Yesterday, I noticed my throat started to hurt when I swallowed, and my sinuses felt weird/a bit bad, I chalked it up to allergies because Florida is a nightmare, took a Claritin, and went to bed. Woke up today feeling worse, I’m sore, I’m tired, my nose is stuffy, my throat hurts, and Claritin didn’t help remotely. I don’t think I’m running a fever, but I’m achey in a way that I only feel when ill.
However, I just started a new job about a month ago, where I work retail. We have really late hours and close at 11PM, and I close today. My shift starts in three hours. Am I healthy enough to work, or is it too late for me to call out? I feel guilty for calling out since it’s a busy week for us, but my job also involves a lot of social interaction and physical…ability(?), and a sore throat and generally sore body won’t be good for that, and this is how I feel after taking painkillers. Idk, is this grounds for calling out?
Comments
REMINDER: Rules regarding civility and respect are enforced on this subreddit. Hurtful, cruel, rude, disrespectful, or “trolling” comments will be removed (along with any replies to these comments) and the offending party may be banned, at the mods’ discretion, without warning. All commenters should be trying to help and any help should be given in good faith, as if you were the OP’s parent. Also, please keep in mind that requesting or offering private contact (DM, PM, etc) is absolutely not allowed for any reason at all, no exceptions.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
The right thing to do is to call out when sick. You are going to spread your illness to customers.
But we live in a society where sometimes you have to work sick. It’s dumb, but here we are.
I say take the middle ground. Call your boss, tell them you’re sick and ask whether they want you to come in. Let it be their decision on getting your customers sick.
You could wear a mask as a precaution. Do you have a rapid test available?
I’ve had to work plenty of shifts sick. Only you can figure out how sick you are.
Call or text your manager and ask if there is anyone you can switch with. Let them know you’re ill and leave it at that.
One time I had a manager harass me by calling multiple times when I had food poisoning from food I ate at work the day previous. Management will never tell you to go home and the more you call in sick the more of a problem you will be. Ideally you find a couple of colleagues you can switch shifts with so it’s less of an issue.
Wear a mask, And inform everybody in advance that you’re not feeling well. I think you can go to closing, but it’s only courteous since you’re in a small room for a 1/2 hour or more to notify. Everybody who is gonna be present at the closing. And maybe suggests that they bring masks. Or you can bring masks enoughfor everybody
It’s fine to call out, it happens. Next time try to do it sooner. If you want employee of the month get someone to cover your shift for you. 🙂
If you have a fever, you’re contagious.
If you’re coughing, as a customer, I’d wonder why you were there.
I hope you feel better.
Try to get your shift covered. If a cold pill makes you feel good enough to work and you decide to go, wear a mask and wash your hands a lot. But you need to call out as soon as possible if you haven’t already because late notice sucks.
If you work at Publix, please don’t show up hacking and sneezing all over everyone’s groceries 😅
Call the boss, explain you are sick but gonna try to make it thru the shift just letting him know in case you have t leave early. go to work, “soldier on” and have SOMEONE ELSE tell you to go home.
Ahhh, welcome to America where they want people to share germs. In any other country you wouldn’t even be asking.
It depends on your boss and your risk tolerance. Some places understand sick happens, some don’t only you know about your own work place.
If you do go in, wear a mask and tell them you would rather not share this cold. Take no flack for it. Yes they do work. This is a reason why people in mask wearing countries have fewer colds and flu than Americans. They also stay home when sick.
But you live here.
Is there someone else who can close? See if you can trade them. It is definitely professional to attempt to have the shift filled
Wear a mask.
I would consider taking something like DayQuil but telling the boss that you’re starting to feel flu symptoms and I would go in with the idea that if they start noticing you look sick they’ll probably send you home and then at least you aren’t calling out for no reason and seriously a lot of bosses think that if you call out but it’s not bad enough to need a doctor that it wasn’t a good enough reason. But if you go in and you look sick at work, they’ll find somebody to take over and send you home. Usually that doesn’t count against you but I’ve been in situations and retail and honestly the one day I was in such bad shape. I literally asked the pharmacist what I should be using and they actually gave me the medication to take because it was available over the counter but they chose to just give me a dose of the medicine that would do the most good under the circumstances. But I have to say I had a day where I had a filling fallout and by the end of my shift my jaw was swollen four times the normal on that side and I was clearly running a fever. It was abscessed. I needed medical care and when my shift ended Management came up to me and said oh that looks painful but the person coming in to take over from you called out. So I really need you to stay and cover their shift. I did something like 14 hours in that condition so be aware management doesn’t care. They’re not going to take your word that you’re sick. They’re going to think you’re using it as an excuse to get a day off. So The safest thing is to go in. Tell the boss you’re starting to get this this and this you came in but you want him aware and see what happens. They may send you home or they may have you work longer. It depends on the manager. It depends on the business and it depends on if they have enough people to do what they need to do without you
Generally if your sick, call out. colleagues will be annoyed with you if they get sick. In fastfood/ and customer role it’s doubly important, you don’t know who’s got a comprimised immune system, and you don’t know who’ll you’d infect.
The only time it’s a pass is if you cannot afford to take leave, i.e. paycheque to paycheque.
This is hard with a new job. They could decide to let you go if you’re calling out already with short notice.
However, if social interactions are part of it, how will their customers react to someone sick interacting with them? Will it harm the way you interact with clients and coworkers?
There’s no great answer here. You have to try and get your shift covered. What are the odds other employees are sick as well, already?
Without knowing how toxic the workplace is, or how many are calling out sick, not sure what advice is right.
You’re gunna get fired if you call out
If you need the money show up. There are people who will bitch about this but they aren’t going to pay your light bill or feed you dinner. If you don’t need the money call and give them the option. Because it’s not worth losing a job over.