The brutal health outcomes of inflexibility

In the before times, I worked at a newsroom that contained a TV station, radio station and online news desk.

As an online writer, I could theoretically do my job from anywhere in the city. But due to my social/blabbermouth tendencies, I enjoy coming to work and laughing with my co-workers.

My shift started at 7 a.m., meaning I was in the newsroom with the morning TV and radio teams, then the rest of the team would come in over the next several hours. In essence, I worked with everyone.

However, when I was sick with a cold or sore throat, I would work from home. This happens frequently in our house—when your husband is an early childhood educator and works with 2-year-olds, germs come home no matter how much you wash your hands or bleach your entire body.

One day, my boss pulled me into his office to tell me a coworker complained about how I was “allowed” to work from home when they weren’t. He told me if I needed to stay home, then take a sick day.

Alrighty.

About six months later, my boss pulled me into his office again to tell me that despite the fact I still had sick days left to use, I was “taking more sick days than everyone else in the office.”

Cue malicious compliance.

I came to the office coughing. I came to the office with runny noses. I came to the office nauseous and slightly feverish and with migraines.

Then I came to the office with what turned out to be strep throat. (You have to understand – before COVID-19, masks and hand sanitizer everywhere was not a thing.)

When your job relies on you being able to speak, not speaking is a problem.

It took down the entire TV morning show team and half the radio team, along with several reporters. One of the weekend reporters, who had never anchored a show in her life, had to do the morning news for two days. The radio team was suddenly running a lot of affiliate content.

I’d like to think we’ve learned since then, but too many employers still insist their workers come to the office when they’re ill.

If you’re one of them, don’t be.

If you’re not sure how to stop, then you definitely need to join us at the Changemaker Wellbeing Summit.

Register here: https://bit.ly/4frksnV