How is it that people who don't smoke, eat right, & exercise regularly always call in sick at work?

[devilgrrl]

There's a reason that I'm asking this and that reason is that everyone at my work who falls under the OP title - non-smokers, good diet, etc... always but always call in sick! I see a lot of people here bemoan smokers for supposedly taking too much sick time but in my office, the smokers (all 4 of them) aren't the ones calling in sick. So what's the deal with that?

Just thought I'd ask.

[Bluebear]

1. Their lifestyle leaves them depressed :)

Kidding, kidding.

[fishwax]

2. lol

:)

[NM_hemilover]

27. I was going the opposite way,

Out partying with the other people who drink too much, smoke, eat junk food, and stay out too late. ;)

[Political Heretic]

65. That's what I think too, lol. You don't live longer, it just feels longer. :)~

[Bluebear]

77. 'You don't live longer, it just feels longer.'

:rofl:

[laughingliberal]

100. That's what I've always thought. In fact it is true for long term smokers who started young

It is known that if a person started smoking before the age of 16 and is still smoking at 40, quitting will not, statistically, improve their life expectancy. It may, for those prone to pulmonary diseases help their quality of life later on but that's not carved in stone, either. Had many pissed off patients who quit smoking in their 40's only to be diagnosed with emphysema and such in their 50's or 60's. Only consolation I had for them was that maybe they would have gotten sick sooner if they had not quit. Probably not altogether true but I said it to comfort them that their quitting had some value.

[FloriTexan]

68. A few ideas possibly why...

They have kids or relatives to care for who might be sick.

They have a use it or lose it policy on sick time and benefit time and don't want to lose it.

In my office now, all forms of benefit time is called paid time off - no designation between sick or vacation or personal leave anymore. We can roll a week at the end of the year and/or get paid for a week. If we don't take the rest of it its gone.

They might have personal errands to run that is no one's business so they call it "sick" so they don't have to talk about it.

ON EDIT: I meant to reply to original poster. sorry ya'll.

[Mike 03]

108. Why is that just a joke? When I read it, it made perfect sense. Especially for those of us

who are OCD. I know it seems funny and I don't blame you all, but it is not funny to some of us.

[jesus_of_suburbia]

139. .....

:spray:


:rofl:


:loveya:

[virgogal]

3. As a smoker who rarely missed work I've often wondered about that too.

Looking forward to the replies.

[babylonsister]

4. They drink like fishes?

:shrug:

[Deep13]

5. Viruses are pretty indiscriminate.

Being in shape will not ward them off.

[leftofcool]

6. Well, here's the truth...

eat healthy, exercise frequently, don't smoke, don't drink....still die at your appointed time.

[Lasher]

15. It's depressing to think I could die of good health.

Think I'll go out like George Burns.

[damntexdem]

24. But in the meantime, have fun ...

by calling in sick to work when you have something better to do. ;-)

[NM_hemilover]

33. Bingo,

I will die because of something I did, and I hope I'm doing it when I die.

I would hate to be the healthiest person I know, to die from nothing.

[NoSheep]

117. Their immunity is not good due to all that clean living?

[truebrit71]

148. Bingo x 10

:evilgrin:

[DCKit]

7. They have something better to do, and the stamina to do it. n/t

[BrklynLiberal]

31. bingo...

[devilgrrl]

48. Fake illness? Wow! I'll have to do that more often!

How virtuous!

[CrispyQ]

8. Maybe they're not really sick but just taking a day.

And why not? I've never worked for a company that gives you your sick pay when you leave, so why not use it? When I worked corporate, I used all my sick time, every year, with one exception - a company where you could accrue your sick pay over time. But even then, I didn't let it get too big.

[KansDem]

16. I agree...

Sometimes we just need a day alone to reflect and its better to do so when you're not constantly leaking from various orifices...

[verges]

127. And sometimes

we just need a day to get the hell away from work and stay in our jammies with a big bowl of Cocoa Puffs and watch movies.

[reflection]

151. Man, isn't that the truth.

Replace the word 'movies' with 'bad karate movies' and I'm totally on board. :)

[graywarrior]

9. I never call in sick and I don't smoke, eat right and exercise regularly

My co-worker, a smoker, drinker, pizza eating slacker is always out sick

[Happy Hippy]

10. ...

Perhaps they are out enjoying life?

[niyad]

21. welcome to DU

[devilgrrl]

46. So much for that work ethic!

:popcorn:

[onehandle]

11. I had seven people reporting to me until recently. The one smoker called in sick once a week.

As the boss, attendance is something I paid close attention to.

[TheCowsCameHome]

12. Maybe they're just looking to enjoy a day off.

I wouldn't blame them.

[TheCowsCameHome]

125. SD

[damntexdem]

13. Because they're healthy enough to do something more interesting than going to work?

Just a thought. ;-)

Of course, your perceptions could be wrong. Or your workplace weird.

[BrklynLiberal]

32. That was my thought as well..

[devilgrrl]

49. So, you haven't an issue with people playing hooky? Cool, I'll call in sick more often.

Seeing that everyone endorses the behavior.

[CrispyQ]

80. You can call it hooky, but I call them mental health days.

I've always chosen my mental health days on days when I know there isn't anything critical on my desk.

You've never called in on a day when you knew you didn't have anything critical on your desk & you were just plain burned out? Really? Never??

[devilgrrl]

95. If you're mentally ill, shouldn't you see a doctor? What's the term for when smokers call in sick?

:popcorn:

[CrispyQ]

102. When smokers call in sick, I say they're 'taking a sick day.'

:P

I don't judge people's reasons for calling in sick. I could give a fuck. We all deserve our sick days. The fucking corporations are not your friend. They love people who don't use their sick time & then lose it at the end of the year. You seem to have some kind of grudge against non-smokers in this thread. :shrug:

Whatever.

[trotsky]

114. Your post deserves a rec of its very own.

Wish I could give it one.

[CTyankee]

61. I always wanted the "job I loved" and I tried hard to find it.

But, unfortunately, most jobs just aren't that wonderful. Wanting it to be more interesting didn't result in getting a job more interesting. It's a problem. I never found the perfect balance. I'm retired now and I look back at my work career life with bittersweet memories, mostly somewhat bitter. I worked hard and tried hard. I left huge amounts of sick leave when I finally retired. I didn't begrudge it because my work ethic would not permit me to take a sick day if I wasn't sick. But I regret a lot of the hard work I did for very little return...

[Sancho]

14. They take time for themselves - and will live a long life!

:applause:

[LunaSea]

17. Maybe the smokers bodies have more experience with germs and such...

Ask George Carlin, he swam in raw sewage-

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=7309396

[BlueGirlRedState]

18. Because taking a sick day when you're sick is healthy

The non-smoker, exerciser, etc. probably makes a point to take care of themselves and that includes staying home and getting better instead of dragging it out. And, as a working mom, most of my sick days are taken up with sick kids (yes, that's allowed).

[CTyankee]

40. Bingo, right answer! If you are someone who takes care of themselves you

take care to get better if you are sick. Makes sense, doesn't it? What good is coming to work and risking getting worse? Also, how about those people around you? If you are sensitive to other people's needs you would not needlessly inflict your germs on them.

It is everybody's obligation to take care of their health. And you do that by taking a sick day if you are sick.

It's simple.

[devilgrrl]

52. Of course - despite being incessantly ill - they're still healthier and have higher morals.

eom

[JerseygirlCT]

120. +1 nt

[notadmblnd]

19. because they live in such sterile environments that when they actually do come in contact with germs

it really puts them on their backs for a while? :shrug:

[Uzybone]

20. In my office things are different

the smokers and overweight folks call out regularly.

[devilgrrl]

54. Where do you work? A gambling casino?

:popcorn:

[dchill]

22. Obviously, they're better than you!

They deserve it!
;)

[Rhiannon12866]

23. We used to have a "perfect attendance lunch" where I worked...

And we'd count how many of us who were there were smokers. There were a lot of us... :smoke:

[LoveMyCali]

39. Yes but some of us at the perfect attendance luncheons

were non-smoking, eat right exercising types. :hi:

[Rhiannon12866]

141. Since when did anybody at that company live a healthy life?!

I sure never had time! I didn't even have time to graduate from Smoke-Enders; I was on deadline... :-( :hi:

[LoveMyCali]

154. that's actually why I had perfect attendance

I just didn't have time to call in sick, I couldn't let anyone know how far behind I was so I just kept dragging myself in and plugging away every day.

[Rhiannon12866]

155. Me, too...

As you know. It's not that I didn't feel like hell, but I just always showed up, anyway... If I didn't come in, I knew that my work would still be waiting for me when I did. :-(

[frazzled]

25. They're out on job interviews elsewhere?

Who knows. Some people get sick a lot.

[HopeHoops]

26. I think this is a good application of the word "DUH!"

Just sayin'

[devilgrrl]

55. WTF?

Duh!

[DavidDvorkin]

28. Anecdotal evidence remains popular and even respected on DU

That's the real mystery.

[laughingliberal]

53. As does painting certain groups of people with broad brushes

It is tiring to be persecuted based on statistics which have never fit the reality of my life. Some people who know I smoke want to believe I would miss a lot of work (never really missed any to speak of) and apply a whole lot of 'facts' that they know about smokers to me. And none of these 'facts' we hear about smokers have ever been the case in my own life.

[Political Heretic]

67. Word.

[BrklynLiberal]

29. They have better things to do than go to work...

[Nye Bevan]

30. Last time I took a sick day was in 2002

Non-smoker, moderate drinker, OK diet. At my office when there is a cold or flu going around the smokers always seem to get it much worse than everyone else.

[laughingliberal]

44. Didn't seem to be the case with me.

I'm a life long smoker who never seemed to get any of the illnesses making the rounds. I was always the nurse sucking it up and taking more patients cause other, non-smoking nurses were calling in. Come to think of it the other 1 or 2 who were always there covering with me were smokers, too.

[quiet.american]

34. My theory: since they don't take smokers' breaks, they're taking that time in a lump sum. nt

[laughingliberal]

47. Not where I worked. We all got the same breaks

30 minutes for lunch and two 15 minute breaks during a 12 hour shift.

[quiet.american]

59. Doing better than me! nt

[laughingliberal]

75. Sorry about your situation but my point is that smokers got no more break time than anyone else in

my workplaces. So, it couldn't have been the non-smokers 'saving up their breaks for a day off'

[quiet.american]

79. Yes, I took your point. :)

In any case, not looking to be very serious about this. In fact, I was being a bit facetious.

[laughingliberal]

86. Sorry

Guess I've just reached my limit with being pounded on about my smoking. Smoked all my life, rarely missed work, hardly ever saw a doctor except my yearly 'female' checkups, don't smoke around non-smokers (in fact try my best to avoid them in my life), and so on. Broad brushes have always pissed me off no matter what group is getting painted with them.

[quiet.american]

92. I can understand that. Cheers. nt

[Ms. Toad]

150. I assume being pissed off at broad brushes includes

includes the broad brush being directed at non-smokers in the OP?

[naaman fletcher]

35. Depends on your definition

I have managed a lot of people, for myself and for others:

In my experience the most likely to call in sick are:

1. The super healthy people who think anything can make them sick. Really they are hypochondriacs.
2. Smnokers, partiers.
3. People who are, well, more average.

[DesertFlower]

36. i'm one of those people.

i had chronic fatigue syndrome and didn't know it.

a co-worker said "you're the sickest healthy person i know".

[kctim]

37. Because most smokers are married?

Why else would they smoke?
Why else would they rather work?

[Mendocino]

38. I don't smoke, I eat well (vegan) and I exercise.

One sick day taken in the last 4 years. Now we have three smokers out of 28 and two are almost maxed out on sick leave and have been disciplined for failure to maintain a proper schedule and the third is very low on sick leave balance.

What's the deal with that?:)

[devilgrrl]

45. I don't know - you'll have to ask them.

:hi:

[cherokeeprogressive]

41. When I was teaching, or contract gave us 10 days every school year.

Sick, personal business, whatever.

Once every month I'd call my lead administrator and call in "healthy". We'd have a good laugh, and then I'd email her a lesson plan for each of my classes, and go golfing. About a third of the time I went golfing with her husband, who was an administrator at a different school in our district.

We used to get into heated discussions in the break room about saving sick days to get that extra .3% at retirement, but I just couldn't see the bother over three/tenths of one percent. Plus, I love to golf.

We had a select group of substitute teachers, and taking a day off now and then helped them out immensely.

[laughingliberal]

42. It's frustrating. As a nurse who smoked I missed work rarely and I mean very rarely

I went 5 years once without a day off. I frequently went over a year without missing a day. Other, non-smoking nurses called in all the time: sinus infections, migraines, cramps, sore throats, and on and on...

All the while I cover for these whiners while I hear how much smoking costs business in missed days of work.

And these institutions did not have sick leave. It was all PTO so you got the time whether you took off sick or not. No sick days=more vacation days.

[devilgrrl]

66. How about the people in this thread that seem to be making shit up!

"I NEVER CALL IN SICK - ONLY THE NON-SMOKERS DO!!!!"

Such bullshit.

[laughingliberal]

73. I can't speak for anyone else but I really never did call in to speak of

and a whole hell of a lot of younger, non-smoking, presumably healthier nurses were off work every time I turned around. And I was well aware of it as nurses always have an increased work load when someone calls in. I don't know what their damned problems were-sinuses, migraines, cramps, sore throats, and on and on and on. I don't think I worked more that 30 shifts in 26 years of nursing where there was not a nurse who called in. And it was hardly ever me. My record was 5 years without missing a day and I routinely went over a year without missing a day.

[LeftyMom]

140. Younger? Probably sick kids.

Or childcare drama. I've very rarely (maybe three times since my kid was born, and he's almost nine) had to call in because of some emergency that resulted in my not having a sitter, or because he was sick and I couldn't line up somebody else to keep an eye on him. Luckily his Dad works nights, so I've had to do so much less than other women I know with young children.

I can drag myself in with most anything that's not completely disabling or horribly contagious, provided people are understanding about my not being as efficient and cheery as normal and accepting that I'll do my best, but when the kid's sick, options get real limited real fast.

[WolverineDG]

43. Maybe because we don't want others to get sick

unlike the inconsiderate slobs who show up to work so they can share their germs.

dg

[pipi_k]

94. I had one of those for a boss once...

an inconsiderate slob who rarely stayed home sick. He owned the (small) business, but it wasn't like we couldn't operate without him there, like when he was on vacation or away on business or something. We got along just fine.

But he rarely stayed home sick, instead preferring to spread his plagues all over the office on phones, computers, etc.

I didn't even have young kids at that time, and I was getting sick the same way I used to when I did have kids in school.

[berni_mccoy]

50. Those aren't sick days, they're SEX DAYS!

Those ultra healthy people are busy having lots and lots of mid-day sex!

:rofl:

[Demeter]

51. They Keep Their Germs at Home, Because That's Not Only Smart, It's Also Polite?

And if people are smoking, that's the last place a person with Upper or Lower Respiratory infection wants to be!

[laughingliberal]

87. I stayed home if I had infectious conditions

I just never had very many. 26 years of nursing and, maybe, I had some sort of contagious thing 5 or 6 times. What the hell is wrong with these people who catch every damned bug that comes along?

[maxsolomon]

56. more anecdotal evidence: my vegetarian coworkers are sick more often.

than i am.

[devilgrrl]

57. Some lamest non-answers ever! Have fun continually catching colds and the flu and whatever the fuck!

So healthy that you're always sick!

Classic!

[spoony]

82. What are you so angry about?

That there are people who don't smoke and try to eat well? Even the suggestion that such is related to being sick a lot is beyond ridiculous.

[devilgrrl]

88. No there's people that are supposedly healthy - yet are always sick and no one knows why?

Making shit up isn't answering a question.

[pipi_k]

97. But I think people are answering the question...

Apparently healthy people who call in sick have lots of reasons for doing it. Mental healthy days...job interviews...child care issues...doctors appointments...


And maybe sometimes it's just none of our business...


I dunno...I guess if I wanted to know the reason why certain people do something, I would just go to the source and ask them.

:shrug:

[nadinbrzezinski]

58. Perhaps it is because smokers ARE a minority any longer

so by the law of averages you will see more healthy people that do not smoke taking a sick day when well they are sick

[laughingliberal]

89. My observations go way back to when there were still a lot more smokers

I'm so old they used to smoke at the nurse's station when I first started working.

[nadinbrzezinski]

147. And even then smokers never quite reached majority

status.

One third sure, majority not really.

And I know when you are talking about.

Anyhow, if you are sick, IT IS a good idea to take a day off, if you can afford it that is.

[a la izquierda]

60. Don't know. I just quit smoking 2 months ago...

and I've been feeling like shiitake the last two weeks.

[laughingliberal]

93. Hang in there and, if it does not get better, have a talk with a good doctor

It was always my experience that I had more trouble physically and emotionally the longer I stayed off cigarettes. Some smokers have an underlying depression which is, somewhat, controlled by smoking and surfaces after some time off cigarettes. There are ways to deal with that. Another condition that often surfaces after quitting is colitis. Nicotine, being a smooth muscle relaxer, generally keeps this condition under control and smokers rarely are aware if they have it. After quitting, it can become a problem and would need to be addressed. Some rare cases (like mine) find asthma which has not been active for years will become active after quitting (again the smooth muscle relaxation effect of nicotine had this under control). People who find this will need to see their doctor about managing their asthma in others ways, now.

[a la izquierda]

132. I'm doing great in terms of the addiction...

but I swear I'm getting sick from all of the running and cycling I can now do. Is that completely insane? I guess not, as you suggest I too had asthma when I was younger and I suppose I need an inhaler.

Oh well, could be worse. I could die of lung cancer in 40 years.

[sabrina 1]

62. Health expert, Jerome Rodale died on the Dick Cavett Show

His son took on the business after his death. He edited the health magazine 'Prevention'. He died at age 60 in a traffic accident.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_entertainers_who_died_during_a_performance

Longevity expert Jerome Rodale had been quoted as saying, "I'm going to live to be 100, unless I'm run over by a sugar-crazed taxi driver." Soon after, he was a guest on the Dick Cavett Show. After his interview was done, Pete Hamill was being interviewed by Cavett when Rodale slumped. Hamill, noticing something was wrong, said in a low voice to Cavett, "This looks bad." Rodale had died of a heart attack at age 72. The episode was never aired.

Health fanatics are often hypochondriacs and many times end up thinking everything is going to kill them. Something will kill of us ~ no point spending every day worrying about it.

[Betsy Ross]

63. Smart enough to stay home when ill?

I'm one of those folks.

[laughingliberal]

78. I don't recall having a lot of contagious type illnesses during my work life

In the rare instances where I did have an infectious little bug I did stay home as I worked with an immune compromised population. Even at that, I rarely missed a day in a year. And, yet, I endured the crap about smokers missing more work that is touted from the rooftops as further justification to demonize us. It's frustrating.

[DBoon]

64. Because God is a chain smoking junk food lover

And God blesses those who follow his path with health and long lives.

Can't you just picture the grey bearded deity smoking a marlboro and munching on cheetos?

[Political Heretic]

69. You know.... I think I'd feel good about that.

:D

[southernyankeebelle]

70. They have mental problems that you don't see right away. LOL They feel

that if they eat healthy and excerise they can't think how depressed they are because they are tired and hungry.

[FloriTexan]

71. Maybe...

They have kids or relatives to care for who might be sick.

They have a use it or lose it policy on sick time and benefit time and don't want to lose it.

because all forms of benefit time is called paid time off - no designation between sick or vacation or personal leave anymore. We can roll a week at the end of the year and/or get paid for a week. If we don't take the rest of it its gone and its a "BENEFIT" so why lose it.

They might have personal errands to run that is no one's business so they call it "sick" so they don't have to talk about it. There are a lot of things one cannot do except during normal business hours, i.e., meet repairmen, meet with a banker, etc., etc., etc.,

They just need a day off.

They have a hard-ass boss where the only good reason to take off is when you are sick.

Because smokers take more breaks and people with kids always have a better more forgiveable reason to take off and maybe those that don't smoke or have kids need to get away from those that get all that extra time off.

[laughingliberal]

83. "Because smokers take more breaks ..."

Not where I worked. All the nurses got 30 minutes for lunch and 2 15 minute breaks in a 12 hour shift.

" people with kids always have a better more forgiveable reason to take off "

There are some smokers who have children, too. But only non-smokers would need to stay home if their children were sick?

[Darth_Kitten]

72. They are tired of picking up the slack from most smokers.

:)

Too many smokers take so many breaks during the day that a lot of work isn't being done.

And who is left to pick up the slack? You guessed it. ;) :hide:

[laughingliberal]

84. The hospitals I worked in we all got the same breaks whether we smoked or no

I've already said this but here it is again: We got 30 minutes for lunch and 2 15 minute breaks in a 12 hour shift. I was, generally, the nurse who showed up every day and had to pick up slack for whiny nurses who stayed home whenever they broke a nail.

[Darth_Kitten]

90. Smokers in our department used to go whenever.......

they felt like it..... :)

[laughingliberal]

99. Not my experience. nt

[deaniac21]

74. I would suggest to you that you might want a bigger sample

[readmoreoften]

76. Being a self-righteous prick is bad for your health, I guess. /nt

[laughingliberal]

85. +1 nt

[dustbunnie]

103. Lol, where do you get that people who prefer to eat well, or not smoke are self-righteous?

That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever read. :D There are a whole lotta assholes out there who drink and smoke and eat crap.

[petronius]

81. Because it's a nice day for a long bike ride?

:shrug:

Can't say that I've noticed that pattern - my guess is that the person in question is either unlucky with germs, has a weakened immune system, or just has a poor work ethic...

[Name removed]

91. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[devilgrrl]

98. You should really cover your mouth when you talk - I don't want to catch anything.

:hi:

[laughingliberal]

104. Perhaps the answer is people should be judged as individuals and not painted with broad brushes

That could work.

[dustbunnie]

96. They don't. I co-own/work in a gym and every single emp and owner is the picture of health --

no one smokes, everyone eats well, exercises almost daily. etc. No one, and I mean no one, is ever sick. The only time people call to say they aren't coming is over personal business. Once, one of the pilates instructors called in "fat."

Maybe you just work in a shitty place and the healthy among you are smart enough to take advantage of sick days to counterbalance the daily work horror. My sister works in an ad agency and it's such a combat zone there that people only stay sane if they take sick days and those increase in direct proportion to responsibility/stress level.

[laughingliberal]

101. the healthy among you are smart enough to take advantage of sick days

Not where I worked. We had PTO. Sick days and vacation all came out of the same pool. Less calling in sick=more vacation time.

[dustbunnie]

107. Your experience is not universal. Neither is the OP's.

Every business is unique and every individual is unique.

Which is why these anecdotal posts and threads are basically just a manufactured chance for some people to bash others... in this case, those on the receiving end being those who prefer to live a healthy lifestyle.

[laughingliberal]

113. Nor is yours or anyone else's

Every business and individual is unique. Whether they smoke or not, whether they are overweight or not.

There are far more posts here that use broad facts about smoking and obesity to beat up on smokers and overweight people. I'm not sure why that seems to give so many people a charge. Perhaps they need a little self congratulatory pat on the back to assure them they are better than someone else? Perhaps self righteousness produces a high of which I'm unaware. I don't know. I never saw the joy in persecuting others.

I see many here who take every opportunity presented to bully smokers and overweight people with statistics. As a normal weight smoker, I find it all distasteful. I'm a lifelong smoker who has never been an example of any of the accepted facts about what smoking does. I didn't miss work. I don't suffer respiratory illnesses. My heart is good. I don't see doctors often and haven't spent others' tax money on 'increased health care costs.' I don't smoke around non-smokers. I don't fit anyone's image of a smoker. In fact, many people knew me for years without knowing I smoked (guess that kind of disproves that 'all smokers stink,' thing in my case).I don't like broad brushes no matter who's being painted with them. Period.

Recently, a study found a genetic link to smoking related lung cancer. IOW, smokers without this link do not get lung cancer. My family all smoked and lived, at least, into their 90's. They died without any lung or heart diseases, generally of old age. Never a case of lung cancer or COPD among them. Not one. One day we may find all health problems have a genetic basis and then I can assume my superior position and look down on those who weren't as lucky as me. Maybe then I'll understand why this is so much fun for others.

[dustbunnie]

119. In this thread you seem to be engaging in the precise behavior you abhor in others.

Funny, I'm not seeing anyone on this thread beating up smokers or obese people. At all. But whatever. You seem to be ultra sensitive so maybe you're seeing something that isn't there. And if it gives you some small pleasure to get back at these people you claim are oppressing you as a smoker, then have at it.

Statistics show that as a whole, the people who miss the most work are alcoholics/drug addicts, party people and smokers. If you don't fit that bill then good for you but that is probably one of the reasons why people hold the opinion they do about smokers. Your personal experience probably isn't going to make much of a dent in what people think, for obvious reasons.

[laughingliberal]

126. I do not mean to be engaging in that practice

but it was quite frustrating all those years I was one of the most consistent workers in my field to keep hearing about how smokers miss so much work. How irritated would you be if you had been me covering for the nurses who were off work sick all the time and hearing how smokers miss so much work? And posts bashing smokers and overweight people are standard fare here at DU. I do not fault the OP for expressing some of the frustration this causes. I do feel it. Self righteous people spout off about smokers missing work all the time. As a smoker who didn't miss work and who covered far more than my share of work loads for non-smoking nurses who missed a lot, I feel it's grossly unfair.

I hate broad brushes, statistics or not. If you meet a smoker or overweight person who fits the statistics, fine. But it is the immediate aspersions cast on anyone overweight or who smokes to which I object. Broad brushes hurt people, needlessly. Period. We have found, in recent years, that redheads suffer more allergies than others and they have lower pain thresholds. Are they next? No telling which group will be the next target of our increasingly intolerant and authoritarian society.

As a long ago hero of mine wrote some years back "for the wheel's still in spin and there's no telling who that it's naming."

[dustbunnie]

144. Lol, methinks you protest too much, and you have the government and its relentless --

ad campaigning against smoking to blame for the negative view people have about smoking. If you've never missed work, obviously your superiors are/were aware of this and it was reflected in the way you were rewarded. Who cares what other people say or think? Why do you need acceptance and validation for your bad habits so badly? I smoked for a year and it's a pretty stinky habit. Bad breath, ashtray mouth in the morning, stinky hair, clothes and house, yellow teeth, sallow skin, dull eyes... what's to embrace? I would never have told anyone "you GOTTA try this, it's AMAZING!" I kept it out of peoples' faces and knew the negative comments from non-smokers were right on the money. What's "authoritarian" about rejecting bad habits with potential deadly consequences? It's weird that you crave acceptance for addiction and bad habits so intensely.

Overweight people are a dime a dozen and within ten years will be the new normal. Mostly they are already. And mostly it doesn't particularly feel great to be overweight, but whatever. Nobody's going out in droves to beat up smokers and overweight people and somehow these people have lives, relationships, and seem to do okay on the job front. Threads on anorexia get by FAR more passionately hateful responses than any fat thread ever does.

As far as chronic obesity, alcoholism/drug addiction, anorexia and the like... these people most often suffer from mental issues. Not particularly anything a person should strive for, nothing to be proud of. The average person who is ill-equipped to deal with the issues is probably far better off to stay away, to avoid being sucked into the destructive vortex of repressed rage. Has nothing to do with "increasingly intolerant and authoritarian society." That's hyperbole at it's finest.

[CrispyQ]

105. "...take advantage of sick days to counterbalance the daily work horror."

Well said! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Love the pilates instructor who called in "fat." :rofl:

[dustbunnie]

109. Heh... she actually said "I'm calling in fat." :-D

I almost spit out my sandwich I was laughing so hard.

I think she had gone home for a Polish/Italian Christmas and put on a few pounds. Someone covered for her that week. It's a zany place at times. :D

[slackmaster]

106. Sometimes we want to play hooky

I did that last Thursday. I went to the zoo and walked around. I had a great day.

[pipi_k]

110. PSA for all you slackers out there...

Some good excuses (and how to use them) for calling in sick:


http://hubpages.com/hub/How-To-Call-In-Sick-To-Work


:+

[ljm2002]

111. I don't know the answer to your question...

...but it is certainly worth asking. I do remember coming across studies that claim smokers use more sick time and therefore employers lose $$ because of it. Also, when I was a people manager, I had a couple of folks whose smoking affected their work, as they needed to go outside often to smoke and basically lost productivity -- this was in the field of software development, it can be hard to retain the necessary mental context with frequent interruptions.

But the real reason I'm posting is that your OP reminded me of my all-time favorite T-shirt that read:

"I used up all my sick days, so I called in dead."

For some reason that one always makes me giggle. Always wanted to try it, never had the nerve, even as a joke.

[pipi_k]

112. Oooohhh you don't wanna do that....

call in dead, I mean...

It's bad karma, according to the list of excuses to call in sick on the link I posted.


How pissed off would you be if you used that excuse, and then a couple of days later you really did have to call in dead? I don't think they'd believe you a second time...


;)

[Cleita]

115. Maybe they don't want you to catch what they are sick of. n/t

[David Zephyr]

116. Reminds me of the the song...

No sex, no drugs, no wine, no women,
No fun, no sin, no you, no wonder it's dark

[Raine]

118. Because they're healthy enough to go out and have fun

probably skiing or doing something physical but need the excuse of being sick to get out of work. :-)

[devilgrrl]

121. So healthy people are slackers?

okay...

[Bluenorthwest]

122. My life has been filled with people who eat right,

exercise, and smoke like a house on fire. The very idea of being able to 'call in sick' is alien to me, and to most of those extremely fit chain smokers around me. Call in and say you are not showing up? What responsibility free universe is that? So, all of the info in the OP is confusing to me. Or does not apply.
But I will say this, I did know one non smoking, right eating, constant exerciser. He did not get 'sick time' either, but he did drop dead at age 24 during the work day. Just like that. Maybe the healthiest, best living person I have ever known. 24, just like that.
Such is life. No extra credit is available.

[laughingliberal]

128. "No extra credit is available"

I love that. And I think it is at the heart of so much intolerance I hear and read. Looking around for reasons to blame others for whatever issues they have in their lives allows people to reassure themselves they are safe cause they don't (fill in the blank of the evil of the day).

More and more I think Freud was on to something when he said everything a human does from the time he realizes he is going to die is to avoid the fear produced by that knowledge.

edited spelling

[pipi_k]

137. Then there are the ones who don't drink or smoke, but

do eat crappy food.

Meat and taters...no vegies. Lots of fast food.

That was my first husband, who dropped dead in 2002 from heart failure at the age of 52.

What I heard from his third wife was that they had just had sex, she got up and was in the bathroom when she heard him gurgling. By time the paramedics got there, he was gone. I'm sure he died happy, though.

[rucky]

123. Because we take 10 minute breaks every 2 hours or so.

helps prevent burnout (NPI)

[varelse]

124. Maybe they just need some time away from you and your attitude?

:shrug:

[Canuckistanian]

129. Active sex life?

That usually leads to missed work and unwarranted happiness, leading to lost productivity.

It should be outlawed.

[JoeyT]

130. I get a lot of grief from my friends that don't smoke

because they all get sick every time a new illness is making the rounds and I almost never do. Even when I do get sick I'm usually over it within a day. I just tell them my lungs are so coated in toxins not even a virus or bacteria can survive for long.

If I had to guess at the reason it would be that the people that smoke were probably among the healthiest of the lot to begin with. People that grew up getting sick frequently are probably far less prone to smoking, eating poorly, and sedentary lifestyles simply because any of the above would make them deathly ill on a regular basis. They know what being really sick actually feels like and want no part of it if they can help it, so they do their best to stay healthy. It helps, but doesn't completely cover for them. You're also probably dealing with a lot of people that are in the age range where smoking isn't really killing them yet.

It's either that or we can't afford to take time off because we waste a bunch of money on cigarettes, booze, and Twinkies.

[TheCowsCameHome]

131. Maybe they're smart enough to know there's more to life than work.

[pipi_k]

138. Amen!!! I never did take a lot of time off from work, but

I did get a lot of grief from my last boss who thought I should put in the same hours and level of commitment he did (it was his business).


I didn't live to work...I worked to live. I had other things more interesting to do than spend extra hours working a job I hated anyway.

[TheCowsCameHome]

146. I've never seen a headstone that read "I wish I had worked more"

More likely just the opposite.

Life is too short anyway.

[pipi_k]

149. That's pretty much the same thing I tell my daughter when she complains

that her house isn't spotless.

She used to be such a clean freak, and now she works and has a six year old son, and she still goes way overboard cleaning cleaning cleaning.

I tell her that 20 or 30 years from now, her son isn't going to say, "Damn...such good memories...my mom kept the house spotless!!!"


Clean enough to avoid being shut down by the Board of Health is clean enough...

a little dust and clutter isn't going to kill the normal person

[Cid_B]

133. Taking time off to compete in Ironmans and bodybuilding tournaments...

nt...

[nemo137]

134. I know that "data" isn't the plural of "anecdote"

But god, I have never been sicker longer than the month after I quit smoking. Maybe the delicious tar keeps the germs out?

[LWolf]

135. They are physically fragile,

or they don't handle mild discomfort well,
or they are worried about infecting all the rest of us (except that I have the most iron-clad immune system of anyone I've ever met,)
or they aren't really sick: they are using those healthy bodies to spend the day hiking, running, biking, etc..

[snooper2]

136. because they enjoy being the first people layed off

:P

[eridani]

142. They're trying for some of the vacation time that people in civilized countries get as a right n/t

[Jennicut]

143. I am a stay at home Mom. I wish I could call in sick at times...

I used to work at a call center. People would call in sick all the time. I think it had to do with the fact that getting yelled at by customers on a daily basis was a monotonous, thankless job.

[Stinky The Clown]

145. When I was a sedentary smoker, I never called in sick

Now that I am an active non-smoker, I never call in sick.

I did take a week off after my heart attack, though, so maybe I really am a slacker.

[nuxvomica]

152. Because they actually recognize when they are ill

Back when we used to have perfect attendance lunches at work for people who had gone so many years without a sick day, most of the smokers attended and their were very few chronically fit people there. I think such people just feel like the world is ending when they get a sniffle because it's so different from their regular sense of well being.

[Zoeisright]

153. Nothing you can do will ever keep you well permanently.

All human beings get sick. And we all die, no matter what we do to ourselves.

[B Calm]

156. They have lower back pain from exercising. . .