The Ethics of Sick
March 7th, 2008 by Cali & Jody
We liked this piece on the ethics of going in to work sick. We like how sober and reasonable it is. We think that everyone should print it out and give a copy to their boss so he or she can take it to HR and the entire organization can rethink its sick-leave policy.
We’re just kidding about the last part. Don’t give this article to your boss. What are you - crazy?
Rational arguments about an irrational system: this is the problem with most discussions we have about the workplace. If the office were a rational place, then we could have a rational discussion about the ethics of going in to work sick. But the workplace isn’t even remotely rational. It’s a place of fears, false assumptions, strange beliefs, and mistrust.
If you were to forward this article at work, how do you think people would react? Would you worry that people might think you were angling for something, like maybe a few extra “sick days” of your own?
The problem lies in how we’ve defined work: 40 hours, five days a week, in an office.
When time is our master, when time is valued as much as (and sometimes more than) results, then anything that encroaches on time is a threat. It doesn’t matter if you’re sick, or need to pick up your kids early from school, or you overslept, or whatever. Anything that is perceived to take away from “work time” is bad for business.
When work can only happen in a specific place, then anything that happens outside the sanctioned workplace doesn’t count as work. In a traditional workplace, a “sick day” means a day when you’re not in the office, and so the assumption is that nothing will get done. You have to be “at work” to do work.
In a ROWE, there are no assumptions about what work looks like. Work doesn’t have to happen in a specific place at a specific time. In a ROWE, if you’re sick, you don’t go into the office, and it’s not because of some convoluted ethical argument. You don’t go into the office because, well . . . you’re sick.
Depending on how sick you are, you may still get work done. As long as you are getting results, it doesn’t really matter. In fact, your coworkers may not even know that you’re sick. If you continue to drive results from home (cuddled under a blanket with your laptop) they may be none the wiser. In a ROWE, a sick day is a true sick day, when you are genuinely too sick to work…but you don’t need to submit ’sick time’.
We’re back to that idea in our last post. Why play games? Why “call in sick” when you really just need to run some errands or take a break? Why “call in sick” because you’re burned out and need a day to rest your brain? Why “call in sick” when your best friend is in town and you want to see a movie? Why not act like a grownup when it comes to your health?
The nine to five, Monday through Friday office job doesn’t exist for most of us. Being in retail management for a number of years, I hate that so many retailers think a store manager has to work six days a week and 10 hour days to accomplish anything. All of my career life I have accomplished at least twice as much as 99% of the people I have ever worked with. As a manager one of my most important jobs is training employees; and if I do that right there’s no reason for me to have to put in that many hours. I whole-heartedly agree with you on achievement-based work. If my staff provides superior customer service and sales, maintains top standards in store presentation, and gets everything done that needs to be done, why should I have to be there an extra 10 to 20 hours a week
Ugh, I am currently feeling the ill effects of the sick day allotment ridiculousness. I work for a school district and as of two years ago, I was able to convince the administration there was no legitimate business reason for me to report to work during the summer. I manage two Federal entitlement programs that are based on activities between children and health care professionals. Therefore, common sense dictates no children, no therapists, and no activities means no need for me (during the summer). I am very grateful the district allowed me that freedom, but believe me, they hold it over my head whenever I suggest a ROWE. For that, I am allotted 13 sick days – no personal time, no vacation time. Again, I do acknowledge that is still very generous, but for people who do not have that, I have always suggested to them to change careers or institute a ROWE.
Being that I must commute 140 miles daily, I have had to use sick days for personal reasons and for inclement weather. I live in NE PA, therefore we get a fair share of bad weather. Subsequently, I have no available sick time as I currently write this post while being inflicted with bacterial pneumonia. I will probably miss this entire week and will not get paid. How is that fair? However, I have been able to transact some business that will amount to approximately $7,000 in revenue for the district or as ROWE puts it, results.
OK, this has got to earn me some kind of an award!!! Piggybacking my other entry about my sickness, today I have a follow up appt. with my Dr. and due to the severity of my illness (bacterial pneumonia), I chose to take the first available appt. (my Dr. does not even open until 10am). Therefore, my appt. is scheduled for 10:30 am today.
I requested to work from home today in order to avoid rescheduling or driving a great deal - my daily commute is 140 miles roundtrip. The answer was policy does not permit me to work from home.
So, I was up at 5 am, drove 70 miles to be here for 7am, working until 9am, then driving back to my hometown another 70 mi. for my Dr. appt. at 10:30am, then driving another 70 mi. back to work for about 12pm, working until 5 pm (1 hr. beyond my normal end time), and then driving another 70 mi. home!!!!!
I love it!!!! I will be doing 300 mi. of driving and using approx. 10 gallons of gas at $3.25/gal. How in the world is that fair!!?!?!?!?!!? UGH!!!!!!!!!
Oh, and the best part is I need to bring a Dr.’s excuse in for the days I missed last week that I am not even getting paid for!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Michael -
This is sad. Just SAD. And flat out wrong. This does indeed earn an award - the “We want to make life as miserable as humanly possible - and then some” award.
Please don’t risk your health for this insanity. Get well and take care of yourself!
Cali and Jody