Home sick from work - a question

amother

Sun, Apr 21 2013, 1:39 pm

Last week I was home one day because I was sick. I work as a secretary in a small office (think 5 people in the whole office).
Now, I was not home sipping margaritas and having fun, I was home with the flu, I could not do anything but lie there and drink a lot and sleep. Well, In the middle of the day, I decided to turn on my cell phone and I see two texts from two people at work, that two things needed to have been done urgently.
Now, what do you people think, when someone is home sick, they are home sick, they should not have to be on call (and the email I use for work is a gmail account so I could technically could have checked through the day at my work email), isnt that correct? My husband disagrees with me (fine he has a job that the nature of his job is more having to be on call all of the time, but for a part time secretary? And I was sick, in bed? I feel like if I am not in the office, I do not have to be able to do everything for my office.
Does this all make sense? I was actually fuming. What do you ladies all think? Home sick means home sick and no work can be done and leave me to my own devises to get better, right? Or am I totally off base with this and now in today's world, no matter what you do, you have to be able to have your work be able to be in touch with you all of the time?

amother

Sun, Apr 21 2013, 3:45 pm

chocolate moose wrote:

In this day and age, people are expected to be on call all the time.

Even though I was home, sick in bed, fever, my cell phone was not on.
Even though I am a part time, hourly worker office manager? It seems like if I call in sick (and I have 14 sick days) then I should get the day, no?

Mama Bear

Sun, Apr 21 2013, 4:12 pm

Well, if they didn tknow how to do something and needed your help, what were they supposed to do??

They texted you once. and waited. they didnt call and call and text and text and bang your door down.

They had a question and you had the option of answering or not.

I dont think it was that big a deal.

Mrs Bissli

Sun, Apr 21 2013, 7:44 pm

1. Did OP notify her manager as well as colleagues she's supposed to provide secretarian support that
she is ill? Did she turn on Out-of-message on her email/vmail?

2. Does OP have a colleague who provides back-up cover?

3. I don't think it matters whether she's a part-time/full-time or secretary or vice president.
Business is business, sometimes you need to pitch in even when you're ill, hang-over, got PMS.
That's what is expected of someone with professional work ethics. Especially since so much can
be done via email, and most offices I know have ways to allow employees to access emails from home.

amother

Mon, Apr 22 2013, 8:05 am

Mama Bear wrote:

The things that they asked me about were not things that they do not know how to do, they were things that I would usually take care of by they were just as capable as I was not in the office and being that I was not in the office, I could not do them.

amother

Mon, Apr 22 2013, 8:09 am

Mrs Bissli posted:

Quote:

1. Did OP notify her manager as well as colleagues she's supposed to provide secretarian support that
she is ill? Did she turn on Out-of-message on her email/vmail?

As I mentioned, there are 4 people in the entire office. I mentioned that I notified my boss that I was sick and was not going to be in that day. We dont have out of office messages. It is a small office and we dont use such technical official things.

Quote:

2. Does OP have a colleague who provides back-up cover?

Again, I am the only office manager for an extremely small office.

Quote:

3. I don't think it matters whether she's a part-time/full-time or secretary or vice president.
Business is business, sometimes you need to pitch in even when you're ill, hang-over, got PMS.
That's what is expected of someone with professional work ethics. Especially since so much can
be done via email, and most offices I know have ways to allow employees to access emails from home.

I had no problem accessing my emails. BUt they were not asking me to do things from email, it was other things that only if I were there could I really do.
And goodness sake, hung over? pms? I had fever in bed, as I said in my OP.
And what did people do year ago when there was only access to your job, at the job??

amother

Mon, Apr 22 2013, 9:38 am

amother wrote:

Mrs Bissli posted:

Quote:

1. Did OP notify her manager as well as colleagues she's supposed to provide secretarian support that
she is ill? Did she turn on Out-of-message on her email/vmail?

Quote:

2. Does OP have a colleague who provides back-up cover?

Again, I am the only office manager for an extremely small office.

Quote:

Expectations are different than years ago because of the almost universal electronic access for work. My daughter and her friends regularly fax homework assignments. All the girls have access to fax and computers.

sunnshine770

Mon, Apr 22 2013, 10:20 am

Working in an office requires every employee to be a team player. This is how companies run efficiently. If every employee had the attitude of "me, me me" it is not going to work.

The Op stated she is the office manager. It doesnt matter if your part time or full time....you are a leader in your office and you are the example. If the office cannot count on their manager than why should any of them care as well.

Op took a sick day and I am sorry but in today's world if you are not in the hospital, you are "on call"
Now, if she was on vacation, or took a vacation day....this may be different...but still if only OP (manager) was the one with answers for employees well she should know that she is "on call"

OP needs to make arrangements in advance if she does not want to be bothered.

This is office life, small or large, doesnt matter. You are part of a team.

morah

Mon, Apr 22 2013, 3:25 pm

OP, you're not wrong to feel upset. If you felt sick enough to stay home, that's supposed to mean you're sick enough not to work. Unfortunately, nowadays, since technology allows for a lot of functions to be performed remotely, yes, there is an expectation that you will be available, even if you're not in. It's unfair, it sucks, but such is modern life. Now you know.

Dolly Welsh

Mon, Apr 22 2013, 4:16 pm

They are leaving it to you to decide how sick you are. It's up to you. They can't really know.

It's a kind of compliment about how needed you are.

You know what can be ignored or not. If you call in, be brief and sound TERRIBLE.

You do NOT want them asking someone else, and figuring out they can do without you, or that someone else is interchangeable with you. Your uniqueness is an important piece of property.