A reader writes:
I work in retail. Immediately, a coworker was out, which prompted my boss to go over the coverage for calling out sick. She defined that staff need to name out two hours earlier than their shift begins, which appeared cheap. Nonetheless, she additionally mentioned that we shouldn’t name out extra than two hours early, which appeared odd to me. Her rationalization was that her telephone can be off and he or she wouldn’t obtain calls after enterprise hours. I requested if it might be higher to ship a textual content or e mail the night time earlier than, so she’d nonetheless see the message within the morning. She mentioned no, we must always wait till two hours earlier than our shift. It is because “you may not really feel nicely at 8 or 9 at night time, however you could possibly get up feeling effective.” After she mentioned this, one other worker echoed, “Two hours is the usual coverage all over the place.”
That is my first time working for a big firm versus a small enterprise, so I’ve to ask, is that this truly a normal coverage? To me, it appears patronizing to imagine staff can’t determine which sicknesses will move in a single day and which of them received’t, particularly if we’re speaking a few fever, or one thing contagious. I’m not usually in poor health, so this has by no means come up for me at my present job, however at my earlier jobs, it was by no means a difficulty to name or textual content the night time earlier than. Ideas?
No, that’s a ridiculous coverage and it’s not normal.
You’re an grownup. You’re able to figuring out the night time earlier than if you happen to’re sick sufficient that you just probably received’t be capable of go to work the following day — and there can be instances whenever you’re sick sufficient that it’s essential sleep so long as attainable with out setting an alarm for 2 hours earlier than your shift. In case you’re up vomiting half the night time, it’s not cheap to count on you to set an alarm for a couple of hours later to name out sick fairly than simply emailing sooner.
That mentioned, you’re employed in retail and retail is infamous for punitive insurance policies which are rooted in distrust of staff and which infantilize them and make their lives as exhausting as attainable . I think your coworker who claimed that two hours is the usual all over the place has solely labored in equally crappy locations.
Thankfully you may schedule emails and texts prematurely to ship at a later particular time, which might be an inexpensive response to this.