on the us health system and corporate sick-time policy. oh. and the swine flu.

Co-irker left work early Monday and was out all day yesterday.  She was sick.

I hadn't seen her since early this week.  This morning, we rode up in the elevator together.  I asked her how she was.  This wasn't small talk. This was quite the loaded question. As the words, "Are you feeling better?" rolled out of my grill, I was thinking:

Please tell me she just had a bad bout of the scoots

Please tell me she had the bubblyguts

Please tell me she was dehydrated

Or had a migraine

Or was playing sick

Whatever it was... don't let her exemplify any

MOTHER

EFFING

FLU

LIKE

SYMPTOMS

"Oh," she said through a stuffy nose, with a voice worn-down from 1.5 days of coughing, "I'm feeling better. But I can only take so many sick days."

So. As corporate is sending out emails about how to try to keep from getting sick with H1N1 (SWINE FLU!), they are making sure that they keep their money right by not allowing co-workers to have sick days cus they can't afford it.

Hey. United States Health System? And corporate office? In the time of a flipping PANDEMIC (that's world-wide, ya'll... so international) where governors are declaring states of emergency, we allow sick co-irkers to take an extra day or two?

It will lead to an abuse of time-off? Well, figure it out. Make 'em get a doctor's note. Make 'em give you blood. Something.

I hate sitting in the cest pool that is an office with re-circulated pig air. I literally grown under my breath each time one of the FIVE sick co-irkers coughs.

Really. A little sympathy in the time of a pandemic would be awesome.