ethics of coming to work when you know you are very contagious
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Anonymous
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Please, just don't do it. And if you DO, do it, please have the courtesy to stay away from people and stop touching things if you can.
Long story short, a man in my office has a case of weeping conjunctivitis. He's touching his eyes and then touching everything in sight. He left his eye goop hankie on the printer. It is so fucked that I can't believe my eyes (no pun intended). His employees are begging him to go home but he's not leaving. I plan on not going in tomorrow. I know this seems nuts, because who would do this, right? I wish I were trolling or BSing, but I'm not. I think it is one thing to not know how contagious you are or basically to just think that your need to be in the office is so great that it trumps other people's right not to get sick. But to walk around touching things and not keeping the germ-rag off of the fucking printer, homeslice? I have three little kids, and if I get pinkeye because I touched the computer then rubbed my eye before I knew that there was eye slime on the printer, they'll probably get it to. And then, because I'm not a dick who will go to work contagious or send a contagious kid to school, I'm gonna have to take off time from work myself. All because this asshole what - didn't want to use up his vacation? Thought he had to be there and couldn't bother to even try NOT to touch shit? I'm pissed. |
Anonymous
| We had a pinkeye outbreak at work over the summer. Someone came in, wiped their weeping eye,and then touched something used by everyone. In my office of 25, I think only 4 people didn't get it. |
Anonymous
| Oh that is THE WORST! I wouldnt go to work either, pp. But then again, I have the option to work from home so it's easy for me to say that. |
Anonymous
Oh, PP, this post does not make me happy! - OP PS. What did those four people do? I mean, this guy is touching EVERYTHING. the printer was just one example and was the best because he actually did leave that eye hankie on it. Another example is he was standing near his assistant and kept picking up her stapler and putting it down while he was talking to her. I saw her push it into the trash can when he walked away. I am not always at work either - i have a lot of on site stuff, client travel, and work from home sometimes. i'm in and out of the office and tomorrow is going to be an out day, though i was originally planning to come in! I just feel bad for the people who do not have the option to stay home. Still, I just feel like the damage is already done. |
Anonymous
| That is gross. I would complain to a supervisor. |
Anonymous
| 17:15 here, I agree about complaining. Go to your boss or better yet, go to HR. |
Anonymous
Yes, I think you have to do this It might help if it the person who speaks to the supervisor says that they are speaking on behalf of several employees, so it doesn't come across as a personal gripe. This is beyond nasty. You are sure it is conjuctivitis, and not some other non-contagious condition? |
Anonymous
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If someone is so rude as to do this, I would have no problems being blunt with that person.
"Excuse me, Jack, but you're contagious, please do not leave your tissues on shared equipment." "Mary, while you're sick, I'd prefer if you called, but if you must come to my office, please be considerate and don't touch anything." "Bill, you're sick and contagious, please be considerate and quarantine yourself in your office and be careful to use a tissue to touch shared equipments and surfaces." Someone needs to be explicit with someone who is as insensitive as this. He's ignorant. Treat him as such and educate him in common decency. |
Anonymous
Yes, I am sure it is conjunctivitis as he said so, though he's not exactly been honest about it. First he said his doc said there was nothing to do for it and he was not contagious. Then he later said he has drops and that the drops are what make him non contagious. I'm no doctor, but I know that's not true, so he's clearly lying about what his doc said as no doc would say that. Everything online says it is contagious for weeks but that you are EXTREMELY contagious as long as you have symptoms. In this case, it seems reasonable to stay home while symptoms are present and then use extra caution for a while after that. (Plus, you're right, it is just nasty. I would be angry if anyone left any type of tissue on the printer, but seriously, a tissue that is literally wet with contagious matter? And the fiddling with things is almost unbelievable. It's almost like he wants to give it to other people. But more likely he just doesn't give a fuck. But that is wild to not even try to keep your hands to yourself. PP, i overheard his staffer asking him not to touch her things and he said she's overreacting. (I sit across from this whole area and see it all). I thought about telling HR but it's a small company and since one of his employees is really stressed over it, he'd conclude it was her. |
Anonymous
| Americans do not call in sick for fear of being thought of as lazy. It is a mark of pride to push through anything and be back on the laptop and cell 2 hours after giving birth. |
Anonymous
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Also to PP, when I found the tissue on the printer, I thought it was gross but didn't know it was actually a pink eye tissue. Otherwise I might have said "ARE YOU KIDDING ME THAT YOU'RE LEAVING THIS PINKEYE RAG ON THE F'ing PRINTER?" But I didn't see it happen in action and afterwards it just seemed like it would have been weird for both of us and to be completely honest, I didn't want to get closer to him than I have to. Now I think that was the wrong move. His subordinates are complaining but I'm not his subordinate, so maybe it would have made a difference. I think I'm going to send him an email with a CDC link suggesting if you have pink eye, stay home til symptoms are gone. And say that several of us in the office were concerned to see him put the wipe he used on his eyes down on our shared printer, so maybe he doesn't know how contagious it is.
I know pink eye is not usually serious or anything and maybe tha'ts what he is thinking - oh just a mild disease. This dude does not have kids so maybe he doesn't know. But, he's also just "that guy" in many ways anyway, so my money is still on him knwoing and not caring. |
Anonymous
| I would follow him around with a can of Lysol all fatty until he got the hint. If be pissed too. I had pinkeye once in high school and it was very unpleasant. I was a softball catcher and caught it from the pitcher and was sick all spring break and then got in trouble for not going to practice during sitting break. That coach was a horrible human being but I digress. I would just annoy the hell out of that guy and not be quiet or pollute about it. |
Anonymous
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http://www.allaboutvision.com/faq/pinkeye-contagious.htm
Sounds like the contagious period passes within 24 hours of starting the drops if it is bacterial. I'm not saying your co-worker isn't gross for leaving his tissue on the copier. I'm just saying that it is possible he is telling the truth about no longer being contagious according to his doctor. |
Anonymous
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I had a co-worker come in with a stomach bug. Would leave to go puke and what ever else and then come back to her desk a chug Pepto. I couldn't believe it. And no one made her leave. I was pissed.
I had another co-worker come over to my desk and tell me he was feeling fluish. First off, put that shit in an email. Second, go home! He didn't. Came back later to report on how worse he was feeling. My company is a sub to the company these 2 work for so I just bit my tongue. |
Anonymous
Or they need their full paycheck. |