When there's snow on the ground, I think they call your 'spring allergies' by it's latin term: "the Flu"

So, anyone ever had to have this conversation? Anyone had anyone have this conversation with their boss? A long time ago I had this conversation with my boss. It went, basically: Boss: You sound terrible. You shouldn't be in the office. You should go home. Me: I would truly love to go home but, as you are aware, I'm a casual. It's rent week next week, and I'm broke. I will not make rent unless I work these hours. Boss: Go home. We will pay you. Exeunt all.

Sometimes I feel like "toughing it out" when i'm sick will make a good impression. Maybe you can just bluntly tell her: Your sick time is there to use when you're sick. You are currently sick. Please go home until you are better the end.

Can you offer her the option to work from home (or "work," as the case may be) at home until she's more fully recovered? That would get her out of the office without costing her additional sick leave or hourly wages. Also, I second phunniemee's thoughts re: allergies. If I stayed home every day my allergies have me coughing and sneezing, I would almost literally never go to work.

Some allergic people, myself included, get asthma flare-ups after colds. The flare-up can last for weeks (ugh) and I sound like crap, but once it's just my lungs overreacting and not cold virus infestation, I don't think I can pass it on. That having been said, yeah, examine your leave policy, and if it would cost her nothing to be gone, you might suggest she do so.

I do this. I get pretty irrational when I'm sick and feel guilty taking sick leave if I'm not throwing up or running a high fever. I feel like I'm not really sick enough to call in sick even though I don't usually call in sick more than once a year. Maybe emphasize that by staying home she's doing everyone a favor if she's still contagious even if she's well enough to work. Then she can justify not coming in even if she is just barely well enough to work.

You sound like a great boss. I have worked in environments where you get fired if you take off for anything. I worked in a pharmacy where they would drug you to stay. You couldn't call in sick. Perhaps she has worked at a place like that before. Go to her and let her know that you do not want to replace her, she is a hard worker. Tell her that you will warn her if she is taking too much time, you would never fire her out of the blue. That reassurance might give her the confidence to take the time that she needs. She may have a co-worker or team leader that is bullying her for taking time off. Someone who has to take up the slack when she is gone may act hostile to her because she misses work. You may want to look into that. The boss rarely knows where the bad seed is, but there is usually one in every office. Germs are everywhere. Just because she isn't coughing on you doesn't mean you won't get sick. If being around a sick person automatically got you sick, doctors and nurses would stay sick. She isn't a walking time bomb. If you do get sick, have the decency to not blame her. For all you know, it could be from the buggy at the grocery store. Germs are random. It is distracting to listen to someone cough all day. Sadly, after many viruses, a cough can last for weeks. She may feel fine except for the cough, which I am sure she is already self conscience about. If it is really bothering you, talk to her about what you can do to change the work environment to help with her breathing. Does she need a Hepa air purifier at her desk? Is she allergic to the chemicals the cleaning people use? Would a humidifier help? I do have allergies and I brought in my own air purifier. My boss looked at me funny at first, but he likes the the office now smells like rain instead of feet, so I get to keep it.

This is precisely the time when a lot of people get allergies. Seems weird for it to happen in winter, but there you go. If she says it's allergies, you should take her at her word. If you know for a fact it's the flu, then you should be firm, and send her home with full pay. But all you have right now is her word that it's allergies, so it's allergies.

As someone who is sick frequently and has allergies, I can semi-vouch for her claim of allergies. As I'm coming off a sickness, my allergies actually get worse. I can feel the difference between cold symptoms and allergy symptoms. Sometimes a sneeze is a sick, juicy sneeze, and sometimes it's an allergic sneeze that just sounds worse because of the cloudy-head cold symptoms. So her telling you it's allergies isn't necessarily her trying to mislead you. Do you notice that other people in the office frequently get sick after she does? If so, then maybe--maybe--this is something for you to personally be concerned about. But otherwise, back off. This is none of your business. Next time you find yourself dwelling on your coworker's habits, try taking a walk around the block. The fresh air will do you good. I'm reminded of an Ask from a while back where someone was asking for polite ways to suggest that their coworkers eat more fiber after listening in on some protracted bathroom sessions. Our coworkers' personal habits are none of our business.

I go into the office all the time when I should be in bed nursing my bronchitis or whatever. I do it because I used to get sick a lot and if I'm out all the time it'd be a serious issue and people don't like it when I'm out. And then I feel they'll question my commitment and think I'm a terrible worker. I would LOVE it if my boss would say to me "wow you look terrible. I know you think you should be here to prove you're a team player, and you have- you're a strong worker and I'm happy with how committed you are. But go home already, I don't want to get sick. We'll cover for you" then I would go home happily. If it was just allergies, I would say that again. Also being given the option to work from home is great when it's crunch time and I feel I can't "afford" to be sick. It's more restful also since I can work in my PJs and nap during lunch time.