Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired

Feverish and coughing, employees show up at work with the flu and colds, potentially exposing colleagues. There's one in every office, factory or school: The colleague who slumps in the neighboring cubicle hacking and sniffling and wheezing, a mound of tissues rising like a viral mountain range.

Go home, already, you think to yourself. Instead, your colleague slogs through the day as the fog of flu or a cold rolls in, enveloping the workplace.


There's even a name now for the phenomenon: presenteeism. It's when people who should be absent from work or school -- because they're contagious or feeling so lousy they can't do their jobs -- aren't.

Now, my problem...it's not actually a colleague doing this, it's my employer! It's like he takes great pride in coming to the office with a 104 temp, sweating up a storm and coughing his head off!

Then 10 days later, when I've caught his bug, the pressure begins... What a sissy...you can't put work before a little fever? So what if you need to spend a few minutes with your head in the garbage can...everyone knows you feel better once you vomit.


MKC