A recent Wall Street Journal article — an actual article, in the workplace/lifestyle section, not even an op-ed! — laments the recent trend of horrible, lazy workers who, umm … *checks notes* … tak…
I know this couple who contracted COVID during the pandemic but refused to report it and take sick days. He - because his workplace was offering bonuses for employees who weren’t taking sick days (don’t remember if it was monthly or annually) and he didn’t want to miss on that. She - because she already took all her sick days as PTO, without actually being sick.
I can’t help but wonder if that’s really what sick days are supposed to be…
Perhaps Americans need to learn to call them wellness days and not place some arbitrarily low limit for amount of days on them. Ten or twelve to start a year seems reasonable. Americans are bizarre.
The Americans that are in power here. Sure. Why do you guys insist on pretending that we approve of it? Unless you’ve personally gone out and solved at least one injustice in your country then you really can’t talk. Shit is hard and a lot of us are trying.
Unless you’ve personally gone out and solved at least one injustice in your country then you really can’t talk.
Lol because that’s how injustices ever get solved: by one guy.
Man, I’m an American but this “you need to be a guy who personally solved government” take is so American it’s rolling coal in a F-150 with a tattered flag flying from it while blasting rounds from two ar-15s.
I mean… Isn’t that literally what they’re doing when they generalize all of us as being ok with this bullshit? The person I replied to. Yeah, it is. So why come at me if that really bothers you? Kinda hypocritical
Isn’t that literally what they’re doing when they generalize all of us as being ok with this bullshit?
No, not really. You not understanding the difference is also pretty American.
In some other countries, the people actually do address problems with the laws and make reforms. One of the main reasons we cannot is because our country is run by oligarchs and/or kleptocrats.
Having industry write government policy isn’t a universal, and shouldn’t be expected knowledge about a country that brands itself as a “democracy”. In fact, many of our own citizens don’t even know the reality of how this country runs.
So, people outside of the American system don’t know how difficult it is for “the people” (as a group) to actually wield power within it, especially if they have bought any of our propaganda about us being #1 at democracy or whatever.
They likely weren’t calling for some “rugged individual” / Superman character to fix the government. Such notions are laughable within some other countries. Instead, a lot of countries have successful protest, voting, and labor groups that help shape policy. The US just hasn’t meaningfully worked that way in a long time (though I’ve been pretty happy with recent developments in labor organization).
I don’t know what’s insulting about that but I’m glad I saved you a brain wrinkle. 🫡
Edit: I’d like someone to explain to me the online phenomenon whereby people who roll around being gruff assholes are also permitted by the audience to be pearl clutchers who faint at the slightest perceived insult two posts later.
Yes, but also setting the norm where it should be is something. We should expect these things. If your business is screwed because one employee calls off with an hour notice, you don’t have enough redundancy. And this isn’t just menial positions either. If Elon gets horribly sick, they postpone or have someone stand in for him. That should apply all the way down the company.
You can save on labor in the short term. You’ll pay for it another way long term, either by losing overly stressed staff or by having someone too critical call in sick at a bad time.
That’s true except a lot of managers have zero power over how many people they’re allowed to hire. So, again, setting norms isn’t something that we can just do. As individuals, we’re hobbled by the wealthy/corporations/government (which are all the same thing at this point of we’re being real) at just about every turn. If they don’t like something they just pay lobbyists and it goes away. To the detriment of the average US citizen yet we still manage to get dunked on constantly as if we’re not getting dragged through the wringer. As if we’re just ok with everything.
You’re taking this too personally. Setting norms isn’t something done by a manager and is absolutely just public perception. Happens in middle school constantly. Kids come in with a new, unusual haircut. First kid in earshot brands it as cool or lame. The norm is set.
This isn’t much more than saying American PTO policies are shit. That’s not an attack on you. It’s an attack on people who are okay with the status quo.
What the he’ll are people doing that they get sick so often? I’ve used 3 in the last 8 years and one of those was a funeral. Granted I can work from home when I have a cold or whatever but I have coworkers who seem like they’re out every other week.
between migraines and colds, I’m down to just 1 sick day left. that’s despite wearing a mask, washing my hands, etc. the last cold just laid me out for a week. migraines (which at less than 3 a year are too rare for the Dr to give me meds) come with visual sparkles that make working on a computer pretty impossible. most cold meds also make me incredibly sleepy, so I can try to work through it - or I can sleep and get better faster.
this was a bad year. last year I barely needed sick days, hopefully next year will be more like last year. Masks help. work from home, avoiding the public, helps. but my immune system is just kinda crap, so I just work through what I can, and call in sick when I can’t.
My coworker refuses to “waste” any days he has unless they’re for a vacation… This selfish p.o.s has gotten me sick 3 times in the last year alone, one of the times I missed Christmas with my family because of him… So I have to waste my time so that he can have more paid vacations…
You should recontextualize that for them: “when you come in sick, you are reaching in to my wallet and taking the money I should be owed, and may need, for stuff like ‘oops my entire gallbladder needs to be taken out or else I’ll die’. All because you want to be teacher’s pet: you should be handing money out like its candy (through cashapp or venmo or whatever) when you come in sick, because that’s only fair, and paying the company money from all the productivity lost by making everyone else sick. If you don’t have that money to hand out, maybe you shouldn’t be coming in sick.”
Or, y’know, if they’re so gung-ho about everyone having shared misery: maybe it’s time to advocate for a union.
That would work on someone who gave a shit. This guy cares only about #1. He laughs about the times he was thrown in prison in Guatemala for telling his superiors to fuck off when they asked him to do his job when he was in their military lol
I know this couple who contracted COVID during the pandemic but refused to report it and take sick days. He - because his workplace was offering bonuses for employees who weren’t taking sick days (don’t remember if it was monthly or annually) and he didn’t want to miss on that. She - because she already took all her sick days as PTO, without actually being sick.
I can’t help but wonder if that’s really what sick days are supposed to be…
Perhaps Americans need to learn to call them wellness days and not place some arbitrarily low limit for amount of days on them. Ten or twelve to start a year seems reasonable. Americans are bizarre.
The Americans that are in power here. Sure. Why do you guys insist on pretending that we approve of it? Unless you’ve personally gone out and solved at least one injustice in your country then you really can’t talk. Shit is hard and a lot of us are trying.
Lol because that’s how injustices ever get solved: by one guy.
Man, I’m an American but this “you need to be a guy who personally solved government” take is so American it’s rolling coal in a F-150 with a tattered flag flying from it while blasting rounds from two ar-15s.
I mean… Isn’t that literally what they’re doing when they generalize all of us as being ok with this bullshit? The person I replied to. Yeah, it is. So why come at me if that really bothers you? Kinda hypocritical
No, not really. You not understanding the difference is also pretty American.
In some other countries, the people actually do address problems with the laws and make reforms. One of the main reasons we cannot is because our country is run by oligarchs and/or kleptocrats.
Having industry write government policy isn’t a universal, and shouldn’t be expected knowledge about a country that brands itself as a “democracy”. In fact, many of our own citizens don’t even know the reality of how this country runs.
So, people outside of the American system don’t know how difficult it is for “the people” (as a group) to actually wield power within it, especially if they have bought any of our propaganda about us being #1 at democracy or whatever.
They likely weren’t calling for some “rugged individual” / Superman character to fix the government. Such notions are laughable within some other countries. Instead, a lot of countries have successful protest, voting, and labor groups that help shape policy. The US just hasn’t meaningfully worked that way in a long time (though I’ve been pretty happy with recent developments in labor organization).
I appreciate the insult right at the top there. Lets me just save time and move on after two sentences so thanks for that at least.
I don’t know what’s insulting about that but I’m glad I saved you a brain wrinkle. 🫡
Edit: I’d like someone to explain to me the online phenomenon whereby people who roll around being gruff assholes are also permitted by the audience to be pearl clutchers who faint at the slightest perceived insult two posts later.
Yes, but also setting the norm where it should be is something. We should expect these things. If your business is screwed because one employee calls off with an hour notice, you don’t have enough redundancy. And this isn’t just menial positions either. If Elon gets horribly sick, they postpone or have someone stand in for him. That should apply all the way down the company.
You can save on labor in the short term. You’ll pay for it another way long term, either by losing overly stressed staff or by having someone too critical call in sick at a bad time.
That’s true except a lot of managers have zero power over how many people they’re allowed to hire. So, again, setting norms isn’t something that we can just do. As individuals, we’re hobbled by the wealthy/corporations/government (which are all the same thing at this point of we’re being real) at just about every turn. If they don’t like something they just pay lobbyists and it goes away. To the detriment of the average US citizen yet we still manage to get dunked on constantly as if we’re not getting dragged through the wringer. As if we’re just ok with everything.
You’re taking this too personally. Setting norms isn’t something done by a manager and is absolutely just public perception. Happens in middle school constantly. Kids come in with a new, unusual haircut. First kid in earshot brands it as cool or lame. The norm is set.
This isn’t much more than saying American PTO policies are shit. That’s not an attack on you. It’s an attack on people who are okay with the status quo.
deleted by creator
Actually we’re from one of these few countries that don’t happen to be the US.
Florida?
What the he’ll are people doing that they get sick so often? I’ve used 3 in the last 8 years and one of those was a funeral. Granted I can work from home when I have a cold or whatever but I have coworkers who seem like they’re out every other week.
congratulations, your immune system doesn’t suck.
between migraines and colds, I’m down to just 1 sick day left. that’s despite wearing a mask, washing my hands, etc. the last cold just laid me out for a week. migraines (which at less than 3 a year are too rare for the Dr to give me meds) come with visual sparkles that make working on a computer pretty impossible. most cold meds also make me incredibly sleepy, so I can try to work through it - or I can sleep and get better faster. this was a bad year. last year I barely needed sick days, hopefully next year will be more like last year. Masks help. work from home, avoiding the public, helps. but my immune system is just kinda crap, so I just work through what I can, and call in sick when I can’t.
And how much of their workplace ended up sick because of that?
My coworker refuses to “waste” any days he has unless they’re for a vacation… This selfish p.o.s has gotten me sick 3 times in the last year alone, one of the times I missed Christmas with my family because of him… So I have to waste my time so that he can have more paid vacations…
You should recontextualize that for them: “when you come in sick, you are reaching in to my wallet and taking the money I should be owed, and may need, for stuff like ‘oops my entire gallbladder needs to be taken out or else I’ll die’. All because you want to be teacher’s pet: you should be handing money out like its candy (through cashapp or venmo or whatever) when you come in sick, because that’s only fair, and paying the company money from all the productivity lost by making everyone else sick. If you don’t have that money to hand out, maybe you shouldn’t be coming in sick.”
Or, y’know, if they’re so gung-ho about everyone having shared misery: maybe it’s time to advocate for a union.
That would work on someone who gave a shit. This guy cares only about #1. He laughs about the times he was thrown in prison in Guatemala for telling his superiors to fuck off when they asked him to do his job when he was in their military lol
Sounds like it’s time to form a union with everybody else to force him to stop endangering everybody else’s wallet then lol
Is he the selfish one or is it the companies fault for having a shit PTO policy?