Should You Go to Work Sick? NO!!!!

Last month all families in our school district received a letter that outlined the district's policy on H1N1. Basically, we were told to keep our children home if they exhibited any symptoms of the flu which includes a fever of 100 degrees or above, sore throat, cough, runny nose, headache and fatigue. I'd like to think parents would keep their children home if they had these symptoms without having received the letter. About a week later I was shocked when a friend told me she was sending her under-the-weather daughter to play in a soccer game because "the kids aren't allowed to miss a game." It's not only the sports teams that have it wrong. When my daughter was in the middle school musical for the past few years, the students were told they had to be at every rehearsal during the week leading up to the show even if they were sick. It's no wonder these kids grow up to be adults who feel like the world will stop spinning if they call in sick to work.

You know who I'm talking about -- the person in the next cubicle who has sneezed 12 times in the last 10 minutes, the person across the hall who looks like death warmed over or the guy who just used the copier after coughing into his hand. Yuck! No one wants to catch even a common cold, but now with the country in a frenzy over H1N1, we're collectively even more worried about catching whatever our co-workers have. It's no fun being sick and even less fun thinking about all the catching up you'll have to do when you get back to work. Having said that, if you are sick and suspect you might be contagious, stay home. Work from home if your job allows you to and if you feel up to it.

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