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Honored Contributor
Posts: 30,918
Registered: ‎05-10-2010

Re: Why Do Bosses Make You Feel Guilty....

I'll tell you what I tell my staff; if you don't feel well enough to function at work when you wake up, call in sick as early as possible.  You had plenty of time to call in sick, going to work was your choice.  I'm sure why, no one is indespensible and finding coverave is your boss's job.  So, you show up and spread your germs and can't really function and then surprise surprise; you have go home early.  No one is mad that you are sick and must go home; the are mad that you selfishly came into work.  Oh,I forgot.  You also walked around all morning honking and slobbering and snorting and telling the world how sick you were.  If you didn't want spread your germs....why did you go to work? 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 25,929
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Why Do Bosses Make You Feel Guilty....

I once had a unit manager who would not let me go home when I had a stomach flu. I wasn't getting anything done and everyone was having to help me - so our medical director told me to go home before every patient in the ICU had diarrhea & vomiting so I called the manager. She said I had to stay my 12 hours and was berating me about wanting to leave and I had to throw up - I started to head to the BR and she told me come back here I'm not thru talking to you- so I threw up all over her. Do you believe - she went home then and I had to stay until they found someone to relieve me.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 18,504
Registered: ‎05-23-2010

Re: Why Do Bosses Make You Feel Guilty....

I have had the situation for the last 18 years that I work the early shift, and have often worked alone for 3-5 hours. So if I called in, there was no one to man the (major hospital) dept. and all hail would break loose. Consequently, my supv was perfectly okay with *every other person*, who worked later shifts, calling in sick - because I was already there - but *I* got attitude on the few occasions when I called in. The only person who was ever questioned or hassled was me, because I was the lynchpin.

 

The lynchpin retires in 3 days 😎

Life without Mexican food is no life at all
Valued Contributor
Posts: 949
Registered: ‎05-22-2010

Re: Why Do Bosses Make You Feel Guilty....

I've had those bosses in the past. Currently I have an amazing boss. If we come sick into the office, she sends us home, doesn't mind when we ask for days off and encourages vacations. It honestly makes me want to be a better employee and look forward going to work. She told me she has zero fear in giving up control and its insecure bosses that fear giving up control. Think the "bad" bosses are often insecure and its why they wield the iron fist. They sure don't encourage employees to be good  productive workers do they? They actually probably produce less productive workers and higher turnovers. 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 20,163
Registered: ‎10-04-2010

Re: Why Do Bosses Make You Feel Guilty....

[ Edited ]

@Plaid Pants2, if your boss doesn't let you go home when you feel sick, set there until your boss has to "help you" back to your desk. Give your boss (almost wrote boos) your germs. That's just plain silly. Actually boo's fits this person. Hope you feel better soon.

 

If your boss does that again, ask if they have your emergency number handy, should they need to call an ambulance for you. Just kidding. If you are sick, I'd go home.

 

Stupid boss.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 20,163
Registered: ‎10-04-2010

Re: Why Do Bosses Make You Feel Guilty....

@CatsyCline, I love your little dog picture.

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Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 6,814
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Why Do Bosses Make You Feel Guilty....

[ Edited ]

Sorry you’re feeling bad.  You went the extra mile to come in to make sure everything was covered until they could find someone.  Your boss should’ve appreciated that because you could have stayed home. 

 

I’ve had some similar experiences. I did what a couple of people mentioned here.  When I had to leave or take off I told my boss I was leaving or taking off.  I never asked.  If I had done that I would’ve never left. 

 

I hope you feel better soon.  Heart

Honored Contributor
Posts: 17,491
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Why Do Bosses Make You Feel Guilty....

I'm sorry you're sick and hope you feel better soon and can stay home long enough to recover properly.

 

That said, many states, counties and localities have sick leave laws now (and many more are coming in the future unless they are blocked by the courts as is the case in Pittsburgh right now).

 

Check to see if your state, city or county that you WORK in (not the one you live in) has one and familiarize yourself with the rules of it.  They are all different, some do not allow your manager to deny your sick leave request, but some do.

 

The problem is, if your manager is unsympathetic to illness there is nothing you can do about it.  He may allow you to take off, but he/she will hold it against you until the end of time and make you pay in other ways.

 

I will never understand that mindset.  Also, managers who don't talk to you for the last 2 weeks of your notice period when you resign.  What is this, kindergarten?

 

I have to say, until I was about 35, I almost always went to work sick and powered through.  I had one virus where I was forced to stay home by my doctor for several weeks in my late 20s as the virus came from a trip to Grenada and it wasn't known exactly what it was and how contageous it was (I got it from a roommate to traveled there).

 

I had an epiphany about a lot of things around the age of 35 and one thing I realized is that nobody cared or appreciated that I came in sick and worked.  Sure they appreciated it that morning, but 3 months or 3 years later, it meant nothing and certainly didn't carry any weight when something happened that cast a shadow on my performance.

 

Unfortunately, the only way out of that is to find a different job (easier said than done).  But it's hard to know if you would find a boss who would be more sympathetic next time.

===================================
QVC Shopper - 1993

# IAMTEAMWEN
Honored Contributor
Posts: 20,019
Registered: ‎08-08-2010

Re: Why Do Bosses Make You Feel Guilty....


@chrystaltree wrote:

I'll tell you what I tell my staff; if you don't feel well enough to function at work when you wake up, call in sick as early as possible.  You had plenty of time to call in sick, going to work was your choice.  I'm sure why, no one is indespensible and finding coverave is your boss's job.  So, you show up and spread your germs and can't really function and then surprise surprise; you have go home early.  No one is mad that you are sick and must go home; the are mad that you selfishly came into work.  Oh,I forgot.  You also walked around all morning honking and slobbering and snorting and telling the world how sick you were.  If you didn't want spread your germs....why did you go to work? 


Some of you must have had some really great jobs. Others have not.

 

I know one place I worked, I was a manger and the only one scheduled some mornings who could open up and let people in. If I didn't show up and let them in, then get the management functions started until the next manager came in, the employees would be sitting out on the sidewalk. 

 

I'd like to have a dollar for the number of times I went in with the intention of opening up, and when the other supervisor arrived, going home and resting my illness away. It never failed, though, most times, I'd have at least one other person call off, and our crew was so small, that I would't be able to leave or we'd be so understaffed we couldn't get the work done.

 

There are people who work places that have so little staff, and no one to call in, so unless they are practically on their death bed, they do show up out of a sense of obligation, not to mention they fear for their job. Not all companies are kind, and many give points for absences, with a certain number of points leading to disciplinary action or termination. So when you have already called off because of sick kids one month, car trouble another, having to take a family member to treatments, etc. then you yourself get sick, you are sometimes forced to show up and hope you can make it through the day, to save those points for when your kids or some other bigger emergency might take you away from work.

 

Also, there is a whole world of people out there who don't get paid if they don't show up. They have no paid sick time and any leave has to be arranged in advance. My husband has no sick leave at his job with UPS. I know, a major company like this has no paid sick time (at least not in his union). So he goes to work when he doesn't feel well, or looses a day's pay. Many people cannot afford to loose a day's pay because they are snotting around and are germy.

 

Is it right to expose others? Probably not, but the whole sanctimonious attitude of posters here who seem to not be able to fathom how anyone would show up to work sick just irritates me. Consider yourself lucky if you've always had the luxury of being able to call off sick when you don't feel well, and remember that everyone else might not be as lucky.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 15,256
Registered: ‎05-11-2012

Re: Why Do Bosses Make You Feel Guilty....


@baker wrote:

I worked as a ward clerk in a nursing home and also in a hospital for years. The nurses could not call off sick come h-ll or high water. I remember women coming in who were so sick they spent most of the time in the rest room. One time we had a nurse collaspe and had to be carried out of the place. A nurse tried to call off during a terrible snow storm and the supervisor insisted she try to make it into work, the nurse was killed in an accident on her way in.


@blackhole99, I used to work at a hospital as an RN, and you are absolutely right. They didn't care if you were sick. Those poor already, compromised patients were exposed to sick staff. Unbelievable!