should go to the doctor and then stay at home when they are sick instead of thinking they can fight it off and come into work, which will inevitably result in contaminating lots of other co-workers.

So, today is now Thursday and thankfully my supervisor stayed at home and I certainly hope she gets better soon. I, however, started feeling a little achy Wednesday afternoon and today just feel kind of blah. I am hoping against hope that I do not get whatever illness it is that my supervisor has because I have a very busy few days in my future and do not have time for illness nor do I want to be sick, in general. So, fingers crossed that I will not get full blown sick and if I do then I will be sending the bill to my supervisor.

In all seriousness, though, please stay home if you are sick. The rest of us do not want your germs. Some of us get sick enough without your help. Thanks for listening to this Public Service Announcement.