Yesterday at work I went to grab a coffee and usually I stop at the reception desk to have a chat, because the receptionist and I are almost the same age and we have a good connection. Apparently she wasn't there, so I went to ask around and they told me she was sick. Oh okay!
Two hours later someone tells me she's arrived, so I go down to the reception and the receptionist doesn't look good. She begins to explain she had to go do a covid test, but she came to work anyway out of guilt. Apparently she had been gone half a day last week because of an irregular heartbeat, but work called her and asked her to come in, because it was busy… wtf. So when she called in sick today they just replied “oh… again?” and she immediately received an invite for a talk with HR.
I advised her not to come in when sick because 1) she could infect others and 2) HR will get the impression she's faking. By the way, we're a small company and the head of HR was present, so she could just ask what the conversation would be about.
The receptionist came to my desk before leaving for the day. Apparently HR had berated her for being absent twice in a week time. They sort of assumed the receptionist might be partying too much. OH C'MON, this girl has been working for you with a student contract for over a year and she's barely been absent. Now she has her fixed contract, what would have changed??
I went home and found my girlfriend at home, she had become sick during the day. She told me her boss had complained when my girlfriend requested to go home because “she had just returned from a week long holiday”. JESUS CHRIST, WOULD YOU SHUT UP?? PTO doesn't assure you not getting sick. It's fucking flu season.
We are not going to suffer on or for our jobs like you boomers think you had to do. It's enough, goddammit. Get a life!