What makes you call in sick to work?

Today I am not feeling very well, so I talked to my boyfriend and told him I don't want to come in to work today if they can work something out (it's a family restaurant). I'm not bedridden, but my stomach has been upset and, since I got up, I've been in the bathroom every 15 to 30 minutes. I feel kind of bad about not going to work, though, since it's friday, which is one of our busy days. It will mean that other people have to lengthen their shifts by an hour or so, which sucks for them. I was manager for a long time at a swimming pool where people would call in sick randomly, with like 10 minutes notice, and then be unwilling to work as a sub when others called in sick. I think this experience made me feel guilty when I call in, even though I don't do it to go to the mall or whatever those darn teenaged girls were doing. Still, I'm torn....do I want the boss to call back and say it's cool to stay home....or do I want him to insist I come in so I won't feel like I'm being irresponsible and letting people down....
Either way, I was wondering......where do you guys draw the line and call in sick? And do you feel as bad as I do for leaving people in the lurch?

I can relate to how you feel. I always feel guilty for calling in. I have a desk job so i can go to my office and sit there, do what i need to do and leave if need be. If you're sick, you're sick though!!! If you just dont "feel good" i think thats different because theres ALOT of days to where i just dont feel good! I always worry about putting someone else in a pinch but ya know thats part of it. It happens! You need to quit being so hard on yourself and get better!! ((hugs))

I have an office job so its not so bad for me going into work, however, after a recent spell with everyone being sick after one of the employees coming sick we have all decided we would much rather work an hour longer to cover than have the place shut down from having no employees well enough to work.

I'm in the same boat myself. This is my second day at home away from work. I have a head cold and for those of you that have flown you know the kinds of effects that climbing and descending can have on your ears.... so in my case it's a saftey issue, I have had a ruptured eardrum once and I don't want to ever do it again!

If you are sick, you are sick. If I were your coworker, I would appreciate NOT being exposed to whatever it is you have, or are getting. LOL

However, if you really don't know whether you're genuinely sick, my mother always said you'd feel better once you got up and got moving around. If you still don't, after an hour, then go back to bed and call in, or go in for a while and then leave early. They can't say you didn't try.

Originally Posted by Vibiana

If you are sick, you are sick. If I were your coworker, I would appreciate NOT being exposed to whatever it is you have, or are getting. LOL

However, if you really don't know whether you're genuinely sick, my mother always said you'd feel better once you got up and got moving around. If you still don't, after an hour, then go back to bed and call in, or go in for a while and then leave early. They can't say you didn't try.

Click to expand...

That's very true...my mom told me that if you are too sick to go to school/work than you are too sick to go out too. So no calling in sick for work and then going to the movies later. (Darn!)

Originally Posted by Vibiana

If you are sick, you are sick. If I were your coworker, I would appreciate NOT being exposed to whatever it is you have, or are getting. LOL

However, if you really don't know whether you're genuinely sick, my mother always said you'd feel better once you got up and got moving around. If you still don't, after an hour, then go back to bed and call in, or go in for a while and then leave early. They can't say you didn't try.

Click to expand...

Since it's a restaurant and my symptoms are gastro-intestinal (stomach cramps and diarrhea), I think the customers would appreciate me staying home, too! LOL. It's not really that I'm so sick I couldn't work between bathroom breaks, it's just that I'd end up spending half my time in the bathroom....and that's not really an option, cuz once I'm at work and we're busy, I need to be able to work continuously without worrying that I can't get to the bathroom when I need to. I'm just going to stay home today and rest, that way I'll (fingers crossed) be fine for work tomorrow.

Usually if I'm feeling sick to my stomach, I'll stay at home.

If I have a bad cold, I stay home too. Where I work, there is so much dust flying around, it irritates my nose so bad that I spend the whole day sneezing and feeling miserable.

I do honestly feel that you did the right thing by calling out sick today, especially considering that you work in a eating establishment. I know I wouldn't appreciate a sick person, taking my order, serving my order, cooking my order, or even taking my money and giving me change, at a restaurant. I think it's very unfair to the costumers to go in to work at a restaurant, when you are sick. As a customer, I would much prefer slower service, than to have sick people serving me. I wouldn't feel the least bit guilty about calling out sick, if I were you, and if I worked or ate in your restaurant, I would very appreciative of you not coming in sick.

I actually hate it when people come in to my work sick. I'd rather work harder than be exposed.

If its contageous, by all means, stay home. If, on the other hand its self-inflicted (stayed up too late or hungover), then you should go to work. I'm not saying this is you - you already described what you have, just in general. I actually had a roomate once who called in tired!

Originally Posted by Rockcat

I actually had a roomate once who called in tired!

Click to expand...

Better than an employee I had who once showed up for a morning shift still drunk! To teach little kids swimming, for god's sake! I sent her home, no WAY I was putting those kids in any danger by having a less than sober instructor working. Some people, huh?

Originally Posted by Leli

Better than an employee I had who once showed up for a morning shift still drunk! To teach little kids swimming, for god's sake! I sent her home, no WAY I was putting those kids in any danger by having a less than sober instructor working. Some people, huh?

Click to expand...

Are you serious!? What was she thinking? Especially to teach children how to swim!

If I seriously won't get any productive work done, then I stay home. Usually the only way this really happens is if I have a fever. When I worked a desk job I could fake it, but as a vet tech you can't really do your job if you aren't feeling well enough to be on your feet and thinking lucidly for your entire shift. It becomes a safety issue.

Originally Posted by babyharley

Are you serious!? What was she thinking? Especially to teach children how to swim!

Click to expand...

I guess she was thinking "what's a creative way to lose my job?"

I feel too guilty to call in. I had food poisoning 3 times last year, and one bad bout of flu or something but other than that, I don't call in.

Originally Posted by Leli

Better than an employee I had who once showed up for a morning shift still drunk! To teach little kids swimming, for god's sake! I sent her home, no WAY I was putting those kids in any danger by having a less than sober instructor working. Some people, huh?

Click to expand...

That is about as irresponsible as you can get.

I called in sick today too. Much like you, I rarely call in, and feel guilty when I do. I've been fighting some sort of virus for a few days now. I kept telling myself it was allergies, but last night I felt so bad I thought I was going to fall over. I finally admitted to myself that I am actually sick, and since I'm a nurse, I'm really doing everyone else a favor!

JinJin is loving that I'm home, though!

Originally Posted by Leli

I guess she was thinking "what's a creative way to lose my job?"

Click to expand...

Most likely!!

I used to feel guilty about calling in sick. Now I don't. Life happens; people get sick. That's what sick time is for. And, for me, my work will be right there waiting for me as soon as I feel better, anyway. Actually, I feel guilty when I go to work, or out anywhere, when I'm sick. All it takes is you walking in a door, someone else walking in a bit later and getting your germs from the door handle on their hands, then they rub their eyes or nose, then, the next day, they (not knowing they've been exposed and will soon come down with cold symptoms) go see their grandma in the nursing home. A few days later, she comes down with a cold and, being already immunocompromized, ends up in the hospital as a secondary bacterial infection sets in, possibly leading to pneumonia, which is sometimes fatal in the elderly.

Nope. I don't feel guilty about calling in sick. The only reason to feel guilty about doing it is if you aren't actually sick.