A reader writes:
I work in retail. Right this moment, a coworker was out, which prompted my boss to go over the coverage for calling out sick. She defined that workers should name out two hours earlier than their shift begins, which appeared affordable. Nevertheless, she additionally stated that we shouldn’t name out extra than two hours early, which appeared odd to me. Her clarification was that her cellphone could be off and he or she wouldn’t obtain calls after enterprise hours. I requested if it will be higher to ship a textual content or electronic mail the night time earlier than, so she’d nonetheless see the message within the morning. She stated no, we should always wait till two hours earlier than our shift. It is because “you may not really feel effectively at 8 or 9 at night time, however you could possibly get up feeling high-quality.” After she stated this, one other worker echoed, “Two hours is the usual coverage in every single 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 typical coverage? To me, it appears patronizing to imagine workers can’t work out which sicknesses will go 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 typically sick, 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 problem 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 understanding the night time earlier than should you’re sick sufficient that you simply doubtless received’t be capable of go to work the following day — and there shall be instances once you’re sick sufficient that you might want to sleep so long as attainable with out setting an alarm for 2 hours earlier than your shift. In the event you’re up vomiting half the night time, it’s not affordable to count on you to set an alarm for a couple of hours later to name out sick fairly than simply emailing sooner.
That stated, you’re employed in retail and retail is infamous for punitive insurance policies which might be rooted in distrust of workers and which infantilize them and make their lives as laborious as attainable. I think your coworker who claimed that two hours is the usual in every single place has solely labored in equally crappy locations.
Happily you may schedule emails and texts upfront to ship at a later particular time, which might be an affordable response to this.
