It's that time of year again when sickness seems to vacillate around the office like a ceiling fan. And unfortunately it's spinning around the WBAP/KLIF newsroom and I'm caught on it. Some have the Flu, some have respiratory problems. I'm not quite sure what I have, so I'll call it what my mother termed as "The Crud"….a catch all for any minor illness. Now comes the great debate! Do you go to work or not?
Doctor's tell you to stay home so you don't pass it along to co-workers. Unless you have a fever (or other gastro problems I won't mention) how do you know if you're to sick to work. Do I have a cold, which is contagious or do I just have allergies which it not?? It seems silly to not go to work just because I have the sniffles. If your like me, I usually don't call in unless I absolutely cannot pick my head up off the pillow because I'm in a Nyquil induced coma. I never want to put my co-workers in a bind, especially when we are short-handed…cause everybody's sick.
Then there's that dreaded phone call and having to tell your Boss that you're not coming in. There are two kinds, the one that says I would rather you stay home and get well so it doesn't spread or the one that wants "proof of life" and makes you feel like it's the end of the world if you skip a day or two. I once had to keep a trash can near the mic during a newscast so I could be sick during commercial breaks! Many of my fellow radio people know what I mean.
The situation is a dilemma. It reminds me of a classic line delivered by James Caan in the movie "The Program", where as a college football coach he has to decide if his player, who just got waylaid ,can still play.
Caan – "Are you injured or are you hurt?"
Player on his back – "What's that mean?"
Caan – "Well, if your hurt you can still play, if you're injured you can't. So are you hurt or are you injured?"
In this cause I guess I'm just hurt.
Marlee McCormick