NFT: Taking a sick day: Did I mess up and is it a big deal?

there's a certain basic pride factor in being dedicated and earning what you get.

is turning into a bunch of pussies.

Not going to work because you think you might be getting sick. Holy shit.

if you're putting me on a 'you don't have much of a future list' then you're an idiot. Honestly, a single miscommunication doesn't make a person. There is not a long record of this. I spoke to my former boss who works at our comapny and he basically said it's a big nothing burger. I care and am ambitious. But if you're going to take that attitude, you're basically demeaning any person who made a poor judgement now and then.

I just am sick. So if you think that you can judge me based on a situation, where I probably made a mistake in communication not work ethic, then its silly to take that attitude and I wouldn't want to work for you anywa.

This shouldn't impact your job long term if what you say is true. Just comes off false because again, people who are secure and good at their job wouldn't sweat this.

I can't wait until you have to manage someone. Sometimes, that's what it takes to understand.

very simple tasks in life is what I've learned from some of his threads on here.

because you took a day off for a possible oncoming cold, your future is even further limited because you brought calculus into work and you said "nothing burger"

I wouldn't be surprised if you get perp walked on Monday.

Sad.

In comment 14208653 Gman11 said:

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is turning into a bunch of pussies. Not going to work because you think you might be getting sick. Holy shit.

Actually, yes. I don't want a coworker coming in who is coming down with something. Call me crazy.

can be brutal and some of the posters can go f' yourselves. I know I fucked up, but the point I was asking was how serious it was. Whether I'm secure or not in my job is about personal confidence, not whether I'm good or not. I'm insecure about a lot of things, but that's my problem.

I think i'm good and I don't need to prove it to you. I've had some bosses that have been rat bastards, where performance is not based on merit, but on where you fit in a clique. So insecurity can stem from a lot of things that are out of my control.

So if some of you want to go all fire and brimstone over a sick day that was communicated incorrectly, then go ahead, but it's a completely unsophisticated look at real workplace dynamics. It's not a thoughtful analysis - it's a gut reaction about smoeone you don't know.

In comment 14208622 BillKo said:

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In comment 14208469 Bill in UT said: Quote: In comment 14208395 Earl the goat said: Quote: There shouldn’t be paid sick days People take advantage all the time If you work you get paid. If you don’t work you shouldn’t get paid Earl, I'll jump on your bandwagon, lol. As the previous owner of a small (6 employees) business, I counted on everyone, especially myself, to be at work every day. I had 2 weeks paid vacation for everyone, but didn't guarantee any sick or personal days. I did generally pay them if they were reliable employees and called in sick, but they weren't assured of that, and it had better not become a pattern. And my people almost always showed up for work. If anyone asked about vacation or sick day policy at a job interview, I passed on them. You passed on anyone asking about vacation time? You may have lost some good people potentially. People deserve (and should know beforehand) what the policy is, including sick time. Anyone ever quit after they found about your policy? lol

I was always upfront at interviews about vacation time and my feelings about guaranteed sick/personal days. The only surprises anyone got were positive ones. Also, if it started snowing during the day and it looked like the drive home might be hazardous, I'd shut down and let everyone go home early on me. I wasn't an ogre :)

Sick ppl shouldn't come into the office and potentially get everyone else sick. Whats so hard to understand?

and then when he gets some he doesn't like, he throws a hissy fit.

Typical.

Here's an idea. Learn how to call out sick. It's something literally the entire working population has mastered...except for you, apparently.

In comment 14208694 Dave in Hoboken said:

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and then when he gets some he doesn't like, he throws a hissy fit. Typical. Here's an idea. Learn how to call out sick. It's something literally the entire working population has mastered...except for you, apparently.

The guy screwed up & recognizes that in hindsight. Cut him a little slack. No need for the snarky comments.

In comment 14208696 SFGFNCGiantsFan said:

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In comment 14208694 Dave in Hoboken said: Quote: and then when he gets some he doesn't like, he throws a hissy fit. Typical. Here's an idea. Learn how to call out sick. It's something literally the entire working population has mastered...except for you, apparently. The guy screwed up & recognizes that in hindsight. Cut him a little slack. No need for the snarky comments.

Nah. If you start a thread like this, you're asking for all opinions. You don't then cry about it when you get some that you don't want. You start a thread like this, you have to expect to get some opinions that are not going to be what you're hoping to hear.

You have a couple choices. Move past it and forget about it and just bust your ass at work to make up for it. Or if it is really bothering you and causing that much stress and anxiety, just go to your boss on Monday, man up and say to him "You know what, taking Friday off was probably bad judgement on my part and looking back on it, I regret it. I'm sorry for any inconvenience it caused the team. If there's anything I can do to make it up, just let me know. This will not happen again."

In comment 14208443 Earl the goat said:

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In comment 14208422 djm said: Quote: In comment 14208395 Earl the goat said: Quote: There shouldn’t be paid sick days People take advantage all the time If you work you get paid. If you don’t work you shouldn’t get paid Oh for fucks sake you suck. Ok asshole. You should listen to Larry Birds story about his father He said he watched his father put on his boots one morning to go to work with a broken ankle His father said to him. You don’t get paid to stay home Not that I think it should be carried to that extreme but a lot of people take advantage of the system Larry Bird said that was the best advice he ever had and he took it with him onto the basketball court where he always suited up whether he was in pain or not More people should have those values So my response is that You Suck

Larry Bird's dad off'ed himself.

Probably not best example.

I have worked as an orthopedic surgeon for 34 years and have only missed two days of work if I were scheduled to work (not on holiday) and those two days were consecutive with food poisoning, where I was in bed thinking that if there is a God, please take me now, because it was really horrific. Aside from those two days, I show up at work, no matter how I feel, because I feel like I owe it to patients that have appointments to see me, and not have them have to reschedule and inconvenience them. For the staff however, I don't feel that way. If they're sick, then they're sick and I never question their integrity. They work hard when at the office and, if its a bad day for them, best for them to stay home and rest up. There are others to cover for them. I just have always felt that, I'm obligated to honor my commitments to people. I think I got that from my dad who worked at Ford in Edison his entire career and no matter the weather, when everyone else's fathers were staying home, the old man was up at 4:30 and went to work. To the original poster, as long as it doesn't become a habit, I would think that you calling in and taking the day off would not hurt you in the long run.

There’s things I can write here that I wouldn’t be able to say in a professional environment. Your old boss and you and some posters here may not think it’s a big deal. And it’s not in the sense that you’ll still have a job on Monday.

But more broadly speaking, I’m writing here that if you worked for me, and you called in for thinking you might be getting sick and wanted to be feeling solid for your big weekend and your upcoming two weeks of PTO, yeah I’d think you were B team material.

And if you don’t want to go to work even though you have a meeting for an important project, again, you might think about finding something that would entice you into work when you’re feeling like you might be coming down with something.

Finally, you might not like what I have written, and that’s cool, because as far as you know I’m just some schmo on BBI. But, maybe too, I’m a seasoned manager with lots of professional experience who is trying to help you. Next time you’ll know better.

In comment 14208688 CMicks3110 said:

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can be brutal and some of the posters can go f' yourselves. I know I fucked up, but the point I was asking was how serious it was. Whether I'm secure or not in my job is about personal confidence, not whether I'm good or not. I'm insecure about a lot of things, but that's my problem. I think i'm good and I don't need to prove it to you. I've had some bosses that have been rat bastards, where performance is not based on merit, but on where you fit in a clique. So insecurity can stem from a lot of things that are out of my control. So if some of you want to go all fire and brimstone over a sick day that was communicated incorrectly, then go ahead, but it's a completely unsophisticated look at real workplace dynamics. It's not a thoughtful analysis - it's a gut reaction about smoeone you don't know.

You're fine. You took a day off and didn't go over your allotment. You basically told him you were sick. Your manager should go fuck himself.

In comment 14208721 trueblueinpw said:

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There’s things I can write here that I wouldn’t be able to say in a professional environment. Your old boss and you and some posters here may not think it’s a big deal. And it’s not in the sense that you’ll still have a job on Monday. But more broadly speaking, I’m writing here that if you worked for me, and you called in for thinking you might be getting sick and wanted to be feeling solid for your big weekend and your upcoming two weeks of PTO, yeah I’d think you were B team material. And if you don’t want to go to work even though you have a meeting for an important project, again, you might think about finding something that would entice you into work when you’re feeling like you might be coming down with something. Finally, you might not like what I have written, and that’s cool, because as far as you know I’m just some schmo on BBI. But, maybe too, I’m a seasoned manager with lots of professional experience who is trying to help you. Next time you’ll know better.

I don't get how "I feel a virus coming on" isn't basically saying "I'm sick and it's going to get worse"

In comment 14208724 Sonic Youth said:

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I don't get how "I feel a virus coming on" isn't basically saying "I'm sick and it's going to get worse"

You’re right. And there really isn’t enough information to make an accurate assessment. But given the context and information available, not fit for my team.

It's common to give in to that impulse when you're on pretty good terms with your manager. But I quickly learned that too many details ironically results in not enough information, because many bosses will make assumptions based on unnecessary details that aren't very informed.
You're not going to have the opportunity to qualify each of your details.

In comment 14208598 CMicks3110 said:

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I just ran the discussion by my first boss who I am very close with, and he basically said not to sweat it, it's not a big deal at all. I think i just have to communicate my dedication and explain where I was coming form. I completely blew what I intended to say.

Why do I get this feeling that your explanation is the only way that you can make this even worse? You should probably just let it lie at this point.

Is that everything depends on your supervisor. I think you can get a good gauge of what some managers might do if they are more hardline and what some might do that are more moderate. Essentially you should think about your supervisors normal demeanor and determine if he will act hardline or moderate.

the camp who think it's inappropriate for a manager to question how sick an employee is. If it's something that happens a lot and impacts work, then maybe a conversation is warranted. And "sick" can be different for everyone and often doesn't require a doctor visit.

have a friend named Yaghoubi. He's known for being a big liar (not saying CMicks is one) anyway, he often gives multiple unrelated excuses for things he does. This is now part of our vernacular "The Yaghoubi rule of 2 excuses". "I was late because.. my dog is sick AND because my I was watching tv".

In comment 14208395 Earl the goat said:

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There shouldn’t be paid sick days People take advantage all the time If you work you get paid. If you don’t work you shouldn’t get paid

Another Earl classic. So much dumb in so few words.

So an employee who is legitimately sick should put his/her health and those around them in danger for fear of not getting paid. Brilliant!

Thanks.

compare a "broken ankle" to having the flu or a cold.

I didn't realize you could give a co-worker a broken ankle by showing up to work.

The goat posts, hilarity ensues.

find out if he'd stay home if he wasn't being paid for the day.

Just to be clear, you asked whether you made a mistake and whether it was a big deal.

Lots of debate and discussion about the better way to handle calling out sick and now you acknowledge that it was a mistake. That part of your question has been answered clearly to you.

With regards to whether it's a big deal, that answer kind of depends on how you define a big deal. As I said earlier, you won't get fired over this. Over time, you certainly can recover.

Where it can be a problem is looking beyond your current job/assignments to other ones as far as this particular boss is concerned. I think it's possible you've hurt yourself there, primarily because you said he took the time to write you an email and question your decision. Doesn't that mean something already?

Whether you decide that it's a big deal is up to you.

My point of view has changed over the years, as I think is appropriate. In my early career I was interested more in opportunities I could get that would give me experience and open more doors for me. That usually meant accepting crappy assignments or challenges that others weren't offered or were unwilling to accept. Doing that consistently gave me great opportunities that very few colleagues at my level were given. Those kinds of opportunities could be in jeopardy, and what you want to consider is whether that matters to you.

You can decide for yourself. If you want to move along with the pack, getting promotions and opportunities that are typical for someone in your cohort (similar age/experience) than you shouldn't really worry about it. If you want to move ahead of the pack, then yes, this is something you might want to address/follow up on. Consider ways you can demonstrate your willingness to go the extra mile and be dependable and you can still get back on the right track with this boss. If the boss is unwilling to let this go and you see opportunities that aren't coming your way, then you might just have a bad relationship with this boss that would be better for you to move on from.

Good luck.

In comment 14208779 B in ALB said:

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In comment 14208395 Earl the goat said: Quote: There shouldn’t be paid sick days People take advantage all the time If you work you get paid. If you don’t work you shouldn’t get paid Another Earl classic. So much dumb in so few words. So an employee who is legitimately sick should put his/her health and those around them in danger for fear of not getting paid. Brilliant!

So maybe the OP can honestly tell us if the was scheduled to leave on his vacation today, would he cancel his flight for fear of putting the health of the other passengers in danger.

In comment 14208781 B in ALB said:

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compare a "broken ankle" to having the flu or a cold.

Oh I wouldn't say that only happens on BBI.

In comment 14208308 joeinpa said:

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You re getting paid to do a job, do it. If I m your boss, not a very good look for you.

Said no one with wisdom ever

who is an owner/manager and who isn't. As far as "repercussions", I would think the comments of owner/managers would be most informative.

.

as stated many times, you needed to be brief. It came off as you aren't really sick and you put your fun ahead of work. Something a boss doesn't want to hear. At worst, word it like Sonic above with the fact that you are sick and think it will worsen.
I was raised with "if you can breathe, you are going to school". I never missed a day no matter how sick and I didn't miss work either. Over the years I have softened on that approach. I've been made sick many times by coworkers and I'm sure vice versa. I've also worsened my health by coming in. No one wants you there including most of my company's managers.

No questions would be asked..except the words: " get well"

and I know it's getting belabored.

I was sick. I implied that I wasn't that sick. The truth is, whether I was full blown sick, or just felt like I could get sick, I was concerned that it could worsen, and I had obligations over the weekend, that I was concerned about but really shouldn't have shared. Bear in mind, I hate going to weddings, and it's not something I am actually looking forward to. I don't consider it fun. But he doesn't know that.

The other point of fact here is that, I have a body (or immune system to be more specific) that lends itself to getting run down. For whatever reason god dealt me a hand that doesn't give me the best stamina at times. I am very aware of the ebbs and flows of my body, and I felt this coming on for a number of days, and I have had instances where things linger for weeks if I don't nip it in the bud. I usually just have to suck it up, but there are also times I genuinely have to be careful about keeping my physical health in a good place. And sometimes that means taking a day here or there, to avoid something worsening.

The only reason I left my last company was because the commute was so long and it was affecting my physical health.

I know people don't know me, and i can just brush it aside some of the critiques, but it's kind of shitty to make broad statements about individuals work ethics and attitude about work without actually understanding the nuance to the situation. To say I'm not some person's 'material' is condescending as hell. It's one thing to recognize a lack of talent for a job/skill/career (like Tim Tebow in baseball), but it's another thing to make some broad judgement about a person's character/work ethic because they communicated an issue wrong. This is not like Yoenis Cespedes going golfing and then not being able to play.

I care deeply about my job, career, and am eager to move up, but I have
to sometimes play it safe to run this marathon.

Anyway, end rant

In comment 14208443 Earl the goat said:

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In comment 14208422 djm said: Quote: In comment 14208395 Earl the goat said: Quote: There shouldn’t be paid sick days People take advantage all the time If you work you get paid. If you don’t work you shouldn’t get paid Oh for fucks sake you suck. Ok asshole. You should listen to Larry Birds story about his father He said he watched his father put on his boots one morning to go to work with a broken ankle His father said to him. You don’t get paid to stay home Not that I think it should be carried to that extreme but a lot of people take advantage of the system Larry Bird said that was the best advice he ever had and he took it with him onto the basketball court where he always suited up whether he was in pain or not More people should have those values So my response is that You Suck

No, You’re nuts. We shouldn’t have any pto or paid time off? The fuck is wrong with you. Who’s talking about anyone taking advantage? If you have time off to use, you should use it. That’s how this works. What is this 1846?

when calling in, the better. If you're in doubt about the validity of your ailment, it's best to plan the night before.
In fact, you're better off calling in super early so you get voicemail. Keep it short, "Hey Mr. Boss, apologies but I'm very ill this morning and I'll need to take the day. If there is anything urgent, I'll have my cell close by. Thank you. See you Monday."

There is NOTHING to discuss.

How is that difficult? And how does that warrant a thread with 130+ responses? It's awesome though. Great comedy.

I'm sorry, but I have to ask - how long have you been working as an adult?

In comment 14208848 djm said:

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In comment 14208443 Earl the goat said: Quote: In comment 14208422 djm said: Quote: In comment 14208395 Earl the goat said: Quote: There shouldn’t be paid sick days People take advantage all the time If you work you get paid. If you don’t work you shouldn’t get paid Oh for fucks sake you suck. Ok asshole. You should listen to Larry Birds story about his father He said he watched his father put on his boots one morning to go to work with a broken ankle His father said to him. You don’t get paid to stay home Not that I think it should be carried to that extreme but a lot of people take advantage of the system Larry Bird said that was the best advice he ever had and he took it with him onto the basketball court where he always suited up whether he was in pain or not More people should have those values So my response is that You Suck No, You’re nuts. We shouldn’t have any pto or paid time off? The fuck is wrong with you. Who’s talking about anyone taking advantage? If you have time off to use, you should use it. That’s how this works. What is this 1846?

No, djm. You're nuts!

Larry Bird's dad had a broken ankle once and therefore formulated all employment policies for every company in history. End thread.

In comment 14208844 CMicks3110 said:

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and I know it's getting belabored. I was sick. I implied that I wasn't that sick. The truth is, whether I was full blown sick, or just felt like I could get sick, I was concerned that it could worsen, and I had obligations over the weekend, that I was concerned about but really shouldn't have shared. Bear in mind, I hate going to weddings, and it's not something I am actually looking forward to. I don't consider it fun. But he doesn't know that. The other point of fact here is that, I have a body (or immune system to be more specific) that lends itself to getting run down. For whatever reason god dealt me a hand that doesn't give me the best stamina at times. I am very aware of the ebbs and flows of my body, and I felt this coming on for a number of days, and I have had instances where things linger for weeks if I don't nip it in the bud. I usually just have to suck it up, but there are also times I genuinely have to be careful about keeping my physical health in a good place. And sometimes that means taking a day here or there, to avoid something worsening. The only reason I left my last company was because the commute was so long and it was affecting my physical health. I know people don't know me, and i can just brush it aside some of the critiques, but it's kind of shitty to make broad statements about individuals work ethics and attitude about work without actually understanding the nuance to the situation. To say I'm not some person's 'material' is condescending as hell. It's one thing to recognize a lack of talent for a job/skill/career (like Tim Tebow in baseball), but it's another thing to make some broad judgement about a person's character/work ethic because they communicated an issue wrong. This is not like Yoenis Cespedes going golfing and then not being able to play. I care deeply about my job, career, and am eager to move up, but I have to sometimes play it safe to run this marathon. Anyway, end rant

Oh FFS, STFU.

You must be unbearable at the office.

Why don’t you take a look at how much money is being made at the top in corporate America. But yea, let’s all just suck it up and help the execs make even more money. Because that’s going to help this country. You’re a madman.

calling in dead, don't bother. Just show up, lol

In comment 14208853 djm said:

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Why don’t you take a look at how much money is being made at the top in corporate America. But yea, let’s all just suck it up and help the execs make even more money. Because that’s going to help this country. You’re a madman.

That's why I was glad to be a small businessman. Corporations/government have to put up with that mentality among their employees, I didn't. That's exactly why socialism will never work.

That's why I was glad to be a small businessman. Corporations/government have to put up with that mentality among their employees, I didn't. That's exactly why socialism will never work.


+1

If your boss gets all twisted in what you're doing and nothing critical is occurring, he can go spin. Oh no the world is ending no one has a work ethic because CMicks felt like kinda sketchy and bagged work. Guess what you fucking fossils, this isn't a shift at the plant, it's not the old days when out of the office means out of touch. There's this awesome thing called technology that allows to stay connected even when not at the water cooler incorrectly diagnosing a play in last night's game as your fat head co-workers nod in agreement, equally confused as to what happened.

You shouldn't have told him that much, it's that simple and it sounds like he had some other shit going on and gave you some grief. He's your boss, that's his right, swallow it, show up on your next day and work your tail off. It's a hiccup, no big deal if your review was good, you're conscientious and you get along w your team and others you work with and for. Relax homes, you didn't f his wife, slash his tires or get arrested, you said a few too many words and he didn't like it. Life goes on, you'll be ok dude.

certain people get paid time off. There is only 2 rules on using it, if somebody else is taking a bunch of time off and they ask first tough luck and make sure you ask 2 weeks to a month in advance whenever possible for vacations etc.

the only thing i can compare what you did is back when i was relatively new at my job id always take either thursday or friday afternoon off for march madness but i would say i had a doctors appointment even though he knew i was a huge college basketball fan. I would try to make up for it but agreeing to work a day i would usually have off instead.