# Got a cold or flu? - stay the fuck home! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 7, 2015, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-or-flu-stay-the-fuck-home/709243 "2015-01-07T18:24:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-or-flu-stay-the-fuck-home/709243/41 "2015-01-07T19:53:56Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > No. It’s in no way responsible to knowingly expose your contagious diseases to others. Sorry. Not all circumstances are this simple. Sometimes the consequences are worse for staying home. If staying home will get me fired, and getting me fired means my daughter in the hospital gets kicked out, or my wife loses her medication, or we all become homeless, or some other thing that’s worse than raising the risk of my co-workers getting the flu, then yes, I’ll probably go to work. Raising the risk of one’s co-workers getting the flu is bad, but it’s not _the worst thing that one can do in this world_ by any means. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-or-flu-stay-the-fuck-home/709243/42 "2015-01-07T19:54:58Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > This is the Democrat way. Blame everything on Republicans instead of actually doing anything to help fix the problem. Whew… I’m glad I don’t follow the Democrat party, whoever they are. I’m a proud (well, not very proud, actually) supporter of the Democratic party. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-or-flu-stay-the-fuck-home/709243/43 "2015-01-07T19:58:15Z")
I’m very sorry for those with such appallingly Dickensian working conditions that they are in imminent risk of getting kicked out into the snowy streets, along with their children discharged from the hospital before the chemo’s finished. (Why aren’t _they_ starting threads complaining of their dire situations?) But I’m with the OP. I’ve got lots of PTO (optional time-off, may be used for scheduled vacation or 2-day “medical” leave w/o a doctor’s note) and even more Real Sick Leave. So, yes. I want my sick co-workers to stay home. Even if I don’t catch what they have, they are dreadfully boring. One TV ad for a multi-symptom flu pill made sense: “Gets you out of bed & onto the couch.” Yes, it makes you feel better–while you stay at home. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-or-flu-stay-the-fuck-home/709243/44 "2015-01-07T19:59:13Z")
For the most part, I agree with the OP – I think most people should stay home. But for some people, staying home is not the best option. ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-or-flu-stay-the-fuck-home/709243/45 "2015-01-07T20:02:33Z")
California just passed a law requiring paid sick leave for all employees that work more than 30 days a year. Minimum accrual rate is 1 hour of sick leave per 30 hours of work. Laws goes into effect July 1, 2015. We’ll see how this works out. It won’t affect me as my company already has decent sick leave. Heck, they provide free flu shots on-site every fall because it’s a hell of lot cheaper to pay $20 for people’s shots than pay for them full salary to be out sick and unproductive. I agree with the rant\* if\* your company has generous sick leave. A problem with some people is they have no fucking life outside of work. At my last job, I was constantly being infected by a woman who had over 100 \*days \* (not hours - days!) of sick accrued, was moaning every three months about being forced to take vacation because she’d hit her maximum accrual limit _again_, and yet would always always always come to work when she was sick. Not just snifflles, we’re talking run to the bathroom with diarrhea, dope up on Sudafed and empty the trashcan of tissues every 2 hours sick. She didn’t have deadline pressure, she wasn’t managing anything, she wasn’t on any project’s critical path, she wasn’t bucking for a promotion - she just didn’t know what to do with herself other than go to work. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-or-flu-stay-the-fuck-home/709243/46 "2015-01-07T20:08:59Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Raising the risk of one’s co-workers getting the flu is bad, but it’s not _the worst thing that one can do in this world_ by any means. Not the worst, but also not responsible, which is the claim I was responding to. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-or-flu-stay-the-fuck-home/709243/47 "2015-01-07T20:11:36Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Not the worst, but also not responsible, which is the claim I was responding to. It’s also not always the most irresponsible option. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-or-flu-stay-the-fuck-home/709243/48 "2015-01-07T20:21:52Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > I think there’s some confusion here. If you’re able to come to work, you don’t have the flu. If you have the flu, you are lucky if you can get out of bed. The Firebug just had the flu\* a couple of weeks ago. There were a couple of periods of several hours each where he felt like crap, and if he’d been an adult, he’d have been incapacitated. But other than that, yes, if he’d been a grownup he could have dragged his butt into work. \*Just to forestall the obvious question, he was diagnosed by a doctor as having influenza after a nasal swab turned up a positive test, and prescribed a five-day course of Tamiflu. So influenza, not some random fever-and-chills bug. ---
**Author:** ![Fallen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@Fallen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fallen)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-or-flu-stay-the-fuck-home/709243/49 "2015-01-07T20:23:29Z")
The folks who complain about sick coworkers coming to work should also be blaming themselves, if they get sick. If you work in close proximity to the infected, why aren’t you wearing a mask? Are you washing your hands often? … berating the coworker to also cough-sneeze into his/her elbow? Do you avoid touching your eyes and nose? The coworker may be carrying the germs, but your own practices (and immune system) are the rather just-as-obvious failures. The bottom line is that with viruses like these, even if the complainers live in a bubble and can control all the germs around them (even living alone, never going out in public and doing all his/her shopping online is no guarantee), while (s)he might have increased chance of catching X from coworker, chances are (s)he’ll pick it up elsewhere if it’s picked up at all. Some folks just need something about which to complain (whether or not they already despise the infected coworker). Yes, Frylock’s suggestion that it is the government that should provide paid sick days is funny. (There was no clarification in reply to another person’s “you’re funny” response to say that you meant the government should pass (federal/state) statutes mandating paid sick leave, so I’ll presume indeed that you believe it should be a fully taxpayer funded fringe benefit.) As a practical matter, even if sick days were mandated by law, the number of days would be few. And this wouldn’t prevent employers from the work-around to penalize people for actually taking them. (No way in hell is it feasible for most people to take \*up to 7 days \*off for the duration of cold contagion.) ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-or-flu-stay-the-fuck-home/709243/50 "2015-01-07T20:23:57Z")
> [@Antinor01](#): > > I remember having a job like that. It was great because I could call out when needed, or if I went in and seemed sick my boss would tell me to go home. I wish I could do that now but the policy at my current job is far stricter and I have a lot less pto. I’m sorry if anyone else gets a cold because of me but I can’t be unemployed again or lll probably lose my home. This is exactly the same thing. I have a great sick policy. So if I do get sick from one of these asshats, sure I can take days off and sleep at home. My SO has a sick policy like yours: very very strict. Guaranteed I will infect him, there is no way I can avoid it. There is no excuse for people in my workplace to come in and it is the height of jerkiness to spread their germs around. You know what’s even worse? Is they take it personally! So me saying "Go home and come back when you’re better,’ is somehow construed as me saying, “I don’t like you.” Frustrations galore! > [@](#): > > The folks who complain about sick coworkers coming to work should also be blaming themselves, if they get sick. If you work in close proximity to the infected, why aren’t you wearing a mask? Are you washing your hands often? … berating the coworker to also cough-sneeze into his/her elbow? Do you avoid touching your eyes and nose? The coworker may be carrying the germs, but your own practices (and immune system) are the rather just-as-obvious failures. I do. I don’t wear a mask, but I wash my hands a lot and am careful not to touch my nose/mouth. If I see a coworker not sneezing into a tissue I might say something but honestly the thought that I should berate adults is just ridiculous. I am not their parent. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-or-flu-stay-the-fuck-home/709243/51 "2015-01-07T20:26:53Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > It’s also not always the most irresponsible option. Granted, not the _most_ irresponsible option. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-or-flu-stay-the-fuck-home/709243/52 "2015-01-07T20:28:26Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Why? Employers are not a charity. Why should they pay people who aren’t working? So that people who are sick don’t feel that it’s necessary for them to come in and spread germs to their co-workers. And to remove the inherent conflict between the differing ‘personal responsibilities’ that **Frylock** discusses in post #32. > [@Frylock](#): > > Agreed. > > It’s the government that should be giving paid sick time. Why? Should the government pay every worker their minimum wage as well? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-or-flu-stay-the-fuck-home/709243/53 "2015-01-07T20:31:21Z")
> [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](#): > > California just passed a law requiring paid sick leave for all employees that work more than 30 days a year. Minimum accrual rate is 1 hour of sick leave per 30 hours of work. Laws goes into effect July 1, 2015. We’ll see how this works out. It won’t affect me as my company already has decent sick leave. Heck, they provide free flu shots on-site every fall because it’s a hell of lot cheaper to pay $20 for people’s shots than pay for them full salary to be out sick and unproductive. > > I agree with the rant\* if\* your company has generous sick leave. A problem with some people is they have no fucking life outside of work. At my last job, I was constantly being infected by a woman who had over 100 \*days \* (not hours - days!) of sick accrued, was moaning every three months about being forced to take vacation because she’d hit her maximum accrual limit _again_, and yet would always always always come to work when she was sick. Not just snifflles, we’re talking run to the bathroom with diarrhea, dope up on Sudafed and empty the trashcan of tissues every 2 hours sick. She didn’t have deadline pressure, she wasn’t managing anything, she wasn’t on any project’s critical path, she wasn’t bucking for a promotion - she just didn’t know what to do with herself other than go to work. I support that law. And your company seems far-sighted, as far as this issue goes, anyway. Good example. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-or-flu-stay-the-fuck-home/709243/54 "2015-01-07T20:39:51Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Not all circumstances are this simple. Sometimes the consequences are worse for staying home. > > If staying home will get me fired, and getting me fired means my daughter in the hospital gets kicked out, or my wife loses her medication, or we all become homeless, or some other thing that’s worse than raising the risk of my co-workers getting the flu, then yes, I’ll probably go to work. > > Raising the risk of one’s co-workers getting the flu is bad, but it’s not _the worst thing that one can do in this world_ by any means. And it’s not like your coworkers aren’t also at risk of being fired for staying home sick – so they’ll probably do the same thing you do. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-or-flu-stay-the-fuck-home/709243/55 "2015-01-07T20:55:40Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > This is the Democrat way. Blame everything on Republicans instead of actually doing anything to help fix the problem. Besides passing mandatory sick leave laws, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-or-flu-stay-the-fuck-home/709243/56 "2015-01-07T21:00:14Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Whew… I’m glad I don’t follow the Democrat party, whoever they are. I’m a proud (well, not very proud, actually) supporter of the Democratic party. So, now I’m a Democratic? That sounds ridiculous, given he never said anything about the “Democrat Party”. ---
**Author:** ![Ionizer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5daacb/32.png) [@Ionizer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ionizer)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-or-flu-stay-the-fuck-home/709243/57 "2015-01-07T22:05:54Z")
I’m fairly onboard with OP, and still know that some/many folks simply have no choice. I know of several towns and cities I’ve lived in where it is against the law (ordinance) to be in public are(s) with infectious disease, but never enforced even when called out on it. Great idea, but should be enforced when an obvious ‘threat’ to public exists - high rate of contact with customers, etc, and such, IMHO. I once worked, long ago, at a Doc-owned 50-ish bed clinic/hospital in Idaho where ALL the Docs took contagions _seriously_. The radiologist, as well as all other Docs at times, was, at least twice IIRC, ill with flu (or other communicable illness), yet he came in to take care of others. However, he wore full-face HEPA mask and also a ‘bodysuit’ (like those yellow ones seen often in images with recent Ebola workers) and did not even ONCE leave his closed-door office without such protective measure(s). Drove to work suited up and left suited up, changing suits whenever necessary. If we needed to show him films or chat with him, it was slide film under door or call on phone. Excellent attitude towards protecting those who were not ill or whatever. Our mission carried on, and safety of others was a top priority - not profit-driven. I miss that kind of concern from others quite often. The other Techs would do the same when we were ill and had no one to replace us for the freuent patients who drove 100+ miles for their exam(s). Sucked to have that gear on for majority of day, but the mission was accomplished. I was only Tech who did Nuclear Med exams, and one of two CT-qualified Techs, so I was ‘essential’, and the isotopes needed were ordered a day (or few days before) and were not cheap at all. Better to suit-up and get the exam/diagnosis completed with safe measures used by us workers than to allow decay of materials that costs hundreds to thousands of dollars at times. The patients deserved such respect from all of us there at the places of healing! I am still haunted by a 17-yr old ‘boy’ with advanced Grave’s disease (severe effect on him, think of [Marty Feldman’s eyes](https://www.google.com/search?q=marty+feldman+eyes&safe=off&biw=1024&bih=603&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=uKetVIrHH42kyASF5IKoDA&ved=0CB0QsAQ)) and I was late to work due to having some form of diarrhea. Had the therapetic dose sitting there in lead-brick box for him and all. He was found dead at home a few hours after he no-showed for his pill of Iodine - I’d’ve gone to his house to check on him, with his mother’s blessing and every Doc I worked for, as he was so sick and placed his total trust in me and endocrinologist after teling him how that little white pill would reduce his symptoms and give him his life back. His post-motem body temp indicated he died VERY shortly before his Mom and I went to his place, per coroner. Taught me a lesson I will NEVER forget - do what it takes, but be safe about it. I could have isolated/barriered myself from others, but chose to wait a few hours, with bosses permission, to see if the squirts were going to alleviate a bit, which they did, fwiw. I was wrong in my choice and a fine young man probably died from it. Sucks. Still have occasional nightmare of watching policeman kick in door for us and guy was right there as if he was on his way to see me. Had car keys still in hand. I cried most of the rest of the day for the choice I made. Seemed reasonable at the time, but hindsight haunts me as I should have done what it takes to protect others, in a nutshell. If those who must go to work and have a transmisibe disease (by contact, surface, or aerosol transmission, etc), then they should be forced to wear/use some appropriate type of protection against sharing their contagions. In a perfect world, of course. Even simple paper masks and hand cleaning can do wonders at reducing infecting others. Those who refuse to do so, well, I have a strong prejudice against their ignorance/unwillingness and willingness to knowingly and purposely put others in their line-of-fire, so to speak. But, again, many have no choice. I obviously think it should be more regulated/enforced than currently, but it is what it is. My appreciation to those who do what it takes to keep their illness to themselves! I do realise how many businesses don’t give a darn and how ignorant much of a workforce can be, but I have more than a few times, prior to starting my medical career, refused to be anywhere near someone sick with something communicable w/out sick person wearing a form on of protection/barried to contagion(s). I obviously have caught flak here and there, but I have always had employer(s) back down in places that have the ill-in-public/work ordinances. Most of these places were smaller-sized health care businesses like Minor Emergency Centers, a couple small and large hospitals, and such., and I expect that other type businesses would not be as ‘cooperative’ or simply not give a shit. Very unfortunate overall, to be sure. The worst offenders, IME, were pizza/fast-food places I worked at in my teen years that served food from a sniffling/coughing/puking cook/server that never washed hands after wiping off face with bare hand(s) or whatever… Disgusting and dangerous, no doubt at all. And is common most anywhere you go nowadays. People _do_ die from such ignorance and/or uncaring of other’s safety/health. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-or-flu-stay-the-fuck-home/709243/58 "2015-01-07T22:08:06Z")
> [@Ionizer](#): > > I’m fairly onboard with OP, and still know that some/many folks simply have no choice. … The worst offenders, IME, were pizza/fast-food places I worked at in my teen years that served food from a sniffling/coughing/puking cook/server that never washed hands after wiping off face with bare hand(s) or whatever… Disgusting and dangerous, no doubt at all. And is common most anywhere you go nowadays. People _do_ die from such ignorance and/or uncaring of other’s safety/health. Well said. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-or-flu-stay-the-fuck-home/709243/59 "2015-01-07T22:13:57Z")
Also stay home if you think you have the measles. Measles outbreak at Disneyland: > [@](#): > > [9 Measles Cases Linked to Disneyland – NBC Los Angeles](http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Measles-Cases-Disneyland-Disney-California-Adventure-Park-Orange-County-287830571.html) > > The nine confirmed to have measles said they visited Disneyland and/or Disney California Adventure Park in Orange County between Dec. 15 and Dec. 20, 2014. > > The source of the infection is still under investigation, but health officials said it’s likely that a person with measles was at one of the theme parks during that time period. Fuck. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-or-flu-stay-the-fuck-home/709243/60 "2015-01-07T22:15:34Z")
> [@Fallen](#): > > o complain (whether or not they already despise the infected coworker). > > Yes, Frylock’s suggestion that it is the government that should provide paid sick days is funny. I’m sorry, I meant for it to be clear that my remark was a quip, not a serious suggestion. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-or-flu-stay-the-fuck-home/709243.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-or-flu-stay-the-fuck-home/709243.md?page=4)