No matter how important your job is, nothing justifies going to work when you're sick, especially if you have coworkers. Sick days exist for a reason, and anyone should use them if they feel they are, in fact, sick. If you ignore the symptoms and go to work as you are, say what you want about your work ethic, but the only thing you are doing is selfishly putting other people at risk of getting sick too. Just stay home until you recover, the job can wait.
Unfortunately, even if that is your mindset and you completely agree with all that is said above, many employers do not feel the same. How many employees deal with employers who frown upon any leave of absence, for whatever reason? Every day, employees have to fight for their right to take a day off work because they are not feeling well, while their bosses act like a day off is the worst thing in the world.
Even though employers can't refuse someone their sick days, they can definitely use questionable tactics to encourage employees to give up on their sick days independently. Some, like the company in the story below, would do so by creating a leaderboard that showcases employees' absences in the form of a competition, and the team with the fewest absences gets a prize!
This might make Linda think twice before she stays home to recover from her cold, because taking a sick day means lowering the chances of her team winning, and she wants to be a team player. Who cares that her coming to work sick might make other people sick as well? As long as their team is at the top of the leaderboard, it's all worth it, right?
Well, if you consider the fact that the "prize" for the winning team is a half-day off, then you might realize just how flawed this system really is, and how toxic the workplace is. We feel sorry for anyone who is unlucky enough to work there, and not just because of Linda…