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by i_dont_know_
2951 days ago
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Really? You wake up with a stuffed nose and immediately rush to the doctor's office? I don't. If it feels like a cold or flu (the most frequent sicknesses at work), I'll just rest at home for a few days and I'm better. This is what most people do with colds; a doctor's not needed, and if you do contact a doctor with cold symptoms, they'll tell you to stay home and rest. What's more, I don't get my coworkers sick if I'm staying at home resting. If, on the other hand, I work somewhere that has a 'doctor's note' policy, I'll probably convince myself the cold is 'not that bad' (certainly not worth losing pay or whatever the HR penalty is for not having a doctor's note), come in to work and get coworkers sick. Others do the same. Over time, this adds up. I've worked at places that strictly enforce 'doctor's note' policies and basically it means everyone has colds all the time, and if you work there, so will you. I would like to know this about a work environment before I join. |
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So that may be the difference here, because I have a septum deviation, which means that my nose is permanently somewhat stuffed. But when I have temperature and feel sick, I absolutely go to the doctor every time. There's a few things that a doctor can do and I can't that can distinguish between "just a cold" and something more serious. For example, I cannot look into my own throat or into my own ears.
Your other comments indicate to me that this may be a cultural difference though. In Germany, it's normal to ask a coworker who appears to be sick to go to the doctor. Everywhere I've worked so far, there's a shared awareness that working while sick is a huge cost on the entire team. That goes for managers, too: They know that when e.g. a workplace accident happens and the person causing it was sick, the insurances are going to be asking a lot of uncomfortable questions.