You have a cold, so GO HOME!

[Lace Neil Singer]

I have a cold. It's not so bad now, and luckily the worst part of it when I felt really ill were during my two days off. But customers still keep saying whenever I blow my nose or cough or sneeze, "You should be home in bed!"

Note: I do try to go out back to blow my nose, but sometimes that just is not possible; for example, if there's a giant queue of customers and my nose needs blowing or else dripping will occur. I do use hand sanitiser afterwards to reassure customers that I am not going to spread the virus (now, if THEY did likewise... it was, inevitably, a customer I caught the cold from in the first place!) but if I ran out back every time I blew my nose, coughed or sneezed... well, I'd be there permanently.

Anyway, I can't really afford to take the time off at the moment and I'm not ill enough to do so in any case. A cold isn't a life threatening illness and I'm rather proud of my attendance record (I want to save my sick days for when I am actually sick) so I'm going to come in to work. I really don't see why customers should treat me as tho I'm suffering from bubonic plague or smallpox and act as tho I should either go home RIGHT AWAY or wear a hazmet suit.

[PepperElf]

yeah... it's not always possible to go home for colds. maybe THEY can spend sick days - which retail often doesn't even HAVE in the first place - on simple colds but not everyone can do that. I see that you have sick days but tell you what... my last 2 jobs, a day home sick meant a day i didn't get paid.


plus not everyone who sneezes has a cold. I sneeze every day. usually in long lines of sneezes too. I have allergies.

[Merriweather]

Maybe I need to be more careful in my wording, I may have said something similar at times, but what I meant (and hope it was taken that way) wasn't wanting them to keep their germs away from the public, but rather that they should be able to have the luxury of choosing to stay home in bed and resting rather than having to drag themselves into work when they obviously aren't feeling their best.

[Gizmo]

Maybe I need to be more careful in my wording

It depends on tone I think - there is the *snatch stuff off you like you have the plague* level and the *horrible colds, I'd hate to be working if I was feeling like you seem to be* commiseration level.

[Lace Neil Singer]

^This. I don't mind a customer going all "Aww, poor you. I hate working when I'm ill too!", it's the people who go all Howard Hughes and act like I have the plague. Especially when they're at risk from a cold just walking into a shop. If you don't want to catch a cold, then feel free to live inside a bubble.

I do have sick days, however if you take more than three sick days a year you get a talking to. This doesn't count however if you have a doctor's note; however, I draw the line at getting a doctor's appointment just for something minor like a cold.

[MoonCat]

Some customers get all bent out of shape when a cashier sneezes or coughs, but they have no way of knowing how many people touched the merchandise that they chose to buy....or how many touched the shopping cart, or the door handles, etc., etc. If they're that paranoid, they should keep a bottle of hand sanitizer in their pocket and wear a face mask too!

[bankworking]

Even when work gives you sick days, they never want you to use them. Plus, they staff for the bare minimum, making one feel guilty for calling off for anything that can be suffered through. It sucks, but that's what our "efficient" world has given us. It would be so nice if we could actually stay home when sick... And customers who don't realize you can't and bitch and complain about it just rub salt in that wound.

[Gizmo]

I do have sick days, however if you take more than three sick days a year you get a talking to. This doesn't count however if you have a doctor's note; however, I draw the line at getting a doctor's appointment just for something minor like a cold.

And they won't issue a note until 7 days anyway - they just tell you to self certify until then. Its like me: I have a bad sinus infection which I'm home treating until I can get to the doctors next week. (And btw, my sick days still count against me and could lead to losing my job even if I have a doctors note!)

[pltkcelestial18]

I've always been one to never call in sick when I'm not feeling well. I've only once been out of work because of an illness and it was when I had the swine flu. I was working at a chocolate factory at the time and they were very adamant about people not coming in if they had a fever or any sign at all of the swine flu, even to the point of going around to and taking people's temperatures. I took some sick days and vacation days and had the week off.

The only other time I would ever feel the need to call in sick is if I have migraine. Luckily I don't get them very often (last time was several years ago) and haven't had one before or during work.

Otherwise, I usually suffer through colds and sinus infections and such. I did try to call in once at my current job on Christmas Eve a couple of years ago cause I had been sick and was feeling particularly crappy that day, but they told me they really needed me and if I was still feeling really bad after working for a little while, they'd let me go home. When I got there, I bought and took some meds and work was tolerable. I stayed the whole 8 hrs.

I think sometimes people can't afford to take off work because of something as minor as a cold.

[Seshat]

One thing I would ask: use masks.

You can use either cloth or disposable paper masks, but using a mask is the second most effective method of reducing the spread of cough/sneeze carried diseases.

The most effective, of course, being regular handwashing. The third most effective is sneezing/coughing into one's elbow or shoulder.

[PepperElf]

normally i hold my sneezes in as hard as possible so they come out like little squeaks. if i don't then... well there's always a chance it could be messy.

but sometimes one catches my by surprise (or a cough) so i'll use my hand* and then wash it asap.


*left hand - so that my right is still free for other things if need be.

[KatherineB]

normally i hold my sneezes in as hard as possible so they come out like little squeaks. if i don't then... well there's always a chance it could be messy.

but sometimes one catches my by surprise (or a cough) so i'll use my hand* and then wash it asap.


*left hand - so that my right is still free for other things if need be.

Another option is to catch your sneeze in your elbow, particularly if you are away from washing facilities.

[AmbrosiaWriter]

One thing I would ask: use masks.

Though that might be considered effective, not everyone is comfortable using a mask. I wouldn't ask anyone who is already feeling like crap to make themselves look even more like a pariah and feel worse. (Because you know as soon as someone sees a employee wearing a mask, they're going to go ballistic.)

I, personally, can't wear those masks or I find breathing very difficult.

This is what my immune system is for anyway. If I'm going out in public, especially a grocery/convenience store where who knows how many sick people have already touched what I touched, then I can't be paranoid about "OMG that person is going to get me sick!" because just the act of going in public during flu season skyrockets the chances of getting sick unless you go outside in a bubble.

Aiming it away from me/covering the mouth during a cough is fine enough for me.

[Chromatix]

In Asian countries it is common to see people wearing face-masks - either because the air quality is really bad (eg. China) or because the wearer has a cold and doesn't want you to catch it (eg. Japan).

In Western countries, people tend to look at you strangely if you do that, even if it makes sense.

[Tama]

Around here I've seen face masks...mainly for cancer patients and people with swine flu.