So I was thinking about this because I have Crohn's and when I'm not sick from that pretty frequently I catch just about every virus that comes through my workplace or just out in public too much. I'll admit I call in alot but each time I get a note. Recently I was reprimanded pretty badly in the office a few weeks ago because I got so sick I could only just barely function.
Well when I asked to go home I was told I had to ask the store manager when she came in which took 3 hours. When she did come I asked her almost on the verge of tears if I could PLEASE go home. She closed the door to the office and right away just tore into me. Saying I'm missing too much, that I'm 30 and I basically need to get my shit together, and blamed my diet for me being sick so much which idk how she has any idea about.
I tried my best to not miss again after that because I was so scared of being reprimanded again or possibly fired. Well Monday I started feeling really off. It started with vomiting and other gross bathroom issues, then came the body aches especially in my legs that kept me awake and made me not even want to get out of bed. Then my husband had a temp of 104 last night and had to go to the hospital and got a covid test. I went to work anyhow terrified if I didn't there would be hell to pay.
I ended up so sick I could barely process anything around me and when my husband texted me and told me his results were possitive so I immediately told them I had to go get a test because as bad as I felt there's a high probability I have it too. They didn't give me greif this time but then again the store manager who snapped at me last time wasn't there yet but I'm 100% certain I'll be hearing something about it when I go back in because they told me at the doctor's office after I got my test done I won't get results untill after 5 tomorrow and I shouldn't go in until I do.
So I'm sitting here crying because I'm sick when I was trying so hard not to miss and then this hit me and I literally had no other choice but to miss because I just literally COULD NOT function I was so out of it and sick. It was like everything around me was hazy and muffled at a certain point, when they took my temp at the doctor's office it was 103 so that's probably why I felt that way.
But the realization I just came to is that since I'm in an at will state they can just fire me for missing work over Crohn's complications or inconveniencing then with the fact I might have covid and they could either make up another reason to fire me or give me no reason at all and that way they can get off scott free for doing it without having to face wrongful termination or discrimination claims. As long as they give no reason or a trumped up one they can fire me for this and that scares the shit out of me.