It’s a gray, bad weather day here in MA. And, it’s another day of bleak news. The long running drama of presidential campaign has morphed into a match of who can outlast them all – an insane war we can’t “win” drags on, more suicide bombers are killing too many people all over the world, gangs are growing in American cities and a governor supposedly committed to promoting ethical government is caught in a scandal that rivals a television show.
But, I’m ok with it all. Because I’m reading my emails with relish.
Why? I’ll share 2 questions in today’s inbox:
- I need to find a new job because my boss is so negative about what I haven’t gotten done and the “accommodations” he thinks he’s made for me. But how can I make sure this won’t happen again?
- I want to apply for a job opening at work – it would be a promotion – but I’m scared that I could get sicker with the stress. How can I figure this out?
So, why the relish?
No, I can’t give you 3 tips that will solve it all. But after getting many such questions — and not being able to answer them — I’ve come up with an idea. I’m creating a Workbook for Working with Chronic Illness – a home study guide (working title). Filled with all the documents and notes I’ve created over the years for my clients, it will support my book (co-authored with Joan Friedlander), Women Work and Autoimmune Disease: Keep Working Girlfriend! that’s going to be published mid May. (Have you seen the blog KeepWorkingGirlfriend?) Of course, it will include worksheets, perspective changing exercises and ideas you can implement immediately.
But, I can’t do this without your voices. I need to know more about your questions so I can be sure I’m addressing them. Post them here – in the comments. Tell me your questions – what are you struggling to figure out! I’ll listen with relish! (Hold the hamburger bun, please)
FYI: We’ve got a few copies of the Women, Work and Autoimmune Disease: Keep Working, Girlfriend! galley left (that’s the format that goes out to reviewers and bookstores before a book is in publication form). I’d be delighted to ask my publisher to send you a copy if you’ll commit to writing a review that you’ll post on Amazon.com. {You probably knew this already but book reviews are good for a book’s “ratings”.}
INTERESTED? Email me with your commitment to the review and your mailing address. We only have a few left – so let me know asap.
This month’s Headache Blog Carnival is up – Maintaining Friendships for those with migraines and headaches.
Rosalind aka cicoach.com the resource for professionals with chronic illness
Elizabeth Durgin says
I came across a blog, ‘View from the Cubicle’ by Toni Bowers, Senior Editor of TechRepublic’s electronic newsletter, which led to a Forum discussion on ‘Feeling the Pressure to Work When You Are Sick’ . I believe you must subscribe to the site to have full access, butI have excerpted her initial post and a selected a few of the 112 responses. I am glad to see the point being made that here in the U.S., company policy about sick time is way behind many other countries – there should be a national mandate that all companies provide adequate sick leave, or be set up so that a sick employee can work from home when necessary. In cases where it is a given that the employee is not trying to take advantage and does have the skills for the particular job, we urgently need more enforceable requirements that the employer must work out viable alternatives.
In an article on ComputerWorld, I read this statement: “Forty percent of organizations say they discourage sick workers from coming to the office by educating employees on the importance of staying home when they’re ill.”
Apparently, I’ve never had the opportunity to work for a company in that forty percent, because I don’t recall being discouraged from coming in when I’m sick. Maybe it’s me but, historically, I’ve always felt the slightest tinge of judgment in a boss’s voice when I call in sick, like it’s a weakness in my character.
“You say you’ve actually coughed up a lung? Well, OK, but you’ll be in tomorrow, right?”
The piece I read said its employees are reluctant to stay home for their own reasons, which results in “a phenomenon known as presenteeism — when sick workers come to work but can’t perform at their usual level and endanger the health of co-workers.”
So what do you think? Do you think the reluctance to miss work is because of managerial pressure (and a fear of discipline) or your own heavy workload?
Reply # 1 – Problem is often with getting any time off
I’ve had the managerial pressure myself, and it’s often not been just for sick time but for any time off. Here are the causes which I’ve seen:
1. Overly aggressive project schedules which do not allow for unexpected problems both with the project itself and the lives of the workers.
2. Overly intrusive and controlling managers who do not respect the worker’s privacy for whatever reason — perhaps even suspicion of laziness, malingering or using the time off to interview for other positions. I’ve had calls from work while in a hospital bed under heavy antibiotics and painkillers, and been given a hard time about not coming into work on a day where I was up all night because of a fire in my apartment building.
The best managers that I’ve worked with have simply replied to get better and report back when that happens when I’ve needed to call off work. ‘Nuf said.
Reply # 2 – Ha
I seriously doubt 40% of companies do this.
My experience is that managers that give people are a hard time about calling in sick are people who believe themselves to be the only hardworking person in the building and that you are calling out sick because you are lazy.
However, if the manager him/herself would call out sick, then they really are sick and they need to stay home.
But you know, this is what society gets when it makes the bottom line money. Money, money, money. Forget ethics, forget people, forget families, forget society. So we reap what we sow.
Reply #17 – Same here!
I work for a health care co. and we don’t get sick days. We get vacation days which you use if you are sick.
I am currently using half of one day of mine as I type. This appears to be a common situation in the US. In other countries where I’ve worked, companies are made to provide sick days for their employees.
On the plus side, although I am staying home today, I am allowed to work from home, so that’s why I’m only taking a half day of vacation as sick.
Les
Reply #5
Rosalind says
Hi Elizabeth – Thanks for sharing. WOW! Thanks for all this. How sad. Goes to show that we can blog all we want about chronic illness and it will help us -but organizations are still the tough places they’ve been all along. Rosalind
Sherry says
Hi Rosalind – Great post from Elizabeth. I am a new coach starting my business from home and have a different set of questions. How do you find insurance that covers businesses that can be over the phone and through email as well as in person? How do you find a virtual assistant? I know you can check on line yet I would like to speak with people who have used the service and found it a good fit. Also I have noticed the marketing programs are offered by coaches who no longer coach but teach marketing, not where I see myself going. I want to coach and help other people move through the places where they find themselves slowed and stopped in their learning process. What are some good simple marketing tools that will reach a target audience? Thanks for your taking time to read and answer this post.
Rosalind says
HI Sherry – These are great questions. And too encompassing to answer here properly. Each question is a post in itself. I’ll try to do my best. Insurance: I honestly found that checking with my insurance agent helped me figure out what I need and can afford. There is limited liabilitly insurance (it’s been a while since I looked into this – and I think that’s what it’s called) which can be pretty expensive. VIrtual assistant – There is Assist U that has a list of people. But I went through personal recommendation and love the people I work with. But you have to do your homework and know what you need before finding the right fit. Finally, the simple answer to marketing tools is: ask yourself what outcomes are you looking for? What vehicles will get me there? I started with a monthly newsletter, morphed it to a blog, going to be reintroducing monthly newseltter for those who don’t want frequency of blog – but mostly I work on making relationships.
Rosalind
Joan Friedlander says
Great set of posts and comments here. I wanted to reply to Sherry’s question about working from home, insurance, marketing programs and virtual assistants. All very rich and juicy topics, and important ones when you’re self-employed. In our book, Women, Work and Autoimmune Disease, we devoted an entire chapter to the topic of self-employment.
I work with a virtual assistant, and have for 5 and a half years. You can read an article I wrote in a series a few summers ago about Preparing for Growth. Here’s the link to the one about V.A.s http://lifeworkpartners.com/articles/virtual_assistants.html .
It took me a while to find insurance that would cover me and the meds I take to stay well. The International Coach Federation, http://www.coachfederation.org, has an alliance with a company that offers its members insurance, but the pre-existing conditions issues and coverage caused me to look elsewhere. I finally found a labor union for Self-employed folks in California (where I live) that would insure me automatically. It became a bit cost prohibitive as premiums when up $100 a year, but it was still less than my meds and coverage was good.
For a marketing program, take a look at Get Clients Now!, a marketing program for service professionals. http://www.getclientsnow.com. I’ve been a licensed facilitator for over 5 years and I still think it’s the best overall marketing action program for service people. I use it with my clients, and in my own business.
If you have questions, feel free to write me directly, mailto:joan@lifeworkpartners.com.
Joan
Co-Author, Women, Work and Autoimmune Disease
http://www.keepworkinggirlfriend.com
Sherry says
Hi Rosalind and Joan – Thank you for your answers. I will take a look at the websites Joan suggested and continue building my on line information and connections. I also live in California and would like the name of the labor union for self employed people. Rosalind thanks for the suggestions I’ll check with insurance agents and other coaches here in California. You two do a great job and I always find good advice here on this blog and your web sites. i intend to buy your book.-Sherry
Rosalind says
Hi Sherry – Let me know what you find out about labor unions for self employed. I don’t know a thing about it and would like to share that with others.
Rosalind