Raw End of the Deal

I was really enjoying my days off. I was just resting and taking it easy. Or should I say I really enjoyed my first day off. Then on Monday I woke up at about 4:00 a.m. to a really sore throat. It got to the point where I was having trouble swallowing. As a result I was dry heaving. I got to the point where I almost wanted to vomit in the hopes that it would help. So Tuesday I was concerned that it would continue. I woke up and was relieved that I could swallow again. However, I was really congested. I knew that work was going to be really busy as we had been closed for the holiday the day before. And I wanted to at least try to make it through the day. So I stumbled off to work. I went through a pocket pack of Kleenex before lunch. My eyes were watering and I felt lousy. People wanted me to stay away from them so they didn't get sick too. For most of the day I was debating whether or not to call in sick on Wednesday.

At the end of the day I asked the supervisor about the ramifications of calling in sick. We are no longer doing the in class training so one would think that it wouldn't be as serious if I missed a day. The answer shocked me. He threatened to give me a written warning if I called in sick. Now that seems a little harsh. His claim was that in orientation we all would've received the equivalent of a verbal warning. Now I realize that the contract does not allow you to miss more then 16 hours while in training and if you do then say goodbye to your job. But so far they haven't held to that. The supervisor even admitted to me that he is behind on handing out disciplinary action. Last time I checked it was supposed to be done in a timely fashion. If he gave me a written warning though that stays with you and it means no chance of promotion. All that because you missed one day.

I have a couple of problems with this. First of all, no one else was given a written warning. Brian had showed me the letter he received after missing a day. It was a verbal warning and not a written one. So I'd like to see them try to give me a written warning. I'd be having a few words with HR if that happened.

The second problem I have is that in over 6 months I had not missed a single day of work. Had I still been on the old contract nothing would have even been said to me. Had I gotten sick a week later nothing would've been said. But because it was while in training I am being severely penalized for it. Something just doesn't seem completely fair there.... It's not like I wasn't legitimately sick either.

I must say I am not a big fan of their attendance policy in general. After 6 months you start earning 1 sick day per quarter. Maybe it's just me but when I get sick it's usually for more then 24 hours. So instead of really being able to recover you have little choice but to return to work. I get that they don't want so many people using up their sick days right at the beginning of the year.... especially since some of them may not be around all that long. But as anyone that has worked in a call center can attest to when one person gets sick it spreads like a wildfire. It's not like they pay us enough to miss any time. Definitely not an environment that promotes health and well being.

But getting back to my own illness here... Tuesday I got home and just got progressively worse. Didn't take long before I had a fever of something like 100.5. It was at that point when I made the decision that despite the threats I was not coming into work the following day. I called the sick line that night. It was not terribly reassuring when they couldn't find me in the system. Is this Office Space? I'll be moved around randomly and just not be paid for my work? Then I had to call the actual supervisor and leave a message. Pretty sure I was rambling at that point. Then off to bed I went and slept for 12 hours. I went to my doctor on an unrelated matter and he said that it was viral and to get better it was going to take fluid and rest.

So today I was back to work. In an ideal situation I would've taken today off as well to rest. But had I done that I would've been guaranteed a written warning and would've been out money. So back to work I went.

Update: I am sure you are wondering why there is an update when I hadn't even posted it yet. Well I wrote most of it before leaving for work since I couldn't sleep and was up early this morning. I had been told that if I wanted to be paid the sick day then I would have to tell a supervisor that I wanted to be paid. Now why does it have to be so complicated? Can't they just assume that I want the money and pay the day? But no... They seem to love making things difficult. I should point out that the answer did not come from anyone official and I actually have not received an official answer. But first I was told that I hadn't been there long enough. Okay so they didn't realize that I was on a different contract and was switched over. Then I was told that it wouldn't be paid because I was in training. No one ever told me that there were stipulations. Finally, I was told that I would need a doctor's note. Now I was at the doctor's yesterday. I did not get a doctor's note. I did not think I was going to need one. And it costs me $10 to get a doctor's note. Furthermore, if I want to see my doctor I have to book the appointment well in advance. Plus my doctor is out of town. What do they expect me to do? This time okay I can call the office and get a doctors note since I was there... but in future.... Once again I feel like I am getting the raw end of the deal here. I feel like I have to jump through hoops to get something that they promised. Not like that seems to be anything new. And someone admitted to me that the company makes their own rules. So will I get paid for the day.... who knows. Nothing I can really do about that now since I already took the day off. I just feel like I am getting screwed again...

Run Over by a Mac Truck

That's about how I feel at the moment. Ever since I went to the hospital I have felt like I had the flu. Maybe I did pick something up while at the hospital. More likely though it is just a combination of factors. The weather has been really unpredictable over the last week. One day it's nice and warm and the next it's back to being cold and snowing. So my heat is still an issue. I've also been under a lot more stress at work as of late. Well the altercation I had with the Operations Manager is still affecting me. With the Fibromyalgia when I overdo it then I also have this same lack of energy and feel really run down. No desire to eat... I just want to sleep. The fact I've lost 8 pounds in 3 days just makes it that much worse.

In a nutshell I haven't really been taking care of myself. I have been trying to do too much and not taking even a day off work to rest and get better. I keep pushing myself too hard and now feel like I got run over by a Mac Truck. Wonder if I will end up calling in sick... Time will tell.

But seeing as I am off today... Azrael has been doing a fantastic job of making sure I rest. He has spent all day keeping me company while I watch the NCAA basketball games. Azrael keeps curling up on my lap and just lapping up all the attention. When I lay down on the futon he curled up beside me. I ended up having a nap and he curled up on my knees. He seems to be my protector.... looking out for my best interest and reminding me to take a break once in a while.

Insane or Just Dedicated?

I am currently trying to decide if I am completely insane or just dedicated. I went to the hospital last night. I got there at 2:15 a.m. and was actually out of there at 3:15. I am thinking that might have been a bad thing. Any later and I would've just called work and slept all day. Instead I had the thought that I could almost get 8 hours of sleep and then get up, pick up the prescription and go to work. So that was exactly what I did. And right now I am so worn out it's not even funny.

All day I just felt like my head was spinning. I just felt completely overwhelmed by the amount of work we need to do by the end of the month. It was also really warm so I was having trouble with my blood sugar all day. I didn't get much accomplished so I am not sure that it was worth going on. I mean I got some administrative tasks out of the way... but that was about it. About halfway through the day I wanted to go home and have a drink... it was not a good day.

And of course I wasn't really on the medication either since the prescription was for a nasal spray. So all I was taking is the decongestant. Not the best plan let me tell you. Now I will be heading to bed shortly and am hoping that actually being able to get 8 hours of sleep will be beneficial.

Sick and Tired

Still sick and incredibly tired. Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse.... Now I also have a sore throat to go with the congestion. I was at work today and got told that I look like hell. And I still have 2 more days before I can actually really get some rest. On that note it's about time I crawled into bed so I can get up and go to work tomorrow.

Misery Loves Company

The weekend is now wrapping up. It has been a quiet weekend which is nice. It's a weekend where I just want to be left alone. I am currently somewhat miserable. I never take it well when I am sick. I just want to be feeling better and I want to be feeling better now. Add to that fatigue and pain from the Fibromyalgia and I just want to rest and be left alone. Not to mention the canker... or the cut and it's been a wonderful weekend.

I also realized yesterday that when injured... or sick... I revert back to when I was a kid. It's no wonder people take on a nurturing role with me. I can't (or more accurately don't know how to) take care of myself. I was never taught those skills. When I was born I was 9 weeks early and in respiratory distress. They weren't sure I was going to make it. So my mom was over-protective... to the point of not teaching me anything.

The reason I noticed it yesterday was because I am currently feeling a cold coming on. To most people that would mean they take it easy, rest and drink plenty of fluids. Me... I try and keep up with my normal pace... drink Coke instead of water. I just don't end up taking care of myself. And then there was also the cut. Because of the location it was hard to stop the blood. I couldn't find any polysporin so I got out the isopropyl alcohol and applied that. Talk about pain and then slapped another band-aid on and hoped the bleeding would stop.

Maybe I just need someone to take care of me *lol* I have this image in my head now of a little kid with their thumb in their mouth holding a security blanket.

Should Have Called in Sick

I knew I should've called in sick this morning. I didn't get much sleep last night and wasn't feeling well this morning. I think the heat in the apartment is getting to me. It makes it hard to breathe at times. But I knew Amy was going to be there waiting for me. So I hauled my ass into work. I'm still not sure if that was the best idea... I got to work and then had to weed through all my emails. But even before that I opened the coaching planner to see how much help other people had helped out. Apparently that was a mistake. In 4 days one evaluation was done. Since our team has 23 people (I think) and each person is supposed to be listened to once a week (unless sick or on vacation) that's not a good thing. I went looking for our quality manager to see what she recommended since there was no way that mandate was going to be met. Plus two of my agents were gone for the remainder of the week. Couldn't find her so I started taking calls like I normally do. My manager came in at 10:00 and by about 10:30 I was taken off the phones. After all I had other work that needed to be done, not just the evaluations. But I was already stressed about it. At 2:00 all the managers had a meeting. Partway through there were suddenly a LOT of volunteers helping out. It was like they had the fear of God (or maybe just of their job) instilled in them. But I still ended up doing 6 evaluations today. That is a great deal of work. They are pretty time consuming. Plus I have a new agent on my team that asks a lot of questions. At 5:30... just when I thought I was done work and could leave... one of my agents was raising his voice at a customer and talking down to them. So then I had to log into their phone and listen. I never enjoy that. Finally was able to log out but didn't have a ride home. I ended up being at work 45 minutes late and then was able to get a ride home. It was a long day and I m still wondering if I shouldn't have just called in sick and gone back to bed this morning.