Get Well Soon!

Is it just me? Am I so unreasonable in this thought that, if you are ill you should stay at home, keep your germs to yourself and give yourself time to get better?

In the last few weeks there have been a small, but increasingly irritating group of people who share my office who have been coming into said office and bringing with them all manner of coughs and sneezes.

I realise the correct word for this group of people is colleagues – but I fail to find anything collegiate in infecting people with your viral issues.

Seriously, and in a strictly business management view of this problem, one person off work for a few days is inconvenient, a whole office off sick because of one persons need to be indispensable could be a disaster.

This, of course is not just the fault of the infectious party – in a work situation it is also the fault of the work mates and manager… Fellow workers make the problem worse by playing their designated roles in the story of ‘the martyr who came to work’ with their "Oh poor you, you do look ill" or "you really should be at home" or the "can I get you anything" speeches. 

Needless to say I rail against this enforced type-casting of me in a supporting role, I have on a number of occasions instructed someone to go home and take their germs with them and I have meant it and I have ensured it happened. This has been followed by strict instruction not to return to work until well enough to do so without wasting company time either by moaning about being ill or by being so ill as to make their presence worthless. Harsh but fair and consistently so is my managerial motto on this matter!.

In a world in financial meltdown, some people feel pressure to show up at work and do their job, even when running a temperature, coughing, sneezing… and whilst it is understandable for those who feel their job is at risk, for anyone else it is just a form of vanity.

Some people appear to feel the need to be told how ill they sound, or how rough they look. It appears that this makes them feel more valued, indispensable and needed. They enjoy being the martyr to the cause of their job – they prove their dedication by struggling into the office to spread their germs and threaten the wider team with viral infection… It is selfish and it is unnecessary - go home, get well, come back again.

In support of this and on a more’ healing’ note, it is a well-documented fact that the human body, utterly brilliant and amazing in its capacities as it is, needs time and dedication to heal itself. If you are ill, you will only prolong the problem by not allowing your body to rest most of itself and concentrate on healing the unhealthy bit – white blood cells need to be able to travel around the body and attack an infection, why make it more difficult than it needs to be? With it's feet up on the sofa, covered with a blanket to keep it warm, with plenty of fluids to keep it hydrated, your body is far more able to focus on fixing the problem quickly and effectively than it is if you are battling it by ‘keeping on keeping on’.

So next time you are ill – and I do mean ill – do your colleagues a favour, ring in sick, lie on the sofa, take medication as prescribed, stay hydrated and let your body heal. Get well and then go back to work in fine fettle and able to do your job properly… Your colleagues will appreciate that far more than catching your germs and being ill themselves!