I Don’t Remember Sick Days

06Feb09

I am also a GenXer, who has managed and worked with several GenYer’s. I have to say that today, I am particularly frustrated with that generation. I don’t know about you, but when I was just starting out, trying to build my career and figure out what I was doing in a position that I may or may not have been qualified for, I didn’t call out sick or walk in past 8:30am. I didn’t leave in the middle of the day to go to a doctor’s appointment and I didn’t expect a raise when all I did was my job. I knew that hard work, dedication and staying one step ahead of my manager were some keys to long-term success.

It’s amazing to me how many times I have heard, “but I was here until 9pm last night, so I don’t understand why it’s a big deal if I come in at 10am.” You don’t understand?! Humm, let me see. Well, the office opens at 9am and you are expected to be here at 9am and while you may be busy, so is everyone else. Maybe if you would stop IM’ing your friends, checking out YouTube and updating your status on Facebook, you would be able to leave at 7pm. I don’t feel bad for you.

I am now a mom in the workfoce where a typical day consists of waking before the rest of the house, getting clothes and breakfast ready for my two little children, ensuring they feel loved and that they laugh before I go, then I head to the train for my 1+ hour commute.  There have been plenty of days where I have been exhausted and don’t want to get up before the rest of the house or call out sick so that I can play with the kids instead (or for that matter, have a day to myself). But I don’t because that’s not responsible and that isn’t going to advance my career.  What is funny to me is that even with my duties in the morning I can still be at work, across state lines,  in time for a 9am meeting.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying that no one gets sick or that we all don’t deserve personal days. What gets me is the consistency of these behaviors. The expectation that it’s ok to walk in at 10:00am, when you should be here at 9am. The expectation that you will automatically get a raise or a promotion just because you did a good job – not going above and beyond your job description, just doing what you were hired to do. The expectation that because you get 5 sick days, you should USE 5 sick days. Really? The last job I left, I had over 100 sick days in the bank and I only used them for maternity leave.

I’m tired of hearing, “I don’t feel good. I’m sick. I need to stay home. I was here until 9pm.”

Suck it up and go to work.

-SGX

Filed under: Gen-Y Cluelessness, How to Work   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: expectations, GX2GY, professionalism, sick days, work-life balance