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Kicked out of the office for having a cold (1 Viewer)

El Floppo

Footballguy
I woke up yesterday with a runny nose. Bad week of allergies for me, which usually leads into post nasal drip and an asthmatic reactive (dry) cough. I take a daily inhaler for the cough, and Allegra for the allergies. Took some Mucinex for the extra runniness of the cold.

I feel fine. Just a tiny cold, with some sniffling, blowing nose and a cough every now and then (a few per hour). Could even be just the allergies. Normal stuff....normally.

I work in a small open office with a half dozen other people. Office manager just ordered me to leave...kind of angrily. When I said it felt like just a typical cold, her reply is that I can't know. Didn't want me "risking their lives".

I get that these are unusual times. I get that we need to operate with an abundance of caution. 

Or maybe I don't.

Left, and just got a rapid covid test... Which this second just came back as negative.

I guess this is the new normal for a while. 

 
I woke up yesterday with a runny nose. Bad week of allergies for me, which usually leads into post nasal drip and an asthmatic reactive (dry) cough. I take a daily inhaler for the cough, and Allegra for the allergies. Took some Mucinex for the extra runniness of the cold.

I feel fine. Just a tiny cold, with some sniffling, blowing nose and a cough every now and then (a few per hour). Could even be just the allergies. Normal stuff....normally.

I work in a small open office with a half dozen other people. Office manager just ordered me to leave...kind of angrily. When I said it felt like just a typical cold, her reply is that I can't know. Didn't want me "risking their lives".

I get that these are unusual times. I get that we need to operate with an abundance of caution. 

Or maybe I don't.

Left, and just got a rapid covid test... Which this second just came back as negative.

I guess this is the new normal for a while. 
Are unvaccinated people working in close quarters?

 
This year is round two of everyone's least favorite game - "allergies or COVID?"

 
I woke up yesterday with a runny nose. Bad week of allergies for me, which usually leads into post nasal drip and an asthmatic reactive (dry) cough. I take a daily inhaler for the cough, and Allegra for the allergies. Took some Mucinex for the extra runniness of the cold.

I feel fine. Just a tiny cold, with some sniffling, blowing nose and a cough every now and then (a few per hour). Could even be just the allergies. Normal stuff....normally.

I work in a small open office with a half dozen other people. Office manager just ordered me to leave...kind of angrily. When I said it felt like just a typical cold, her reply is that I can't know. Didn't want me "risking their lives".

I get that these are unusual times. I get that we need to operate with an abundance of caution. 

Or maybe I don't.

Left, and just got a rapid covid test... Which this second just came back as negative.

I guess this is the new normal for a while. 


We also have to consider the possibility that the rest of the office just wanted to get rid of you. 
Probably heard he was rooting for Atlanta over Philly and didn’t want a traitor in the office OR caught him napping in the Atlanta goal during work hours. 

 
Are unvaccinated people working in close quarters?


I get it for unvaccinated but you are vaccinated, right?
Ah...that was an important thing I left out.

Everybody vaccinated (including me) but one.

She wears a mask all day in the office. I was wearing mine all day today.

Our desks are more than 6' apart and we keep the windows open (for now), but yeah...fairly close quarters and mostly unmasked when sitting at our desks.

 
Pretty sure you posted about jogging while wearing a face mask not because you thought you would catch COVID, but because you wanted to let others know that you cared.  Yet you didn’t care to stay home or get tested PRIOR to going into work when you thought you had cold/allergies?
 

 
I never understood why people came to the office with a cold. Even pre-COVID it seemed really thoughtless.


I was going to be less harsh but yeah, COVID or no COVID stay home if you have a cold (if possible, I know there’s many workers with jobs that don’t provide sick time, or are dependent on tips, etc. which Commies like me are working to fix.)
I'm freelance. I don't work, I don't get paid. And they won't let me work from home. Plus a bunch of time sensitive stuff happening right now that needs to get done. Not a great excuse, but it's the reality of my current situation.

But honestly...this is the smallest of colds, if it even is one and not just allergies. My cough is an asthmatic reaction that makes it sound worse than it is. If it was something where I legit wasn't feeling well or right, I'd stay home. Besides, my capacity to work when sick is embarrassingly awful.

 
My employees aren’t allowed with cold symptoms. That’s what sick days are for. The next big battle for employers is going to be staff mental health. Keeping sickos out is an easy first step in keeping other staffers happy. 

 
At least you got the day off. 
It is tough though as he said, he is freelance so if he is not in, he's not getting paid.  Getting the negative test would probably have been the right call but that is easier to see in hindsight.  I would hold up the vaccination card and say "Hey guys, remember how I sneeze every year from March to June".  It's a fine line to walk but I honestly see both sides.

 
It is tough though as he said, he is freelance so if he is not in, he's not getting paid.  Getting the negative test would probably have been the right call but that is easier to see in hindsight.  I would hold up the vaccination card and say "Hey guys, remember how I sneeze every year from March to June".  It's a fine line to walk but I honestly see both sides.
Yeah, I was about to post something about enjoying the day off, I get the hesitation under this scenario. I however, will be claiming possible Covid every chance I get over the next two-three years. I think, after the seventh time, my employee may starting asking questions.  

**but then again, I am a State worker....... :bowtie:

 
The freelance and no work from home makes it tough.

Even pre-covid my job would let us work from home when we had a cold.  Nowadays it seems like a no brainer since everyone is set up for it now.  Not sure what the heck the company is thinking there.

My employees aren’t allowed with cold symptoms. That’s what sick days are for. The next big battle for employers is going to be staff mental health. Keeping sickos out is an easy first step in keeping other staffers happy. 
How many sick days do they get?  Like I said above I could always work from home.  I totally agree with wanting people who can't WFH to stay home when sick but always wondered how that actually works logistically since it's not like a cold is a 1 day thing.  When I get a cold I have symptoms for a week, easily, sometimes more.  And I might get 3-4 of them over the course of cold season.

It seems like there would pretty much always be several people out of the office from Oct-Mar every week with that policy if they're really staying home until they're better and not just for a day.

 
It is tough though as he said, he is freelance so if he is not in, he's not getting paid.  Getting the negative test would probably have been the right call but that is easier to see in hindsight.  I would hold up the vaccination card and say "Hey guys, remember how I sneeze every year from March to June".  It's a fine line to walk but I honestly see both sides.
I absolutely see the other side. Didn't like how it went down, tbh...but I haven't liked much of what's going down with this place, so I was coming into it with a chip on my shoulder.

But in retrospect, the absolutely right move should have been to get tested immediately when I first felt sick and not go in to the office until I'm negative and they approve it. Just going in the way I did was flat out the wrong way to handle things in this time of Covid.

 
I was going to be less harsh but yeah, COVID or no COVID stay home if you have a cold (if possible, I know there’s many workers with jobs that don’t provide sick time, or are dependent on tips, etc. which Commies like me are working to fix.)
It's cultural. You're right, but in many work environments going in unless you're on your deathbed was expected.  

Rucking with a head cold was the suck.

 
I'm freelance. I don't work, I don't get paid. And they won't let me work from home. Plus a bunch of time sensitive stuff happening right now that needs to get done. Not a great excuse, but it's the reality of my current situation.

But honestly...this is the smallest of colds, if it even is one and not just allergies. My cough is an asthmatic reaction that makes it sound worse than it is. If it was something where I legit wasn't feeling well or right, I'd stay home. Besides, my capacity to work when sick is embarrassingly awful.
I see both sides. I trust you know you don’t have teh CoViD but I also see it from their vantage point. 
 

 
I'm freelance. I don't work, I don't get paid. And they won't let me work from home. Plus a bunch of time sensitive stuff happening right now that needs to get done. Not a great excuse, but it's the reality of my current situation.
Why won't they let you work from home?  That is just silly.  

 
I woke up yesterday with a runny nose. Bad week of allergies for me, which usually leads into post nasal drip and an asthmatic reactive (dry) cough. I take a daily inhaler for the cough, and Allegra for the allergies. Took some Mucinex for the extra runniness of the cold.

I feel fine. Just a tiny cold, with some sniffling, blowing nose and a cough every now and then (a few per hour). Could even be just the allergies. Normal stuff....normally.

I work in a small open office with a half dozen other people. Office manager just ordered me to leave...kind of angrily. When I said it felt like just a typical cold, her reply is that I can't know. Didn't want me "risking their lives".

I get that these are unusual times. I get that we need to operate with an abundance of caution. 

Or maybe I don't.

Left, and just got a rapid covid test... Which this second just came back as negative.

I guess this is the new normal for a while. 
This is at least a little amusing to me because pre-COVID I would want people, even with just a cold, to just stay home for a day or two and not risk getting me and others sick. I hate colds. they suck. 

Pretty understandable in today's environment. 

 
I would absolutely judge anybody staying home from work over a cold. lol. Please.
Completely disagree. If nothing else good comes from the pandemic, maybe people will learn to stay home when sick. It's not that a cold is so bad you can't work through it, but nobody else wants to get it. It's pretty selfish to go to work when you have any communicable disease, particularly if you can work from home or can afford to take the day off. 

 
Why won't they let you work from home?  That is just silly.  
This place is just silly. Owner is in the office all the time- either on his phone on IG finding inspiration images, or asking every person what they're doing and if they've done what they last said they were going to do. Not yet, dude...stop asking me, and maybe I'll get it done. We have regular meetings about meetings to review...meetings. it's exhausting. And as a freelancer, they don't seem to trust me from the get go- what I'm working on, how long I'm taking on things, how long I'm taking for lunch, how long I'm taking to take a ####. and don't want me PMing the job- no contact with client, vendors, contractor, subs, etc- but also don't tell me what's been said in those meetings nlbut hold me responsible when I don't know, and yet want me to take more responsibility...as long as I'm not doing any of those things. :loco:

It's a place that's used to maybe one decent sized job at a time- we have 3-4 now...which is why they hired me. But I'm not allowed to do what I know to do to run these kinds of projects, and questioned over everything else. 

:Exhale:

 
I would absolutely judge anybody staying home from work over a cold. lol. Please.
Completely disagree. If nothing else good comes from the pandemic, maybe people will learn to stay home when sick. It's not that a cold is so bad you can't work through it, but nobody else wants to get it. It's pretty selfish to go to work when you have any communicable disease, particularly if you can work from home or can afford to take the day off.
I get where AJ is coming from. School and work environments have always been set up where you're punished if you have to miss days. Most places have it in place that you're expected to come in unless you're feverish- from schools (NYC doe) to jobs.

So while we've learned some better methods during the pandemic about being safe and being able to work from home, I think you're off base calling people selfish for having previously done what's expected of them.

 
This place is just silly. Owner is in the office all the time- either on his phone on IG finding inspiration images, or asking every person what they're doing and if they've done what they last said they were going to do. Not yet, dude...stop asking me, and maybe I'll get it done. We have regular meetings about meetings to review...meetings. it's exhausting. And as a freelancer, they don't seem to trust me from the get go- what I'm working on, how long I'm taking on things, how long I'm taking for lunch, how long I'm taking to take a ####. and don't want me PMing the job- no contact with client, vendors, contractor, subs, etc- but also don't tell me what's been said in those meetings nlbut hold me responsible when I don't know, and yet want me to take more responsibility...as long as I'm not doing any of those things. :loco:

It's a place that's used to maybe one decent sized job at a time- we have 3-4 now...which is why they hired me. But I'm not allowed to do what I know to do to run these kinds of projects, and questioned over everything else. 

:Exhale:
Definitely sounds like job hunting time.

 
Completely disagree. If nothing else good comes from the pandemic, maybe people will learn to stay home when sick. It's not that a cold is so bad you can't work through it, but nobody else wants to get it. It's pretty selfish to go to work when you have any communicable disease, particularly if you can work from home or can afford to take the day off. 
I was looking at it from a pre-pandemic, no remote working context. Obviously, working from home is the solution. Although, we do have somebody who still takes time off for colds and tummy aches while working remotely. Which is pretty funny and mildly annoying to the team that has to pick up her slack. We work hard and everybody in ops is pretty much maxed out on a daily basis by design. Management encourages taking time off when sick, but the reality is that it's lame to callout.

Full disclosure, I will give one or two days notice and go chase powder in the winters. I have carte blanche and can do pretty much whatever I want whenever I want, but I take my laptop with me and am available, if needed. Deliverables are never impacted. The unwritten ethos at our place is cover your #### and have as much fun as humanly possible. Somewhere in there is also don't make others cover for you over a cold.

 

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