Heartless SC's

[MoxisPilot]

Maybe it's just the co-workers I've known who take advantage of any situation to take time off, and because I'm a total hardass about this kind of thing (I'll work until the last trumpet unless I'm too sick to walk) but I'm on board with the people who think your coworkers ought to have perservered.

On the flip side, a little tact from the customers was definitely in order.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I dunno, you can't really say how much pain someone is in. Saying "just suck it up" in insensitive.

I worked through a shift at the zoo (I worked very briefly in concessions one summer) so that everyone else could go to the funeral of a 17 year old boy who'd burned to death in his car that week. I didn't know the boy that well, just that he was sweet and beautiful and kindhearted. He'd helped me with my golf cart one evening and then died horribly about 30 minutes later.

My imagination is a bit too vivid for me to come to any peace about that. I had a hard time with it, and he and I weren't even close.

His friends at work were just about hysterical with grief. The girl that worked next to him at the grill (he was a line cook or something) was inconsolable. Telling them to suck it up would have been inhuman.

Some people can handle their grief gracefully. I personally am not one of those people, it can lay me pretty low and cause my brain to shut completely off. And anyways, work is just work. Life and death are pretty good reasons to take a pause to pull yourself together.

[MoxisPilot]

And anyways, work is just work. Life and death are pretty good reasons to take a pause to pull yourself together.

You have a good point.

Like I said, my opinions are probably influenced by people who have taken advantage of these types of situations, rather than being genuinely moved.

A prime example that comes to mind from when I was in my teens is a coworker who took off for her boyfriend's mother's funeral, with whom she claimed to be exceptionally close. When I called to check on the boyfriend (a friend of mine), he said he hadn't seen her all day.

Turns out she'd gone out shopping.

Some douchebags really ruin it for the rest of the population.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

True. I can see that, and have no doubt that it happens. That just makes it that much harder for those really needing some time.

Also, as far as just pushing through illness or grief goes, it's not worth it. I don't care if you are the CEO of a huge company or some dude pushing a broom after hours. Nobody cares you went the extra mile. Seriously, you will rack up no goodwill with anyone, your boss included. You will not come to the end of your life and say "gee, I wish I'd worked through that Life Moment instead of taking a break."

Take the break.

[MoxisPilot]

Also, as far as just pushing through illness or grief goes, it's not worth it. I don't care if you are the CEO of a huge company or some dude pushing a broom after hours. Nobody cares you went the extra mile. Seriously, you will rack up no goodwill with anyone, your boss included. You will not come to the end of your life and say "gee, I wish I'd worked through that Life Moment instead of taking a break."

Take the break.

While I understand where you're coming from, it's just my work ethic (and my husband's, as well); most jobs I've had, I've enjoyed, and wanted to do my best at them, even if no one else recognizes it.

Plus, when I work through an illness, there comes a point later when I can tell my manager/boss/whoever, "I need time off; see, I haven't taken personal time since..."

Not everyone is a workaholic like me, though.

[Lace Neil Singer]

There are some good people; at my workplace, you don't get an automatic day off for a funeral unless it's a relative. However, when a good friend of mine died in a road accident last year, my manager arranged for cover so I didn't have to use up holiday time or take an unpaid day off. I just swapped shifts with someone else the next day. And yes, I was upset that day, as I was the whole week, but everyone was understanding; no arseholes complained about me that time.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I do my best as well, but if I"m sick or grieving I'm not at my best.

And besides, if you come to work sick and start an epidemic, that's not the best thing, either. Last couple jobs I had, you weren't even supposed to come in sick...nobody wants to be around someone contageous. If half the staff is out because you got them sick, productivity takes a bigger hit than if you'd just stayed home.

[AccountingDrone]

Everyone dies and everyone handles it differently. It would also depend on the dead person's relationship to me. I would probably be one of the people to stay, as long as it wasn't someone very close to me. But if it were, and I couldn't function, I would leave.

I worked half a day the day my father died. I couldnt leave to drive up to Rochester, mrDrone had the car, and he had to get the news, get permission for berevement leave and drive home. I telecommuted, and had gotten the permission, everything we needed packed and needed to do *anything* to take up time until mrD got back.

I have a public face, and a private face. Very few people see my private face.

[tropicsgoddess]

You know, if you knew where they worked, you could always call their bosses and let them know that they were projecting a poor appearance for the whole company by being identifiable as an employee there, and being complete asshats.

Now THAT would be sweet revenge...coupled with Blas' idea too.

[corporateslave]

Last week a worker at my ex-place of work was killed in a car accident. Everyone knew him and he was well loved by everyone.

I'm sorry for your loss.
I've gone to work sick (not contagious, though) plenty of times, but I couldn't work after a friend died two years ago. Physical sickness I can deal with better than heart-sickness.

[missy]

Thanks for the messages =)

I am the same. I can easily work when I am ill, but I had to take a couple of days off from my new job. (they were very understanding) If I still worked there, I would have needed a bit longer off because of the memories that workplace holds for me. It was really like one big happy family.

I know that customers didn't really know the whole reason. But at that time, it was very annoying. But we didn't want the whole world to know what happened, only those that knew him. (it was in the paper the next day)

[MoxisPilot]

I do my best as well, but if I"m sick or grieving I'm not at my best.

And besides, if you come to work sick and start an epidemic, that's not the best thing, either. Last couple jobs I had, you weren't even supposed to come in sick...nobody wants to be around someone contageous. If half the staff is out because you got them sick, productivity takes a bigger hit than if you'd just stayed home.

That's something I never really considered...and will in the future! (It's not that I'm oblivious, it's just that the only job where I was regularly ill was at a daycare...and everyone else was usually sick before it hit me.)

Definitely keeping that in mind now, though.

[Andara Bledin]

When I called to check on the boyfriend (a friend of mine), he said he hadn't seen her all day.

Turns out she'd gone out shopping.

That doesn't necessarily mean anything. There's a reason a lot of people call it "retail therapy."

While I understand where you're coming from, it's just my work ethic (and my husband's, as well); most jobs I've had, I've enjoyed, and wanted to do my best at them, even if no one else recognizes it.

My ex's uncle worked himself into the hospital with that kind of work ethic. And both of his kids turned into pot-heads as an escape from his disapproval of anyone that didn't work themselves sick like he did.

I've always been slightly baffled by people who will work when they know that they aren't at full health and that working will cause their health to get worse. I mean, when the choice is between taking a couple of days off and then be at 100% or "working through it" and ending up having to take weeks or even months to recover from the abuse, I am going to have to opt for the couple days. That whole "ounce of prevention" thing.

If half the staff is out because you got them sick, productivity takes a bigger hit than if you'd just stayed home.

++

Plus, if you're not at your best the likelihood of making possibly costly mistakes (in money or time or both) is usually much higher. I wish more managers could figure that out.

^-.-^

[AirHostess]

IMO I would personally just go sick if work wasn't willing to give me time off on compassionate grounds. Just go to my GP and get signed off. The airline is pretty crap on things like this, again, I would just go sick.

If I was grieving my mind would not be on the job and my ability to fight fires/do CPR/open a door in an emergency etc would be limited.