…do you feel:
- Guilty like you’ve gone and selfishly removed a day’s worth of productivity
- Worried that you’ll have so much piled up when you come back
- Anxious because you are so essential people can’t get by without you
- Relaxed because you’re helping yourself get better
- Semi-productive because you end up crawling in bed with your laptop and working anyway
or any variation of those? I’m sick today and have been all weekend. Luckily my firm is of the “don’t come to work when you’re sick, we’ll still pay you” mindset.
But, it makes me feel guilty. That guilt leads to semi-productiveness. And that semi-productiveness leads to me sending out emails and putting out as many fires as I can from the comfort of my home. I’m still getting rest. I have plenty of tissues at hand and I’m comfortable in my sweatpants.
Unfortunately, I know people who don’t get (free, unlimited, or any) sick days. Are you one of those? Do you have a laptop you bring home? My suspicion is you don’t. You’re not doing guilty work at home like me.
Hey bartender, I’ll take a mix of Guilt, Worry and semi-productiveness…shaken, not stirred. I do the same thing..work from home, even when I’m not feeling well. Like today, we have the day off, but I’m still working, from home, sick. =(
Worry really kicks in over holidays and vacations, though I’m learning to let that one go. I can’t stand coming back after being gone for 3 days and having 80+ emails to work through. Drives me nuts so I check in and take care of easy ones as I go. Saves my sanity.
Feel better…and stop working!
I’ve never actually taken a sick day, but I don’t think I’d be too far off by assuming guilt would factor into the equation. :)
Mostly though, I think I would be super pissed off that I was wasting one of my precious days off being sick. I think anger (most likely directed towards my tonsils, though probably also at my insurance deductible) would also be on my list…
Feel better!
I don’t take many sick days, maybe 2 a year. I use the time carefully; first of all, it has to be gorgeous weather. I work in a setting that my union has a certain number of full-pay sick days a year. I mostly want to go outside and play in the dirt ie. garden or prune trees on my land. I usually have a non-work related project having to do with crafts or fabric. I want to just wear my jamies, drink coffee and spend hours on the project. I don’t feel guilty or anxious. I know that my work will continue tomorrow.
I don’t take sick days unless I’m basically on my death bed.
Guilty + Worried + Anxious + (more than)Semi-Productive = how I feel on those very rare occasions.
Get some good rest. Hope you feel better soon!
I feel a bit guilty, but I only take time off when I’m very sick and I can remind myself that at least I’m taking care of myself and everyone else (by not passing illness on to the whole agency).
Being home alone isn’t much fun, so I usually want to be back at work asap!
@karen: I’m not one who worries much because, hey, whatever happens happens, right? ;)
@Cheryl: Aha, well planned. Some folks have talked about taking sick/ski days once and a while. But then we’re back to vacation ethics.
@Victoria: Thanks, I feel better already!
@Alex: I agree, I’d rather not get everyone else sick–which is probably why they give me the sick days.
I’m very rarely sick so I feel little to no guilt when I take a sick day (we’re talking maybe once a year). If I need it, I need it. I get the days for a reason. I once even had a boss condone “mental health” days.
Think about it — you feel like crap, you won’t be productive at work because you feel like crap, plus you might make other people feel like crap and force them to have to take sick days.