Yesterday I woke up feeling a bit poorly. I had just under 1 degree of fever, a runny and sneezing nose and generally felt as if I was coming down with something. Despite that me and my germs went to work.
I didn’t feel properly “bed-ridden” ill and there was nothing stopping me from working. I was functioning. So I dressed with more layers to keep warm, went into the office and kept going to the toilet blowing my nose every 10 minutes. But it would have been better if I’d done that from home, “bed-riddenly” ill or not.
I thought I’d feel better during the day but even so I knew I should have stayed at home. The reason I still went into work was a couple of meetings and reviews I wanted to attend. Being there in person would make them easier. Plus calling in sick and saying that you’ll work from home doesn’t always feel great. Particularly not when you’re still fairly fresh into a new freelance contract and people in the office don’t yet know you properly. Or that you actually will work when you say that you’ll work from home. However, by going into work I was not only subjecting the rest of the office to my germs but also everyone who I met on the tube. And the likely hood that I shared my germs with someone in the office or on the tube, who in a day or two will develop a cold, is quite high so yes, I should have stayed at home.
When I woke up this morning I still had a slight fever. My nose was running and sneezing and my head felt like it was about to explode. Despite that, and despite telling D yesterday that I would work from home today, if I still felt poorly, I got up as normal, jumped in the shower and started to get ready for work. Until I realised what I was doing. I had no meetings that I needed to be in the office for. And I was ill. Functioning but ill. My head was full of germs and without a doubt sitting at home would be better than being close to other people in the office and potentially passing it on to them. So I stopped myself midway through getting ready and decided to work from home.
Most things can be handled over the phone or via a share screen/video call, and the truth is that if we were better at staying home when we’re feeling poorly, we would spread our germs less and most likely have less illness and sick leave in our companies as a result. Despite thinking that you’re doing work a favour by coming in, it’s the exact opposite. And by trekking to and from work you yourself are not getting the rest you need to get better, which in turn may result in it taking longer for you to get well. Something which neither benefits you or the company that you work for.
It’s easier said than done sometimes, but when we do feel a bit poorly we’re often better off staying at home. For others and ourselves.
Tomorrow – Day 347 | Sticking to my priorities
Image source: www.flickr.com/photos/emsiproduction/7421512816
