Working While Unwell

Late last year, I succumbed to the common cold. It was a 38.6 degree fever, running nose, headache, the works. As you read this, you're probably thinking bitch, please... what's so special about that?

Well, glad you asked.

It was special because prior to that, the last time I got sick enough to take Medical Leave was in 2008. Yep, eight long years.

You know what happens when you haven't been sick for that long? You forget what it's like to be sick. You can no longer tell when you're sick. There were times I thought I was coming down with something, only to instantly feel better after a bowl of kway teow soup. Turns out I was just hungry.

Instant cure!

So yes - I didn't know I was sick. It started off as a bit of lethargy in the morning, and a slight headache. By noon, my nose had started running. Still, no big deal, right? By 4pm, I could no longer concentrate because my head was feeling warm and the little throbbing in my head had become a full-on Tico Torres drum solo. (Yes, I'm a Bon Jovi fan. Blow me.)

I went to my doctor and she gave me two days off. Two days later, I returned to the office and found, to my horror, that the code I had written that day was unusable. It worked, but would fail extreme cases. It was inefficient, amateurish and a total mess. I had to rewrite everything.

OK, I wasn't writing code that saves lives or sinks ships. It wasn't that kind of code. All I really lost was an entire day's work. But what if I'd been doing something really important, that lives depend on?

Which was why, certain comments made in the wake of the death of an SIA Stewardess disturbed me.

What was said:

"Crew report sick then cancel flight" - how would you feel if you were the passenger & had a connecting flight to catch

Lady, I would be fucking grateful I was not on a plane being manned by a crew that wasn't fully fit. Who in his or her right mind wants to be several miles up in the air, your lives in the hands of people who aren't feeling up to speed?

"Casual" MCs

This also brought to my attention certain things that were revealed about SIA's policies. Apparently, taking MC for ailments like fever and stomachache were considered casual use of MC entitlement and during staff appraisals, such things would be taken into consideration.

Now, "casual" is subjective. When I told a friend (who falls sick frequently) that I had a 38.6 degree fever, he scoffed and told me it was mild - he'd had a 40 degree fever before. Let me just take this opportunity to congratulate him on making this a competition that nobody wants to win - and winning it. But that aside, this hammered home the point hard. Someone who falls sick frequently is certainly not going to think much of a run-of-the-mill fever. Someone who hasn't been sick in the last eight years, like me for instance, is going to feel like he is dying.

Yes, I get it. Companies want to guard against malingering staff who exploit Medical Leave policies to claim paid leave. But trying to turn this into a one-size-fits-all policy isn't the solution.

Besides, air crew is no laughing matter. Lives depend on you making the correct decisions. And it is devilishly difficult to make correct, or even good, decisions when you have a fever and headache. I found that out the hard way! So for air crew, how is fever considered "casual"?

Subjective basis

I'm probably guilty of being one of those who scoff at the idea of taking MC over minor ailments, such as a sore throat. Walk it off, pussy. It's a sore throat, not a broken neck.

But see, I have the luxury of saying that. I am a web developer. I code. I think up solutions. My ability to talk doesn't factor much into my work at all. What if I were, say, an insurance salesman? A teacher? A help-desk operator? All of these require talking.

If I had a bout of arthritis, I could probably still hobble my way to work. I might even have a really productive workday, because my lack of mobility doesn't affect my ability to code. But what if I were a footballer? A policeman? A firefighter?

Last year, I attended a live pro wrestling show from WrestlingCityAsia. There was a tag team match going on, and one of the wrestlers seemed off-form. The photographer told me that the wrestler was having fever and diarrhoea, and praised the wrestler's commitment to his work.

Come on, that's bullshit.

Not that simple.

These guys aren't playing Rock, Paper, Scissors in the ring. They're bodyslamming, suplexing and dropkicking. A wrestler's work depends a lot on physicality. He has to lift his opponent correctly, drop his opponent correctly and fall correctly. An amazing mount of coordination is involved. And if said performer is ill, the possibility of someone getting injured, being crippled or even dying, just went way up.

Remember what I said here? I paid a measly twenty bucks for my ticket. No one needs to die for it.

Don't try to be a hero

So, no - working while sick is not heroic or admirable. If it affects your work and lives depend on you doing your work well, it is probably one of the most selfish, irresponsible things you can do. And that's not even mentioning working while down with a contagious condition.

The world doesn't revolve around you, and the planet will not stop revolving on its axis if you miss a day (or two) of work. And if your company can't, or won't, respect the fact that human beings do fall ill, perhaps it's time to say au revoir.

Best of health!
T___T