There’s something wrong with this world. Really.
Let me ask you a question. If your loved one came home, complaining of pain, the inability to breathe, shortness of breath or any other potentially serious symptoms, and then decided that they needed to work half the time they normally do, would you blink an eye at it? Or would you whole-heartedly agree that if that’s what the doctor stipulated is needed for them to recover fully and for them to live remotely normal lives, then that’s what they should do?
Most of you (if not all of you) would have just said yes, what kind of question is that? Isn’t the answer obvious?
Okay. So let me change this question slightly.
What if your co-worker was the one who took time off because of pain, the inability to breathe, shortness of breath or any other potentially serious symptoms? What if they started working half the hours, or started doing modified duties because a doctor ordered them (complete with doctor’s note for example) to in order for them to recover fully and to live a remotely normal life. What if they were somehow able to manage to complete all their duties just as well as if they were working their full shifts? Would you be happy then? Or maybe move the question from you. How do you think your co-workers would react? Or your boss? Or your corporation?
Trust me, unless you live in a perfect world that no one has told me about, you look down on that person and you give them an even harder time than they are already go through. Okay fine, I’ll throw you a bone. The people you work with look down on that person and give them an even harder time that they are already going through.
Listen, I’ve been thrown into this very situation this year – and I thought that maybe, just maybe, it was all in my head. After all, the guy who recruited me to the firm was always pleasant on the phone, and was always helpful. Then, an internal email from the recruiting firm somehow mistakenly reached me. Instead of hitting reply or foward to one of my emails, they hit reply all and wrote one simple sentence:
“Maybe we should send her a bed of roses – ha ha”
That’s when I knew. I knew that for the entire six months or so that I had been writhing in pain, getting physio, doing doctor’s visits, having my husband wash and blowdry my hair, clip my bra, cut my meat, hold my phone…..for those entire six months, these people had indeed been making fun of me.
So I took it, I sent back a sarcastic “Oh, but I prefer lilies, I will keep an eye out for the flowers” …
And yes, this sort of treatment is one of the reasons I quit.
Okay okay, maybe I’m a baby, but as I’ve said to others, I believe in respect first and foremost in ALL situations.
And this type of treatment I do not consider respect.
So I got myself out of the situation – I know in the end the people who matter are those who care about you, and in fact, I gave that advice to a friend today – but it’s not always as black and white as it seems in that statement.
The reason I was discussing this with my friend was because she recently was rushed to the hospital due to unexplained flooding in her lungs. She is in the process of recovering but has had to cut her hours in half – and even after turning in a doctor’s note with orders as such, she is the “topic of conversation” in her office – and not in a complimentary way.
Now I know this is my friend, but trust me when I say that she is one of the most responsible people I know and is definitely getting her work done on time and properly. Yet she’s suddenly a “bad worker” and a “negative influence” because she has unexpectedly fallen victim to the frailty of the human condition.
Is this right people? Don’t you see something wrong with this system?
If you are blessed with good health, I wish that you always retain it, but is the consumerism and corporate mentality of this world is really all it’s chalked up to be?
With progress, we’ve already lost most of our human interaction – look at us – right now I am reaching hundreds of you, yet we do not know each other and if we saw each other in a social situation, would you really be able to identify with me? In a blanket statement, I am daring to say that the digital world has taken away our ability to be personal, to be truly social and to CARE about each other.
Can we please start caring again?
