Monday Night Fever

The common cold is running amok and  last week I was a victim.

I woke one morning feeling more than "under the weather" and I disgruntledly stayed in bed for two work days. While doctors and moms alike say that putting your health first is the right decision, I couldn’t help but feel guilty for missing even a small amount of work, knowing my daily responsibilities were being forced onto someone else in my absence. I couldn’t go to work but I compromised and compulsively checked the ManageSmarter.com Website every fifteen minutes to make sure everything was in order. I was afraid something would go wrong. My needed days of rest were not the most relaxing. 

It turns out that my dilemma is not rare. According to a 2006 survey conducted by LifeCare, Inc., a surprising majority of employees believe that it is too risky--or that others depend on them too greatly--to take time off from work.  In fact, only six percent of respondents actually take a sick day when feeling sick. A question of work/life balance comes into play: How sick do you have to be to take a day for yourself?

Then, of course, there are the employees at the other end of the spectrum—namely the 32 percent of those surveyed in 2006 by CareerBuilder who said they use their sick days as “mental health days.” Some may think that “mental health days” are decadent, but research has shown that overworked and over-stressed employees lack productivity, loyalty and motivation and ultimately negatively impact the bottom line.

More than ever, employers are concerned about having healthy employees—a healthy employee is not only productive, but saves the company on health insurance. So with that in mind, should there be a culture shift to encourage sick employees to stay home to expedite their recovery, and should an employee be allowed to use a sick day as a mental health day? As a manager, do you think it’s possible to be “mentally under the weather” and, if so, are “mental health days” valid enough to count as sick time? 

Comments

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[Ed]

First off, if you have a job where you can't afford to miss even a single day? Then you have a job where you cannot be promoted!
Second, If you are arrogant enough to think that the company cannot survive without you, then you need to switch companies. Any company with that level of reliance on a single person is doomed to failure. Either that, or you're a self centered jerk that thinks the world revolves around them!
3rd, If you are truely sick, then you are contagious. And as such if you go to work in a condition where you can activly infect others (such as cubicle farms or, heaven forbid, food services) then you should be summarily punished for putting others at risk of catching your creeping crud disease! I don't want your hepatitis so keep it at home! As a rule, I stay out of cubicles of people with small children for that very reason. (I know by looking at the pictures they proudly display on their cube walls) Children are disease factories and spread pestilance and disease where ever they go! Parents become unwitting carriers of these hidden illnesses and next thing you know, the entire department is down with some mysterious ailment all because some arrogant b*stard didn't have the common decency to STAY HOME for the safety of his fellow coworkers. Think of others you jerks! You're not the only one working for the company (although your "A" type personality may make you believe that you are)

Finally, yes...I think that ALL companies should allow employees to take sick days any way they wish. Whether it's to stay home with a sick kid, or to go to a doctor's appointment. The United States is the most bass-ackwards country in the G-8 when it comes to workers rights. Most countries in Europe require that employees take a one week "spa" every several years to regenerate. In the U.S., we have to get a doctors notice if we take more than 3 sick days in a row!
When it comes to vacations, health and mental awareness, the United States is the most backwards country in the world! Heck, some 3rd world countries have better worker rights than we do in the U.S.!

Ed
Web/gadget guru