How Sick is She?

I've got a co-worker who's been home sick all week with vertigo. I've never had it -- heck, I didn't even know anyone who has had it until a few months ago -- but I've heard it really sucks. Now, hold onto that little tidbit of information for a minute as I go a completely different direction. The co-worker will come back into play shortly...

Part of my daily routine is reading. I'm a firm believer that reading makes me a better employee, because it keeps me abreast of technical advances and current events, and it helps educate me in the ways of management and the corporate world. One blog I read is management line, which looks at management-employee relationships from several different angles. This morning I read an article about calling in sick when there's really nothing wrong. The article effectively says 'Yeah, everyone knows it's wrong, but everyone does it anyway, and since bosses tend to overlook it, it's not really a big deal.

In the next paragraph, the author actually recommends how to do it, referencing The Little Book of Big Excuses, by Addie Johnson. To quote the blog (who quotes the author... telephone anyone?) ... Johnson suggests to keep the excuses simple. Like if you're calling in with a fake "too sick to work" excuse, always opt for something semi-chronic: vertigo, asthma, arthritis, etc...


When I saw that line, I almost blew coffee out of my nose -- especially when I noticed that vertigo was the first. Hmmm... I wonder how sick she really is.