While a bit harsh, I agree. Except... Op works around food. Even if you're just a little sick you should not be around food when sick. That's disgusting.

Working with food or not, if you work around other people, it's inconsiderate to expose them to your cold. Just because you don't mind being sick doesn't mean others feel the same way.

I have health issues already, and getting sick on top of my health issues can sometimes send me to the hospital. It's people like you that just help get me there. Just because you feel tough enough to sweat it out and go to the office while sick is fine, but the problem is you're contaminating everyone around you, and the majority of them will get sick as well. Even if you wash your hands a lot, your entire body is still contaminated, as is everything you touch and breath on. This is exactly how colds/the flu get spread. If people actually took the time to stay home while they were sick, then it wouldn't be spread nearly as much. And it's one thing to tough it out in an office (which I still think isn't ok) but around food as a waitress? Definitely not ok. You're handling food and touching things (like cups and cutlery) that people are putting directly in their mouths. People shouldn't be sick around food. It's actually a health code violation and if a health inspector happened to have been there then the whole place would've been in big trouble. Do other people a favour and stay home when you're sick.

Brandi, I understand what you're saying, and I wish I could just stay home anytime I'm sick... but I can't. I could get fired for too many of those days, but during winter, no matter what I do, I get very sick about every month or so, sometimes I'm luckier to avoid it, sometimes I'm unlucky. It'd be nice if it was a mandatory reason, but jobs don't work with it as much as they should. Hell, one of my bosses threatened to fire an employee when he called in thanks to walking pneumonia, and he looked so deathly ill, but she didn't care as long as she had her full staff. It's rough being sick and around customers. My colds last twice as long when I have to work, and I feel like I'm always sick at that point.

Ya, I totally get that you can't stay home every time you're sick. Some colds last for like a month or so. But it's the fact that op is a waitress and working with food that bothers me the most. Especially because she's touching things that are going in the people's mouths, like cups and cutlery and food, which will inevitably make them sick. And as for in other non-food environments, people should be able to stay home when they're really bad and they're allowed to take a sick day (especially for a stomach bug/flu where you're puking). Colds aren't so bad, because you can go to work semi-prepared. Bring the box of Kleenex, some hand sanitizer, and some cough drops. Its the stomach flu I'm a bit paranoid about. I hate when people were up puking the night before, and then they show up to work. They're still heavily contaminated at that point. And the stomach flu spreads like a wildfire.

My boyfriend has emphysema, and while he looks healthy, a simple cold can easily turn to pneumonia and kill him. I really wouldn't want a server with a cold serving us. I'd also be pissed if his coworkers exposed him to any respiratory illnesses.