Late last week, two BzzAgent employees were wandering around the office sounding nasally, sneezing and rubbing their eyes – and generally looking disconnected and frazzled. Apparently these could have been two cases of really bad allergies, but the potential existed that this was the beginning of some sort of head cold trend.
Michael Bird, our SVP of Sales, one of the lucky participants, looked something like the Tasmanian Devil – he continued his whirling dervish of sales motivation, deal negotiating, and general enthusiasm, only dampered by repeatedly dousing his hands in Purell Hand Sanitizer to limit the far reaches of any potential germ.
Earlier this week, I was on a call with some folks from Denver, who immediately asked if I was feeling ok. I suppose the fact that I sounded like I was underwater and sniffled every other word or so was a dead give away. When I described the symptoms [sandpapery throat, stuffy nose, clogged head] they remarked that the very same illness had spread around Denver just a few weeks before. Folks in Chicago mentioned that, “everyone seemed to have that just last week.” We usually spend our days talking about how to make marketing ideas and brands viral, and this seemed like a friendly reminder of what the idea of spreading things virally really means.
We have a rule at BzzAgent which is pretty clear. If you’re sick – in any way – do not come in. It’s not about you feeling better [although we certainly hope you do] but rather, about the need to keep others in the office as healthy as possible. Every 6 months or so, usually with the start of a new season, this idea starts to slip. People have jobs to do. They’re passionate. They want to be a productive teammate and want to show their loyalty, so they stick around, even when their bodies are generally telling them to go home and crawl under the covers.
Fortunately or unfortunately, I had to be on the road this week. I gave two speeches that felt sorta like out-of-body experiences and sat in a cramped plane, infecting countless others and giving myself a fine case of 24-hour deafness in one ear due to the depressurization of the cabin as we landed in Boston. I will say that I generally didn’t shake people’s hands, but there was one guy who I know well and don’t like very much and I didn’t hesitate for a moment to extend my micromucous covered paw.
In today’s workplace [certainly in the U.S.] it seems that outside of death-bed-like symptoms or incessant vomiting, there’s an uncomfortable expectation put on us by ourselves to ignore good manners and just plunge onward. At BzzAgent we’re trying to figure out how to reverse the trend. To educate the staff that not coming in is really the right thing to do. You’re no weaker if you don’t show. You’re just sick. That’s ok, it happens to all of us.
Possible?
Excuse me, while I blow my nose.
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“There was one guy who I know well and don’t like very much and I didn’t hesitate for a moment to extend my micromucous covered paw.”
I assume you mean Jono?
I’ve worked at a number of places over my career, some with no sick leave policy or time (no work, no pay), others with generous ones (earn sick leave at a set number of hours per week worked that can be banked), and some with what looked to be okay on paper, but in reality were not (on paper, 10 days per fiscal year, but can only be used with permission of manager, or if more than 3 consecutive days only with note from physician, etc.).
I’m going to assume that BzzAgent has a generous sick leave policy.
But your problem may well be that your workers at Central Hive have come from organizations that had the work-till-you-drop mentality drummed into them and are having a hard time adjusting to the more reasonable policy at BzzAgent. That’s a difficult mindset to overcome and takes time.
To help the sickies actually feel that they can/should take the time off, can you switch some of their work over to telecommuting, or things that they can take home to work on so they don’t feel as if they are “goofing off” while they are at home recovering? Even simple things like proofreading BzzKit materials, reviewing or drafting reports or metrics updates, or (horrors!) reading BzzReports could possibly be done at home in the comfort of their comforter.
As for that head cold, Dave, try some chicken soup generously laced with garlic. Honey and lemon works on a sore throat too, or hot tea with a tot of rum (enough of which will cause you not to care if you have a cold).
Get well soon!
Just wanted to pop in with some Get Well wishes!
I’m also one of those who have had the “work-till-you-drop” mentality drummed into me. Unfortunately, taking any time off in my office is looked down upon. So is coming into work sick. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
I really need to look for a new job.
Our office has suffered so many cutbacks over the past 5 years that there are no backups anymore. If someone is gone, there is probably not someone else that can fill in if something is needed. So, the general concencus around here is that you work until you drop. BUT, when you do come in sick, everyone gives you the evil eye and avoids you. My take on this is that if I don’t think I am going to be productive, there is no reason to come in. I will admit that I have to be pretty darn sick to stay home. Everyone get out their hand sanitizers and cans of Lysol!!!
Same here as migirlfriday! It’s so bad that we have a designated “Quarantine” office. If something’s going around, the sickies go in there if they can’t stay home or work from home.
I think at BzzAgent, because of the way we grew, we have great systems in place for working remotely. We have VPN access, most of us are working on laptops, and almost everything we do is web-based. If we had to all work remotely for a while, I think we’d miss the camaraderie the most, not the meetings! I’m really glad that we have a healthy relationship with sick employees (no pun intended) because I think it gives people the ability to get healthy and not spread the germs.
Here is MOM speaking up – I think this all starts with kids in school being awarded for perfect attendance. I see no joy in giving a child, who has been sent to school in all manner of illness, some grand award because they have spent the past year infecting all their schoolmates. This is one of my biggest pet peeves. As the mother of a child with type 1 diabetes I can tell you it is HORRIBLE when he catches something because it makes his diabetes that much harder to control. That’s just my child. There are probably hundreds of other kids who are getting infected and don’t have the immune system to handle it either.
So how does this relate to the workplace? well, we’re brought up with this perfect attendance mind set and we do bring it to work. We go into our jobs when we what we really should be doing is staying home, sitting on the couch, wrapped in an afghan, watching Jerry Springer. We then infect our entire offices, our co-workers, our bosses, our clients, and those folks bring these germs home and infect their families too. Think about the child on chemo who’s dad has just had to sit on a 5 hour plane ride next to you. Not a pleasant thought.
I think as a country we need to change this thinking, this get into work at all costs way of life. Sometimes you really do need to listen to your mom and simply pull the covers up and go back to bed.
And wash your hands.
We are programmed to be at work regardless of our health. These robotic ingrained functions of going through the motions regardless of illness is hard to rewire when you are dealing with a company who insist on you staying at home when you are contagious. I would suggest poster boards with reminders like you would find in your elementary grade schools posted above the water fountain and eating area.
Keep lots of hand sanitizer on hand and kleenex tissues with instant cup of chicken noodle soups for those who don’t read the signs to stay home when ill. With Fall and Winter fast approaching maybe send home xeroxed reminders with payday checks.
If all else fails, purchase mass quantities of face mask and lysol and clorox cleansing wipes . Y’all stay well now and carry on.
This reminds me of a time when my husband and I were dating. I was away at the University while he was back home working and going to school. One weekend, that I happened to be in town, he was very ill and never ever had called in sick. When he did call in sick and went back to work he got fired for lying about being sick. Unfortunatly at the time he did loose his job and I didn’t see him that weekend – so he wasn’t lying. This is the scare that stick in most of us when we are sick. I myself communte and 1 and a half to work and back everyday. If I can’t seem to drive then I don’t go to work. However, last week I was very ill and came into work – closed the doors and tried to do what I could. With Sick days scarce and everyone trying to keep some incase of an emergency it is difficult to take off, especially if you have little ones. You want to hang onto those days incase you need to take care of them.
I love the idea that buzzagent is supporting employees to take off when their sick. Bottom line, will they have enough days to do so and is buzz going to be flexible if they run out of sick time.
Good luck and hope you get to feeling better.
P.S. I hope buzz agent supports the travelers in their team to a day off after a work trip. Mine doesn’t and allot of us get sick that way too with not enough rest.
Hello fello Buzzers
I’m a stay at home mom and work part-time, therefore if I’m sick I can take it easy. My husband unfortumately can not. He was informed by his boss that he (his boss) does not like clock watchers, and if he comes in under the weather he expects the same from his employees. This is like shooting your self in the foot. Germs are passed around so much and get this it’s part production-part warehouse. It really makes you think about prepackaged products that have come into contact with people that might have been sick.
Something to think about!
My stand is if you’re sick take care of yourself, even if it means asking for help from family or friends!
Lets stay healthy!!!!