If You’re Sick, Stay Home

I recently returned from a business trip to Los Angeles where one of my coworkers was quite ill…read burning up with fever and hacking like an emphysema patient. And he came to work. And I was pissed.

No, this has not a thing to do with travel, but it has quite a lot to do with business and the relationships you develop with your coworkers. I’ve seen this kind of thing happen a thousand times, and it makes me sick. This person had no business being anyplace but in his bed trying to recover, yet he was at work, potentially passing his disgusting germs on to me and the several hundred other people he was in contact with that day. I very sincerely hope that I never work with this guy again, who is otherwise a very nice person. We had not the opportunity to work together previously, but this incident and his lack of consideration for those around him effectively ruined any business relationship we may have developed.

Some people seem to think it’s some sort of badge of honor to go to work sick. Like you have what the military calls the intestinal fortitude to get the job done, even when you’re not feeling well. Guess what? Your coworkers don’t want you around. I don’t care if you want to man up and prove to everyone that a little flu isn’t going to stop you. If you pass those germs on to me, then I’m going to have to take time off of work that I can’t afford. I try to take good care of myself, eating right, exercising, but it does me no good when some jerk comes to the office with a virus, coughing hundreds of times in my vicinity.

Don’t come looking for sympathy from me when you talk about the 6 different kinds of medicine you’ve taken. You’re still contagious and I don’t want you breathing your hot, contaminated breath on me. If you were in kindergarten, there is no way in hell they would let you in the classroom.

If you’re sick, stay home. It’s not rocket surgery. Don’t bring all of your nasty germs to work to pass along to your colleagues.