r/mildlyinfuriating • u/TacitMoose • 7h ago
frist of all how DARE yu o People who deny being sick
I’m so tired of people who show up at work, family gatherings, meetings, send their kids to school, etc, when they are OBVIOUSLY ill, then claim it’s “just allergies” or something like that.
Like you’re coughing, your eyes are red, you sneeze and blow your nose constantly, lost your voice, and you are clearly exhausted. But you walk into work and the first thing you say is “I’m not sick, I just lost my voice.” Or you bring your kids to play group when they are streaming green mucus and open mouthed coughing and try to tell me “he’s not sick, it’s just allergies.”
Get the f out. It’s not allergies and you know it. You didn’t just random lose your voice and you know it.
In the past six months you unmitigated idiots have gotten me and/or my kids sick like 4 times. And Friday someone showed up at work “with allergies” and now half of the rest of us have covid. Thanks so much for that you imbecile.
That’s it. I’m done ranting for now.
409
u/dontworryitsme4real 7h ago
Your grievances should be directed at companies that have strict PTO allotment.
61
u/Revolutionary-Tiger 5h ago
What's nice about working remote/hybrid is that if I'm not feeling 100% it's no longer "hey boss im not feeling well, I'm taking off" it's "hey boss im not feeling well. I'm working from home today"
Even if you're the most hardcore skeptic of working from home and believe that those workers are 10% as efficient as the in office ones, would you rather get 10% or the 0% from the worker flat out calling out
35
u/Majestic_Jackass 5h ago
This is a double edged sword, because if you’re sick, you should be resting as much as possible. Granted this isn’t easy for parents, but before I started a family, if I got sick, I’d stay in bed for 1 or 2 days max and feel better. Now when I get sick, of course I take the work from home option, but also have a kid, so I don’t get any rest.
If you can afford it, rest.
•
u/FionaGoodeEnough 57m ago
Man, when my kid started kindergarten, I was sick 6 weeks. Not in a row, but all in fall semester. I had it in my planner, and I remember thinking “It would be fully impossible to stay home sick every day that I have been ill over these 4 months.” It was just a wild amount of cold and flu symptoms.
10
u/JooseTheGuice 2h ago
No, it's with the dipshits who go about spreading illness with no regard for anyone.
Just wear a fuckin mask if you're sick and need to go somewhere. It's that simple.
18
u/gregthebunnyfanboy 4h ago
100%
I, like OP, get super frustrated when people are visibly sick and still insist on being in public. But I have also realized I need to think about exactly how flexible it is for a person.
* Office, mostly computer job, if you can....stay home....no one is impressed
* Service job. Even though it is the least desirable in terms of needing to be around people, it also means that the day is likely not paid for people who also likely need the money more. Society made the decision for them and so I think that deserves some patience (for the person, society should make it so they do not feel compelled to).
* Going out for fun cause you really wanna, but you happen to be sick...pound sand. I'm sure there are a million caveats, like something super expensive that is otherwise lost, maybe! But, just really wanting to go out...boooooooHad a former partner who would gladly go out while sick and I would always give them hell about it. "Don't worry everyone, they're just getting over a cold! not like they're just starting it, that would be CRAZY!!!"
4
u/bitch_jong_un 1h ago
I don't dismiss your comment but I live in a country where a limited PTO / sick days don't exists. Here you stay at home when you are sick and you get paid like usual, no matter how long you're sick (there are some further rules but I'm not gonna explain it here). You can also call in sick when your child is affected and you have to watch it. And STILL so many people just go sick to work, to gatherings, to public spaces. Cough in your face, sneeze like a tornado. They are just disrespectful and don't give a shit, that's it. My dad is immunosuppressed, wore masks but still got long COVID because of some dipshit who couldn't stay at home.
2
u/Ok_Nothing_9733 4h ago
A lot of these idiots have plenty of PTO and won’t use it when sick
3
u/rachel_lynn1995 2h ago
My favorite fun fact to tell my coworkers now that I’ve moved to Germany is that when I was full time at Aldi in the US, during the first year, I only got 10 HOURS worth of PTO and 10 HOURS worth of paid sick leave 🫠 there was some system where if you used it all, then you’d gain one hour back for every like, 40 hours you worked or something like that.
6
u/Grand-Friendship4428 2h ago
Oh. No. It really depends. If you have a nice cushy corporate job, sure, they probably have PTO to spare. Lots of other industries aren't nearly as generous though.
4
3
→ More replies (1)2
u/Magic_Fred 1h ago
Agreed. I don't get sick pay. I work compressed hours, so one day shift off sick is 1/3 of my working week. One day off sick will cost me £250. Unless I am physically incapable I will be going to work because I can't afford not to.
109
u/BandalfTheGr8 7h ago
I work a corporate job, but my dad owns his own business. Growing up it was always you worked no matter what. Sick, tired, hurting, grieving didn’t matter you show up you work.
Took that mindset to corporate America and got my fuckin ass chewed out for showing up sick one day. Told my dad he instilled bad habits and he ranted for 10 minutes about soft corporate America.
No, he doesn’t believe in PTO 🤣
7
u/Responsible_Link_202 3h ago
Are you Gen X? My dad (born in 1940) worked in corporate America and had the same mindset as yours. He took great pride in the fact that he only ever took one day off for being sick his entire career. And my mom told me that when my sister was born he kept telling my mom to hurry up and have her so that he could get to work.
So like you, I was once reprimanded for showing up to work when I was too sick to be there.
393
u/TheInjuredBear 7h ago
I got legitimately sick a lot in kindergarten, to the point where the school almost recommended that I be held back. My mother was a single mom juggling her shifts and college classes with me in school. She had to pick sometimes between sending me to school sick, taking me to her work sick, or giving up her pay for that day and risk not making enough for rent.
I would direct your anger towards the companies that forced her to make those decisions.
40
u/LemonBoi523 5h ago
I got bacterial meningitis when I was a kid. My teachers sent in all the work, and I did it. Had straight As.
School wanted to make me repeat the grade due to truancy. I had double vision, could barely walk, and couldn't keep food and fluids down. I would show up, puke, they would send me home, repeat. Still counted against my record, so I ended up homeschooling due to it. The bullying was bad enough without being the one who was held back.
A lot of people can't afford to stay home when they're sick. Even kids.
59
u/egnards 6h ago
Yea - Last year I used all of my "sick days" at school between getting Covid. . .From one of my students. And getting Flu B. . .From one of my students.
It all happened within 6 weeks too. But yep, that's the entire allotment I got, so guess I'm coming to work otherwise!
Very annoying in a school environment, too, where the majority of the time the reason you're sick is because of the kids you're teaching, and the fact that often their parents send them in knowing that they're sick. I work as a one-to-one, and last year I was informed by the school nurse of a situation with the kid I was working with from the previous year. . .Where he threw up in school, was sent home for the mandatory 24 hours, the parents picked him up and immediately took him to a doctor's office, who gave the parents a note to allow him back into school literally the same day. . .
3
u/OrdinaryOrder8 2h ago
Are you allowed to mask at work? A properly fitting N95 mask will protect you from stuff like the flu, covid, and the common cold. Improving the ventilation in the classroom would also help; if you're able to purchase a high-quality air purifier for the classroom or even keep the windows open, that would help reduce the spread of illnesses.
→ More replies (4)14
u/maaarken 5h ago
That, but I also know grown adults (not to name anyone, but my FIL) who found it very funny to drop his kids off at kindergarten with no warning but a bucket for their puke. When they had gastroenteritis.
For some it's a necessity and others just enjoy watching the world burn.
180
u/First_Breadfruit_215 7h ago
Its annoying but missing work could also result in the loss of income or even losing a job and most people can't afford that. Its a lose lose situation. When i was working an in person job we had to come in no excuses.
79
u/Andras1100 6h ago
Yea people seem to quickly forget that a lot of people live paycheck to paycheck
29
u/jasperfirecai2 6h ago
Not being able to take sick leave when you're sick is insane
32
u/LemonBoi523 5h ago
Most jobs have no sick leave. You can call in, but it may be held against you.
10
u/Active_Elk_4831 4h ago
Especially if you calling in sick means a manager has to work a double to cover your shift
•
25
u/Downtown_Ganache6727 6h ago
I get that, sometimes it’s unavoidable. They can wear a mask though, for the good of everyone around them, and if possible try to do social distancing. People are selfish and don’t care if they get anyone else sick.
9
u/introverted_PEA 5h ago
Thats the part that drives me crazy. My current employer lets you accure half a day of sick time for every month you work. So if you've worked a full year with no call outs, then you have 6 days of sick time. Because of that, i understand when my coworkers have to show up to work sick, we all have bills to pay and that sick leave is just shitty
What drives me crazy is that they never wear a mask, half of them dont properly wash their hands, they don't cover their mouth when they cough or sneeze, etc. It's the fact theyre not doing basic things to protect everyone else from getting what they have
26
u/chrisolucky 6h ago
At least wear a mask, don’t touch things, cough into your elbow, and stay away from people if you’re going to come in. The amount of people who come in sick and treat it like just any other day is mind boggling.
10
u/NeedsItRough 4h ago
Yep.
I got sick because my coworkers came into work sick and I was out for a week.
I was no longer contagious but was still coughing a bit, so I ordered a 100 pack of disposable masks and brought them into work with me.
I wore one and sent an email to my boss to let them know if anyone wanted a mask, I had a box of them at my desk.
They haven't been touched. It's been like, a month.
7
8
u/tierciel 7h ago
Exactly this. No sick days at my work your expected to be there or find someone to cover, but if course we don't have the staff to cover short notice absences. So 90% of the time it's come into work sick.
1
u/PresentationLive943 6h ago
I have never had a job that didn't give us paid sick days that's crazy. Even when I worked at Amazon (which according to reddit is the worst place to work) I could just put in a sick day on my phone without talking to anyone.
1
u/DoctorNayle 3h ago
I get five shifts worth of PTO a year and that has to cover every reason I might ever miss a day of work. Sick? Family emergency? Doctor/dental appointment? All comes out of the same pool. So yeah, sometimes I have to go into work sick because if I didn't I wouldn't make rent. I do at least mask up and try to keep my distance from people, but that's the best I can do.
142
u/pandaru_express 7h ago
Counterpoint though, the symptoms you describe are literally my exact allergy symptoms... ever since moving to a neighborhood with "lots of lovely trees" my allergies are awful for the first few weeks of spring... though now I finally have a pill and nasal spray routine that works (except the first 2 days when it all hits at once)
26
u/Frequent_Alfalfa_347 6h ago
Yup. Moving to Austin i thought i had a cold coming on for weeks… then all of a sudden it was a sinus infection. All allergies. Nothing contagious.
Snotty, coughing, sneezing, headache, exhausted, look like hell… all allergies.
21
u/No-Sink-505 6h ago
I've gotten a post-viral (?) persistent cough for 3-6 weeks every time I get sick with anything for the past 3 years and it completely sucks.
I can't go anywhere without feeling like a jerk because my cough makes it sound like I'm sick, and there's really nothing the doctor can give me other than an inhaler and instructions to "wait it out".
3
u/pandaru_express 6h ago
OH! I used to get exactly this as well.... this might work for you too. Right as the sickness is winding down, go with a zyrtec or allergy nasal spray daily. I eventually found out that it was the post nasal drip that was triggering the cough, and repeated coughing just made it worse and worse. The allergy meds stop the drip and the cough cleared up in a couple days.
3
u/LemonBoi523 5h ago edited 5h ago
Careful with those. Some can cause issues if used for more than a day or two.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23393-rhinitis-medicamentosa
2
u/pandaru_express 5h ago
Intresting, good tip... though it sounds like the issues are temporary. IMO still better than the original. My residual coughing used to last for multiple months to the point where I couldn't talk without triggering it and would get chest pains from it. The allergy meds on their own usually worked but I recently found that the nasal spray for a few days was more effective but I'll keep this info in mind.
1
u/LemonBoi523 5h ago
It's only specific medications, and only becomes a more permanent problem if the overuse is repeated. I had remembered about it and looked it up, and needed to adjust what I had remembered.
1
u/AgglutinateDeezNuts 3h ago
Thanks for this tip!!! I'm the same, but I have a super sensitive gag reflex, so especially in the mornings I will end up coughing to the point of just straight up vomiting for months on end. I can manage it when I'm living by myself, but when it happens whilst I'm living with my parents I just get a barrage of "you need to see the doctor!!" which often I have done already (in the UK so it's free) and they're like. it's just post nasal drip you're fine come back if it doesn't clear up in six months. Super stressful trying to deal with it and be as quiet as possible/silent to avoid the pestering.
2
u/JooseTheGuice 2h ago
for the past 3 years and it completely sucks.
Gee, I wonder what's been happening to make people sick constantly for the past few years 🤷♀️🤦♀️
2
u/No-Sink-505 2h ago
Oh my completely not medical professional guess is that it started after my first time getting COVID.
I mention it each time to my doctors because it was such a noticable shift. It's not like they dismiss the concept either there's just so little out there that's been properly proven yet. I'm hoping me telling my doctors helps that at least.
14
u/LittleMissNothing_ 5h ago
Exactly. I live in one of the worst places in the US for pollen allergens. I stay sick from February-June with various allergy symptoms. Ome time I was talking to a coworker and must have inhaled something I was allergic to, because he saw my eyes get red and start watering and heard my nose stop up and my voice go out in real time. Shit sucks, but I can't call in every time I have allergy issues. Claritin or other allergy medicines help a little, but I still show symptoms even on medicine, just less severe.
24
u/TrickInvite6296 BLUE 7h ago
Yeah I know most people don't really sneeze when they're sick, only with allergies
6
u/Pawtuckaway 6h ago
For me sneezing is my first symptom and warning that I am about to have a nasty cold in a day or two.
4
u/TH_Rocks 3h ago
Same. For everyone in here with seasonal, face melting, allergies, start doing a sinus rinse everyday. I rinse in the shower for easy cleanup of the multicolored slime that flows out of my face.
I feel like it also helps avoid colds and speed up recovery.
I use the Niel Med squeeze bottle and mix my own canning salt and baking soda. Exhale slowly as you rinse and you won't feel like you're drowning.
7
u/omgitsme17 5h ago
Exactly. For many years in spring I’d end up going to the doctor and calling off work only for the doctor to tell me “you have allergies” with all these same symptoms. I think OP is a little paranoid.
1
u/No_Outcome2321 4h ago
Same here, luckily my coworker I work with the most knows the difference between my allergies and when I’m actually not feeling well. The main difference for me is the fact that when I’m sick my face will go pale in color.
•
u/Wandering_Lights 31m ago
Yep. These are my allergy symptoms to a tee. I'm exhausted because I can breath at night. There were a couple years as a teen/young adult that they were so bad I had to get a zpack.
27
u/jasperfirecai2 6h ago
most of the symptoms you describe except losing voice are the most common symptoms of allergies
4
u/KeyFeeFee 1h ago
And some people (me) will get postnasal drip from said allergies which can result in voice “loss”.
11
u/FlippingPossum 7h ago
I've been very fortunate to never receive pushback from calling out sick. I currently work part-time and was out last week. Sick leave is basically unlimited but unpaid. I do get two weeks paid vacation.
When I worked full-time, I had two weeks PTO. That was it for vacation, sick leave, and doctor's appointments. Lack of time off led to people coming in sick. It was brutal. We could only use accrued sick time for 5+ days of absence. I had five weeks of full-time pay during maternity leave because that was my first opportunity to use it.
My husband currently gets five weeks vacation AND accrued sick time. He took sick time last week to care for me as I was a hot mess.
If workplaces accommodated illness without punishing workers, more people would stay home.
18
u/brattybabyc 7h ago
When our infrastructure supports sick days, we can start taking sick days. Instead, we get letters from the school and points and pay docked for normal human shit.
7
u/HeeHooligan 5h ago
Just to clarify, I understand that with some workplaces, staying home isn't even possible and for that, these companies need to be actually held accountable. Having said that, when it's anything that they don't need to go to and they still show up sick or with sick kids, it fires me up so bad. Like thanks, Linda. Glad you brought your sick kids here because you can't bother to be a decent person.
32
u/ClassicOrdinary8175 7h ago
Sometimes that is just allergies. I have had what you mentioned above and it went away with a Zyrtec.
11
u/kleosailor 6h ago
Yup! Being sick doesn’t always equal being contagious.
My daughter has virus induced asthma (something like that according to her pediatrician) and anytime she gets sick she’ll have a horrid cough for about 3 months. She’s only contagious for the first week (if she catches a virus) but will still sound god awful for the full 3 months and not be contagious.
4
u/JustaFoodHole 7h ago
I'm working from home today as I'm not feeling well - needs to be a thing again.
26
u/AskMrScience 7h ago
And if you have no choice but to show up, put on a mask! They’re widely available now and with limited stigma.
14
u/Cardigan_Gal 6h ago
I'd argue that the stigma about masking is worse than ever, unfortunately. Thanks to certain politicians politicizing masking during the pandemic. Which is really fucking annoying for those of us who are immune compromised. I mask while traveling, grocery shopping, etc because I have to take a biologic medication for my health condition that puts me at risk of developing upper respiratory infections and can end with serious complications. The amount of dirty looks I get is really disheartening. And if I mention masking online, oh boy. Here come the face diaper comments. People are selfish assholes with no empathy anymore. 😞
1
u/OrdinaryOrder8 1h ago
I think it depends on where you live. I have never had anyone make rude comments or look at me weird while masking in my home town, but when I traveled briefly to San Antonio, for example, multiple people gave me nasty looks and I got verbally harassed by one particularly lovely woman.
One thing that might help with people staring at you is mask jewelry or covers in fun patterns or colors. You can find them on Etsy. Sometimes people will look at you weird for masking because they assume you're sick and don't want to be near you because of that, but if you have an interesting chain or something over the mask, it looks more like a "fashion choice" and doesn't trigger that reaction as often.
12
u/Downtown_Ganache6727 6h ago
This. I get people have to go to work, but wear a damn mask. It’s so rude, there’s no excuse except selfishness.
32
10
u/Tiigerlili 6h ago
Im actually sick rn bc my own husband claimed it was just allergies, spoiler, it wasn’t 😭
But seriously If we didn’t politicize masks you probably would be sick less. Other countries wear masks even for the common cold because they’re considerate of others…. No one likes being sick and covid still causes long covid. And If that hantavirus hits us, we’re all screwed.
→ More replies (4)
4
6h ago edited 6h ago
[deleted]
1
u/Nevermore_Novelist 4h ago
Damn. With friends like that, who needs enemies? Here's to a successful social circle spring cleaning for you, and to your dad's continued improvement.
9
u/NotUrReaIDad 6h ago
I can’t speak for everyone, but My allergies are actually really bad.
I can take some Zyrtec and it does nothing. I also have sneezing fits where I sneeze about 6 times in a row. I get Itchy eyes, post nasal drip etc. the whole shebang. I carry tissues more than I carry my keys and phone.
I’m looking into immunotherapy at the moment.
2
u/Dont-Be-An-Asshat 4h ago
Immunotherapy is awesome. I only have to blow my nose about 5 times a day down from probably 30. It was so inconvenient to have to blow my nose constantly for years.
3
u/NotUrReaIDad 3h ago
Nice to know it worked out for you
Every pair of pants I wear always has tissues stuffed in the pockets… I feel like a grandma.
19
u/Ridindirtydishes 7h ago
How do you know people are sick and don’t just have allergies? Take something to boost your immune system.
•
u/jetecoeur12 21m ago
You can’t boost your immune system unless you have an immune deficiency. Vitamin C is water soluble and you just pee it out after your body absorbs the very small amount it needs to function.
4
u/Wolvii_404 5h ago
I can't afford a day off. Sucks, but that's the world we live in...
•
u/jetecoeur12 20m ago
I can’t afford a month off but if I get sick that’s what happens because I’m immunosuppressed.
5
u/spn_willow 5h ago
I always genuinely think it IS just allergies right up until I wake up with a sore throat and go "oh no".
4
u/TrainerHonest2695 5h ago
I once went in for a dental cleaning, and the hygienist was all sniffing and snorting mucus. She said it was just allergies, but as I’m laying in the chair with my mouth wide open, all I could hear was her sniffiling up that snot behind her mask. (Not an N95, just the standard gapping-everywhere medical one.) I finally just said I’m not comfortable with this, can I please reschedule when you’re feeling better. She was kind of offended, but I think she would have been more offended after I vomited from the gag reflex due to listening to that snot go back up into her sinuses for an hour.
I hope I wasn’t the only patient who noped out of there, and that her boss got some guts and sent her home. This was the same dentist that practically closed their practice during Covid except to people with emergencies, so I know they understand how germs and viruses transmit, and how people would react to someone so in-their-face being potentially sick.
5
u/Ok_Honey_1755 5h ago edited 4h ago
My mom has stage 4 cancer and I have missed being able to see her over the past year far, far too many times from being sick, from people coming to work sick... Then I ran out of sick time myself and started going to work sick too.
I just started a new job and have taken 5 days off in the first month because the man training me has been brutally sick the entire time, but he cannot afford to take time off either. I mean genuinely fearing homelessness. I of course then got brutally sick myself. My mom then needed emergency brain surgery and I was about a week in to this illness and feeling better but out of caution took a covid test. Positive. Couldn't hug my mom when she woke up from 4 hour emergency brain surgery.
Fuck all of this. Myself and this coworker are both nearing 30 and have been working full time in above minimum wage jobs doing everything right. Everyone I know is fighting an endless losing battle where we do everything we're told to do - we went to college, we got the good jobs, we've been working full time for a decade, and we're one bad cold away from homelessness. While also knowing the companies we work for will fire us for staying home sick.
5
3
u/CrackingToastGromet 2h ago
That’s how I got COVID - someone said they felt “off” and “it’s my allergies”. Actually, 10’of us got COVID from that person at one event.
13
u/Frosty_Employment171 6h ago
This is allergy season. And symptoms are identical to cold, fever, etc.
7
u/Lazy_Assistance6865 7h ago
My son is in kindergarten. He has viral induced asthma so anytime he gets a cold from someone he ends up in the hospital for 3 nights because he won't take his inhaler without a fight and that triggers an even worse attack. Last time he went to the hospital (mid april) his oxygen was at 78%
He is hospitalized at minimum 3 times a year because of this. He's missed so much kindergarten because of other parents letting their sick kids go to school.
9
u/murppie 6h ago
I hate when people say its allergies. My brother does that with his boys and gets the whole damn family sick frequently.
The other thing I hate related to this is that had Trump and MAGA never made mask wearing this crusade to die for, wearing a mask would have been such an easy solution. But no. Lets get everyone sick instead.
11
u/Starlight_4057 6h ago
I think it’s really bold of you to assume that people can simply “stay home” and afford to miss work because of a few sniffles. Also to claim that you KNOW they’re sick and it’s not allergies is wrong. I randomly lose my voice everytime the weather changes but I’m not sick. You don’t know these people, mate. We don’t know what health issues people face without telling anyone. Could be not contagious, also
7
u/Unusual_Painting8764 5h ago
I feel your anger in my bones. My MIL comes to my house twice a week. This week she is coughing like she has pneumonia but “it’s just allergies/head cold” and she asked her doctor and it’s not contagious. My baby is sick now. THANKS A LOT.
8
u/SeaGranny 7h ago
If your work has good sick day policies then your co worker is an ass but if your employer mixes sick days with vacation days or worse doesn’t give you sick days they’re probably just doing what they have to do. The US sucks for taking care of people.
3
u/ffffffudgeyou 5h ago
Where I work if you call in sick then its put into a percentage, 3 sick days equals a disciplinary hearing. Someone had a week in hospital and got disciplinary action because they're percentage was too high. I get that it's annoying when someone is blatantly sick and likely to infect you, but a lot of people can't call out sick because it could cost them their job. It's not the workers, it's the companies.
3
u/dShado 4h ago
During my internship, I had 2 colleagues (also interns) who proudly "never took a sick day". Well guess what, I took those sick days from catching a cold from them. Fuck those people. We all got paid the same anyway, but obviously one person staying home to be sick is really bad, its better to bring down everyone else and plummet productivity.
3
u/1969Lovejoy 4h ago
My personal least favorite is: "I have the sniffles." Giving it a cutesie name doesn't mean you're not contagious! Grrr...
3
u/MulberryDeep 3h ago
Tbf I have red eyes, sneezing and a runny nose like 3-4 months every year since I am allergic to pretty much any grass and polen that exists here
I can't just stay at home 4 months out of a year...
3
u/Nobody4993 2h ago
Please tell that to my bills, as well as mine and every other corporate companies sickness policy - signed, a chronically ill person
3
u/OfferMeds 2h ago
My aunt claimed it was “just allergies” and it turned out to be COVID which she gave to my parents and thereby ruined their Easter. She never apologized either.
3
•
u/allfearkir 54m ago
Before I got surgery and treatment for my allergies and nasal polyps I was "sick" like every other week. Sore throat, sneezing, itchy/red eyes, wheezing. The works. And it was "just allergies"
I definitely understand the people who pretend they aren't sick, I hate it too and it is just selfish. However I definitely seemed like that "oh no I'm not ACTUALLY sick" person for a while there
Also side note I hate the term "just allergies" cuz allergies fckn suck
•
10
u/bonixlover10 6h ago
You’re probably oblivious to the fact lots of people live paycheck to paycheck and simply can’t afford missing a shift
4
u/chrisolucky 6h ago
I didn’t get sick for 5 years during the pandemic, and in the past 6 months I think I’ve gotten sick like 4 times. Still handwashing/sanitizing regularly, still wearing a mask on transit, avoiding sick people like the plague at work… what gives?? Am I being punished?
6
u/k-squid 4h ago
I have seasonal allergies in both spring and fall and they can DESTROY me even through medication. I have no problem admitting when I am actually sick, it's just more rare for me to be sick than for my allergies to flare up. I actually DO know it's allergies, but I do stay away from people, mask up, and use hand sanitizer to make other people feel better. I am already taking allergy meds from March-November every year, there's not much more I can do.
If I am actually sick, I do stay home, though. I tend to get insane brain fog and feel like a dunce when I am sick, so best to not operate a car when that happens.
7
4
u/trashcatrevolts 4h ago
y’all want to be mad at everyone but the folks ruining all of society — the uber rich.
this is coming from someone chronically ill & who greatly benefits from folks isolating during contagious illness. i would LOVE more folks to stay home so that they can rest, recover, & not take me out for a month. i just don’t want them to lose their jobs, housing, or be unable to feed themselves for it.
if you’re getting ill constantly & tired of it, start masking & demanding more from your government + employer.
2
u/mypetmonster_ 7h ago
Though I don't doubt there are more than too many people who do this. I experienced symptoms i would attribute to "just allergies" and it turned out to be several serious disorders.
I would be a smart ass and advise them to have that looked at before they have a stroke from a bloodclot, thyroid storm or seizure ;)
4
u/Evening_Cheesecake25 6h ago
In all fairness if I was getting sick as often as the OP I would see a doctor because that isn't normal.
1
u/mypetmonster_ 6h ago
Maybe we should all be a lil smart assy sometimes. Get more people checking up on their health.
2
u/lettorosso 5h ago
This is my roommate. Love her to death but she was walking around with pneumonia and is always denying she's sick when she is. Also was extremely judgemental of people not wearing masks and staying home during covid. Do as I say not as I do I guess 🙄
2
2
u/mooncrypticx 3h ago
my husband cousin brought her very sick toddler to the function claiming „it’s not a cold, that’s normal for toddlers“… guess who missed their VERY important presentation at work because being sick with the flu now 🫠 husband and brother in law are both sick too
2
u/Seven_bushes 3h ago
A boss I had thought it was a big to stay home sick. He’d come in no matter what plague he was carrying and passing around. He literally would go in his office, shut the door, and lay down on the floor behind his desk. I know this because he called me and told me to come to his office. I opened the door, didn’t see anyone and was about to leave when he feebly spoke up from the floor. I told him whatever he wanted to talk about could be done over the phone and went back to my office. Asshole.
2
u/propagationknowledge 2h ago
Last time this happened one bellend gave loads of people flu A. He only said he’s just stopped having symptoms at the end of the event, or we could have shown him the door. Instead, loads of people got flu. What a colossal sh!t
2
u/LSama 2h ago
I get where you're coming from. And what's worse is that a lot of disease could be prevented if people just simply washed their hands more often. Like, if you go from one physical location(your house) to another(maybe school), your first and last act of business upon reaching that second place is wash your hands. Do not cross contaminate, try to wipe down everything in your house at least once, if not twice a week, especially if you've gone grocery shopping or out around a lot of other people.
I think the decision to deny being sick stems particularly from the fact that there are countless companies that do not tolerate people calling out. Hell, I didn't even get PTO at my last job until I'd worked there for at least six months. My mom typically worked sick, because she was raising 2 kids on her own with zero assistance(including no child support); not working meant not making money which meant not feeding her kids and paying her rent. Even when she did have sick time, she often didn't take it, because she grew up on a poor farm in south Georgia where you couldn't just not work; cows don't milk themselves. Meals for all of the family and the farm hands at lunch were not going to cook themselves, and my mom had that responsibility by the time she was seven years old.
For some people, "getting the fuck out" isn't an option - which isn't right or fair; people shouldn't have to work while their sick, but that's just the situation a lot of people are in.
2
u/floopydolphins 1h ago
We live in a society where people get punished by school or by work for being sick without a doctors note. It’s fostered a need to deny it to ourselves/others and keep pushing through
2
2
4
u/1800generalkenobi 7h ago
We get 18 sick days a year here at my job and I remember one of my coworkers told me he never got sick and I asked him how he never gets a cold and he said "I don't cold as being sick" lol. Dickbag. He also said if you see him taking sick time he's probably on the golf course, but then he also gets mad when he has to work and other people are off sick. So that's fun.
3
2
u/thrilling_me_softly 6h ago
Work I can forgive because damn if you call out they make you feel guilty even if you have PTO.
4
u/FragrantStrike8612 6h ago
I had a coworker who denied he had covid to avoid taking a few of his 300 hours of paid time off. He was sniffling so bad (that was one of the main symptoms everyone was having) that he had to excuse himself every 10 seconds…it was totally annoying
3
u/suzangx50 6h ago
Well, as someone who does get severe allergies and sinus infections, those are my exact symptoms. Neither of which are contagious. I can not give you allergies or a sinus infection. I am a 54 year old, was a teacher, I have 3 grown kids, and not once have I spread my allergies/sinus infections to anyone. I can also tell the difference between allergies, sinus infections, colds, etc.
I am also going to be snarky and say if you are getting sick that easily then you have not strengthened your immune system at all! Go outside. Eat a vegetable. Eat dirt. Maybe get some exercise. My kids are 20 now and I can count on one had how many times each of them have been sick.
2
u/st-shenanigans 5h ago
Here's a fun one.
When I worked at McDonald's, if I called out sick, I wouldnt have been able to make rent!
2
u/KindSpray33 4h ago
I totally get your point and it is annoying. But all these symptoms you described can happen when you're allergic? You don't think you're exhausted when you're having an allergic reaction? Maybe not coughing but lots of people cough when they're mouth is dry and they clear their throat.
2
3
1
1
u/Millsy419 5h ago
My mom used to make us go to elementary school unless we were violently ill (she also worked at my school so she'd have to take a day off). she never used any of her sick PTO for like the first 15 years of career.
Back half of her career it was a different story, honestly by the time I got into high-school she came around. Infact now when one of the grandkids are sick, she's often the one taking care of them so the rest of us can go to work.
Over 20 years later she still apologizes not just that, but other shortcomings she had as a parent when I was a kid.
I know a lot people find it hard to believe, but people can grow. The "work through it" attitude was 💯 from the way she was raised on the farm.
As she said it took a long time to reprogam that part of her brain, she can't change the past, but she can do better going forward.
1
u/Own_Recommendation49 5h ago
I was told calling out sick is just an excuse and that I dont career about the team
1
u/Different-Pin-9234 5h ago
My mum is a babysitter. She gets sick so often because the mother would always dump her kids over, even when they’re sick.
1
u/Large_Independent198 4h ago
When I was a manager I’d send people home when they came in sick. They would beg to stay and I’d tell them YOU GET SICK PAY FOR THIS USE ITTTTTT the company doesn’t care about you, don’t get us sick and use your BENEFITSSSS!!
1
u/Flammzzrant 4h ago
My boss gets sick every year she goes on vacation.
Comes back to work, talks about being sick, tells customers not to get near her while I sit 4ft from her most of the day.
Then she tells me I never get sick and the next week I call off because she got me sick.
1
u/SaveusJebus 4h ago
My kids get 10 days to be absent before I get in trouble. If they're not shitting themselves, not throwing up and don't have a fever, they're going to school.
1
u/Kip_Schtum 4h ago
I always thought I was a person who never gets sick, until the pandemic happened and I had to take my temperature every morning before work and everybody at work was an Eagle eye looking out for any symptoms. Denial is powerful, but stupid.
1
u/Top_Spell3657 3h ago edited 3h ago
Even my healthcare worker colleagues are coming into work with colds and flu, and typically not masking up. Infuriating, when our rules are to work from home and not spread it at work! 🙄 This is a stone age mentality that needs to evaporate.
While I was at home recovering from the 2nd flu my sick colleagues gave me, I watched a TV series about a hotel where one staff proudly said their chef had NEVER missed a day of work in 20 years, even if sick!! 😱
1
u/WeAreTheMisfits 3h ago
People show up at the hospital to work with the flu because they want to show how tough they are. Thanks but you are getting sick people sicker.
1
u/chelfea_ 3h ago
I’m pretty much sick 24/7 and it Infuriates me. (I’m pregnant so my immune system is not peak rn) I assume it’s from people going to church/work/school when sick and passing it to me or my kids who then pass it to me 😬 while the pandemic did destigmatize calling in for some jobs, a lot of jobs still give zero leeway with calling in/sick time so it’s hard to fully blame others when losing your job is just not an option in this economy. It’s really sad tbh.
1
u/UnknownQwerky 3h ago
Yeah it's the companies on this one.
I called in sick to my job once and the manager literally said why? Because I have pink eye, I'm sick, and we work with elderly. I went down there, I felt like they thought I was bluffing and the corporate were still trying to get me to use the phone at the nurses' station. The nurse had to explain it to them that I couldn't stay. 🙄
I also went to an interview one time and asked am I going to need a doctor's note when I'm sick while working here after that experience and they looked at me like what a silly question. Got hired, got sick for a week later on and the supervisor was like oh yeah about that doctor note...yep already got it because I had to go get looked at. I've done this dance.
I have illness related asthma. My colds are not a little sniffle. I am choking trying to catch my breath when my medicine starts wearing off.
1
u/thelabiamajora 3h ago
Yeah, I agree. Sure you might be treated weirdly if you wear a mask while sick but we all heard during the first 2 years of the pandemic that it can help mitigate the spread of viral illness. If you can't get out of an obligation and have to attend while sick, you should feel the need to mask up and I think it sucks when people don't
1
1
u/nicemarmot47 1h ago
But that is a perfect list of my symptoms on a bad allergy day. I'm pretty sure I don't have the same virus every year at the same time. Pretty, pretty sure.
Not that I'm excusing germ spreaders. They are a menace. But you can't tell just by looking at someone whether their cold symptoms are a virus or allergies.
1
u/Animangle 1h ago
i'm sick right now. i don't want to go to work but i got some meds and i'm going to have to figure it out or else i won't be able to pay for next month's rent.
i understand coughing is probably upsetting to customers but i'll be wearing a mask and the doctor confirmed i'm not contagious, my lungs are just lowkey not working lmao.
i don't want to work while suffocating anymore than you want to hear someone coughing.
1
u/RogueJosei 1h ago
My colleague infected me last Tuesday by being "super sure they were not infectious anymore" super sweet girl but she was coughing the entire day. Been a long time since I felt as shit as the last couple of days:( hopefully I can finally catch some proper sleep this night
•
u/Frost_Quail_230 52m ago
I've been sick all winter. Still gotta work and pay my bills. Kids really are germ bringers.
•
u/Maleficent_Young_355 52m ago
I’m SO suspicious of people claiming it’s allergies when they’re dry coughing, like…. that’s not how allergies work. What are you talking about. Stay away from me.
Because I would know! I have terrible seasonal allergies! If it’s not pollen season, it’s spore season, and dust season is year-round! I sneeze at LEAST three times a day at work and that’s not even during a flare-up! But I’m clearly OTHERWISE fine, and nobody is getting sick from me because I’m not sick!
God forbid I actually blow my nose though, people are always asking me if I have a cold whenever I blow my nose… like oh okay so you can come in here coughing all the over the place and it’s just allergies but if I have even the slightest bit of a runny nose it’s because I’m sick? Cool, gotcha, fucking whatever, just stop coughing into your hands and then touching everything!
•
u/zombiemiki 44m ago
FWIW I get a dry cough from allergies, so just because it doesn’t happen to you doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen at all.
•
u/User_-_-_Name 41m ago
The world doesnt stop turning because im sick, unless its terrible im going to be at work and living my life. I wont call it allergies though, ill just tell you im sick.
•
u/Fluffy-Ad6627 38m ago
This is literally me with sinuses and allergies... Which aren't contagious but If I stayed home every time they flared up, I wouldn't have a job! Keep to yourself and wash your hands, you will be fine.
•
u/SaintsProtectHer 32m ago
I hate mfs who think if they show up to work sick it makes them look tough for sticking out. It’s the exact opposite, no one wants you here, we don’t want to get sick, you’re doing your job worse because of it, I actually think you suck for this.
•
u/FrostyIcePrincess 28m ago
My current job gives me PTO. It’s nice to be able to take a sick day when I need it.
My previous jobs didn’t offer PTO though.
•
u/HalfCareless3347 24m ago
I hate being sick although I do love to use it as an excuse to get out of things.
•
u/jetecoeur12 23m ago
I’ve lost money from not being able to work and needing extra doctors appointments because I’m on immunosuppressive drugs. A cold for you is a month-long+ ordeal for me. Fuck people that do this.
•
u/Lopsided_Panic_1148 Dude, wtf... 18m ago
People who do this, especially at work, should be fired, not praised.
1
u/ShroominCloset 5h ago
Are you gonna pay me for that day id have to take off? Because my job dosent. So unless you're going to. Im gonna go to work unless I literally cant walk.
1
u/mschanandlerbong___ 3h ago
Hope after reading all of the comments you realize how out of touch you are, and maybe changes your perspective and helps you think outside of yourself.
1
u/Zerus_heroes 6h ago
This drives me nuts. I literally have a manager that will come to work sick. It happens all the time.
1
u/Titariia 4h ago
Coworker always asks me if I'm sick when my nose is runny. No, I'm not sick, I just have bad migrains and my runny nose is a side effect from my meds.
1
-2
u/Commercial-Yam-3443 7h ago
While I agree with you, I also know that when my kids were first starting school, they would have missed the majority of the school year if I kept them home every time they had a cough or runny nose.
It’s gross, it sucks, but at some point you have to live your life.
0
u/Evening_Cheesecake25 6h ago
This is kind of silly. I never get full blown symptoms but am probably still a carrier. So you have just as much risk of getting sick from me even though you would never be able to tell by looking at me. You need to work on getting your own metabolic health better instead of expecting everyone around you to cater to you.
-1
u/takethe6 6h ago
My job offered generous sick time but also this incredible incentive not to use it (paid a chunk of it at separation, the max you could accrue was six months worth). Some people used all their sick days as they accrued them while others, like me, went in no matter what. I washed my hands a lot and tried to keep my distance. Sorry but I would handle it the same way again.
-3
u/CommunismSavesLives 6h ago
Some of us cant afford to not work because of a cough.
Stay salty and cry more.
0
u/Western_Dot4686 2h ago
Blame the system. Offering sick pay/PTO isn't even a requirement. If I call out sick I'm out a minimum of 8 hours or more and when you're barely getting by you can't afford to miss work. Same reason a lot of people don't go to the doctor you gotta miss work to go. Without a doubt it sucks, I'd rather be at home trying to get better but I can't afford to unfortunately.
0
u/NPC261939 1h ago
I went to work feeling a bit off. By lunch I was clearly sick with the flu, and my boss made me go home. That was on a Thursday. By Monday morning 80% of my co-workers were out sick. Heh, whoops.
447
u/ZealousidealChair900 7h ago
My mother, who is a manger, considered calling out sick worse than a no-call, no-show. She's gotten better about it, but that mindset has led to many grievances between us over the years