Guest Post by Claudia L. Meydrech (Learn more about Claudia at the end of this post)
Whether it’s due to the economy, sincere dedication to the job, or pressure from the boss, sometimes it’s hard to take time off when you’re sick. Working when you’re sick not only affects you, but those around you. I can’t tell you how many times my dear hubby comes home from the office and tells me that a co-worker was hovering over his desk, coughing and sneezing…not fun! I would guess that most of us have been on the giving or receiving end of a situation like that, including myself, and hope that the following practical tips will help you:
- Stay home – I know, seems obvious, but as a courtesy to those around you, and because you need to take care of YOU, it is best to stay home and rest. Many jobs offer the option to work from home, see if this option is available to you and take advantage of it.
- Have disinfectant wipes or spray on hand – Have you ever watched the show "Monk", with the charming OCD detective played so well by Tony Shalhoub? He can’t go anywhere without his "wipes". With the cold and flu season upon us, being a germ-a-phobe may not be a bad idea! Keep a container of disinfectant wipes and/or disinfectant spray at your desk, and wipe down all affected surfaces regularly when you or your co-workers are ill.
- Wash your hands regularly – Studies show that this simple act is the #1 way to avoid sickness.
- Carry hand sanitizer or anti-bacterial hand gel – If you are in a situation where it is not easy to find time to wash your hands, this is the next best thing! Hand-shaking is a courtesy that we extend to clients and co-workers, but also a great way to spread germs, and hand-sanitizer is an excellent, quick solution. Another time this can come in handy is when you have an unexpected lunch or dinner date and can’t leave the table before eating. I always have a tube in my pocket-book.
- Do all you can to build a strong immune system – If you get sick frequently, it may be a sign that you have a compromised immune system. There are many things you can do nutritionally to build your immune system, using both foods and safe, effective herbs that are targeted toward strengthening the immune system. A trained Nutritionist should be able to help you reach your health potential!
Love yourself, and those around you by thinking twice, and planning well, the next time you wake up and consider whether or not to reach for the phone and call in sick.
About Claudia L. Meydrech
Claudia L. Meydrech, CN is a wife and mother to 2 grown children and resides in Northern New Jersey. She has been helping people find health through nutrition and herbs from her home for over 20 years. Claudia’s website, http://happynutritionist.com is a popular site visited by many on a daily basis. She also maintains several blogs, including http://www.happynutritionistsnuggets.com, http://www.herbulletin.com and http://weedsandseedswap.com. Sign up for her newsletter at http://happynutritionist.com and receive 3 free eBooks.
Susan Gunelius
Susan Gunelius is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Women on Business. She is a 30-year veteran of the marketing field and has authored a dozen books about marketing, branding, and social media, including the highly popular Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing, 30-Minute Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing for Dummies, Blogging All-in-One for Dummies and Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps. Susan’s marketing-related content can be found on Entrepreneur.com, Forbes.com, MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, and more. Susan is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She has worked in corporate marketing roles and through client relationships with AT&T, HSBC, Citibank, Intuit, The New York Times, Cox Communications, and many more large and small companies around the world. Susan also speaks about marketing, branding and social media at events around the world and is frequently interviewed by television, online, radio, and print media organizations about these topics. She holds an MBA in Management and Strategy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and is a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).
Follow Me:
Thank you for posting this, it is much appreciated!
Have a wonderful weekend,
Claudia L. Meydrech, CN
Thank you, Claudia, for your practical and helpful advice on taking care of ourselves when we’re sick. Too many people think they’re doing the brave and noble act by coming into work despite how poorly they feel. All they do is pass their illness around. Wish everyone could read this great article!
Claudia, As a small business owner this is a big issue and I appreciate all the great advice you offer your readers.
We pray we don’t ever get sick and just when that “really big job” or a “really important client/customer/event needs our attention we get diarmed by illness and are not able to function at 100%. Not everyone can affort the luxury of outsourcing or having staff.
Thanks for all you do and share!
Heidi Richards Mooney, Publisher ~ WE magazine for Women
Heidi
Excellent tips. Number One and Two are worth their weight in gold! Sounds simple, but many people don’t take the time to give that much thought to keeping germs as bay. Thanks, Claudia.
Excellent advice, Claudia. I am one of those dedicated souls who would show up for work no matter how sick I was. I never did stop to realize that my coworkers and maybe even my boss would have preferred that I stay home instead of sharing the wealth! But the least I could have done was follow your tips and maybe not spread as many germs.
Thank you, Eileen, Heidi and Debra, not only for taking the time to read, but for your kind comments. Each of you added good some good points to ponder. Have a wonderful weekend! Claudia
Great job, Claudia! I know I for one would rather NOT be exposed to all the bugs going around. I hope everyone reads this and realizes that the nicest thing people can do for their co-workers is to stay home when they’re sick. Of courxe, I know that unfortunately that is not an option for a lot of single moms who can’t afford to stay home! So these tips will really help! It makes me SOOOO grateful that I work from home and not have to worry about any of that!
Wonderful advice. I wished everyone would adopt these tips.
I decided to stop by with an update, thanks, Linda and Betty for your comments! My dear hubby just found out on his new job that he has only 5 days off the first year…that’s his vacation time…no sick time, if you’re sick, you use your vacation time…so with policies like this, it’s no wonder that people go to work when they aren’t well, because they don’t want to give up their vacations.
We are grateful for his good insurance and the job in spite of this.
Claudia, My last job in the corporate world was the same way as your husband’s – no sick days, they were included in your vacation time and they gave it a cute name to try to make it sound better (they called it the Time Off Program – TOP – and claimed it was so great because you could use your days in your TOP allowance for anything you needed. New employees got 10 TOP days per year for the first five years. Employees with 5-10 years got 15 days. If you were management level or above (thank God I was), you got 5 additional days each year. Suffice it to say, employees came in sick all the time (so did I). And by the way, this was one of the biggest companies in the world. It’s so wrong!