Sick in the Office

randomshenans

randomshenans

randomshenans

Soldato
Joined
11 Sep 2009
Posts
14,068
Location
France, Alsace
My headphones have died at work and I'm waiting for them to charge... meanwhile, I have the constant noise of the dude 2 desks over coughing every 10 seconds. Like a lung is coming up.

I don't normally notice it due to the old music in my ears, but without it you realise how grating it is.

There are a couple of people I know who are like germaphobes, who will WFH if they get a slight hint that someone in the office sneezed or coughed, but I'm like not really too arsed about that, if you get sick you get sick I suppose.
Now days though, pressure is to stay at work and show you're working regardless of if you're about to die... so do people think you should WFH (if you have the option to do so) if you're suffering from a cough/ cold/ lurgy?

Where do we draw the line?
 
I never get any work done when I am WFH because I don't have a study or room I can work from comfortably on a desk. I have a nagging wife and hyperactive kid running around also when I WFH so I come to work and spread my germs when I am ill !!
 
For me on Monday, it was, "can you get the Christmas decorations down from the loft?" Errrr no, its November 25th, "I want them down, we're busy at the weekend". I mean, I've done the school run morning and afternoon, helped with dinner, I need to get on with my blooming work.
 
Yes if the option is there and it's suitable for you to do so. It's more pleasant for everyone and means you're not taking half the team down with you.
 
Currently off with coughing lungs up myself - will WFH if needed, but as most of my job at the moment involves constant talking/instruction I'm doing the absolute minimum

Normally WFH two half days a week, and find it the most productive for me as I have no work interruptions
 
Wegason said:
For me on Monday, it was, "can you get the Christmas decorations down from the loft?" Errrr no, its November 25th, "I want them down, we're busy at the weekend". I mean, I've done the school run morning and afternoon, helped with dinner, I need to get on with my blooming work.
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Jesus, are you me? :D
 
Our receptionist is currently coughing her guts up. Not going anywhere near. I just sprayed down some keys with flash and washed my hands, I don't want to catch anything, especially with a daughter with a low immune system. It's stupid, there's a guy here with a new born baby too, he doesn't need to be taking that home. I say don't be a hero and stay at home.
 
All them with nagging spouses - Have them email their work requests to your line manager, enquiring of him/her whether the tasks can be blended into your workstreams...

I can't WFH as it'd mean lugging a desktop back and forth, and my home internet doesn't go faster than 0.7Mpbs, so the office apps won't even run at such slow speeds!
 
I work from home often but am set up specifically to do so as in ipsec, h.323 pass through for calls to my IP phone. Proper desk, office etc. If I'm working from home then the wife knows the rules, they are simple rules, leave me alone until 4/5pm if you also happen to be working from home. WFH should not be an excuse to do nothing, if anything I do a lot more, work longer hours and feel a lot more productive in the home office.
 
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Unless you or someone you live with has serious immunity issues or suchlike exposing yourself to normal colds and flu will boost *your* long term immunity and reduce the need for doctors being asked to dish out antibiotics for the least thing, which humans are now becoming extremely resistant to. I went to school with a lad whose parents were hyper sensitive to his exposing himself to others with normal lurgies, and he had a miserable time, constantly refused access to parties in case he "caught something" and cajoled to scrub down like an ebola worker every five minutes. I doubt he's ever touched soil or handled an animal in his life, last time we met he was bemoaning the state of the pub toilets, and holding his glass to the light to examine it in detail, which to be fair were all scrupulously clean. The healthiest people I know seem to work in the most unhygienic of trades... Proper kids eat worms for a bet and get cold, wet and muddy ;)
 
Wegason said:
For me on Monday, it was, "can you get the Christmas decorations down from the loft?" Errrr no, its November 25th, "I want them down, we're busy at the weekend". I mean, I've done the school run morning and afternoon, helped with dinner, I need to get on with my blooming work.
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Haha I get this too. I work from home permanently as my office is 1500 miles away and my wife is off one day during the week. I’ve had to explain to her a few times that her days off aren’t my days off.

She does well keeping the kids out of my office when they’re home too otherwise I’d get nothing done.

It used to irritate me when I worked in an office and people would come in when they’re sick. Just stay home and use your sick time, that’s what it’s there for!
 
My workplace tries to dissuade people from using sick days.
Last couple years, if I take no sick days, I get double bonus.
I've used my holidays instead before
 
Do what the chinese do and wear a SARs mask. Im lucky in that nobody approaches me, if they do i make a completely random off topic comment, get "that look" followed by "rrrright", and thats one less germ carrier to worry about
 
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