Case Study: Sicko

By Michael Rogers -- Library Journal, 6/1/2008

“Another one bites the dust,” Kathleen Dexter, librarian at the Kensington Public Library, said as Anna Coffey hung up the phone.

“Yikes,” said Coffey. “How many does that make?”

“Three today, plus two who were also out yesterday.”

“And who knows what tomorrow will bring,” Coffey said. “Maybe we'll all be sick.”

“Sick or not, you know who'll be here manning the library: it's a bird, it's a plane, its Super Cooper.”

Super Cooper was Roberta Cooper, a staffer who had the distinction of never having taken a sick day in 17 years. “If the woman had a heart attack, she'd stick her finger in a socket to shock herself and then go back to shelving,” Dexter once joked.

“Where is everyone?” asked assistant director Tina Maguire, stopping in front of the desk where the two women talked.

“Three people have called in sick—so far,” Dexter said.

“Wow, more than yesterday. Must be something mean going around,” said Maguire. “But that's what sick days are for.”

“Tell it to Roberta. She's the one making everyone sick half the time,” Coffey said.

“What do you mean by that?” asked Maguire.

“She never calls in sick,” Coffey said.

“Nothing wrong with dedication,” Maguire smiled.

“Agreed, but she never calls in sick even when she's at death's door,” Coffey said. “I've seen her run to the ladies room to throw up and then just go back out on the floor. No matter what flu, cold, or intestinal virus she has, she comes in anyway and infects everyone else.”

“So instead of having one person out sick, we've got three,” Dexter added. “It's not fair to the rest of us, not to mention how many patrons she's undoubtedly made sick by touching everything. Come to the library, get a book and the plague.”

“Doesn't anyone tell her to go home?” Maquire queried.

“Of course, but she refuses. 'I'm okay,' she always says and goes back to work,” Dexter responded. “It's some pride thing about being the iron maiden. We've told her that if she's sick to please stay home so she doesn't infect everyone else. She just says, 'It's not my fault, it's just going around.'”

“Somebody's got to do something about it,” Coffey said.

“Well,” Maguire said, “I'm not sure if you can send someone home if they say they're well enough to work. I'll have to look into it.”

“Well something has to be done because this is ridiculous,” said Dexter. “Jane just called. She, her husband, and two kids are running a marathon to the bathroom because they all caught Roberta's bug. Is that fair?”

Analysis I: Policies Prevent Plagues

By J. Eisner, Senior Librarian, South Brunswick Public Library, NJ

If Cooper's “presenteeism” is such that she works even while at “death's door” and may be infecting others, Maguire should tactfully ascertain what Cooper's motivation is for not using her accumulated sick days. In spite of Coffey and Dexter's complaining, Cooper may fear that her absence would leave her coworkers in the lurch. Or she may be hoarding her sick days for some reason. Maguire should check with the library's human resources department or any existing union contract to see if Kensington PL's absenteeism policies or incentives are inadvertently encouraging sick employees to come to work.

Communicating with Cooper (while carefully maintaining employee medical confidentiality) may elicit some concerns that Cooper has about using her sick time. Maguire should reiterate to Cooper the purpose of sick days and reassure her that other staff can pick up the slack while she's recovering. Kensington PL may have a written sick policy or union contract clause that specifically covers this issue. There may also be relevant laws or regulations in the municipality that govern library personnel policies. Maguire should do some research and review any policies with Cooper.

If this doesn't solve the problem, in spite of any existing policy or regulation, legally it may be tricky to compel Cooper to go home when sick. Per the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), an employer is required to keep the workplace “free from recognized hazards that are causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm.” In the case of a contagious but not usually reportable disease such as the flu (unless they are in the midst of a pandemic), it may be hard to argue that the employer has a duty to send the employee home because there is unlikely to be a risk of serious physical harm to others.

Even if it seems possible under library policy, union contract, state, or local laws to compel an employee to go home and/or see a physician, library administration should absolutely seek competent legal counsel before forcing Cooper to use up sick time against her will. Maguire must be careful not to make Cooper feel that she is being discriminated against or penalized for being sick. Maguire also needs to be sure that any enforced sick policy be applied equally to all employees.

If employees are to be sent home, she must consider what criteria will be used to determine who is too sick to work and how it will be monitored and documented. Also, if the administration begins sending sick employees home in order to protect others, it may find itself liable in the future if an employee claims to have gotten sick at work and that the employer failed to protect him or her.

It might be less costly in the long run and safer from a legal standpoint for Kensington to make sure that it is offering its employees a good health plan with generous, noncontradictory sick leave benefits. It should provide a sick policy that strongly encourages employees to make use of these benefits without having to force them to leave the library. All staffers should be made aware of the employee sick policy and of ways to avoid the spread of illness in the workplace. Maguire can ensure that cleaning and disinfecting of phones and other communal equipment is performed on a regular basis. Containers of hand sanitizer and antimicrobial wipes should be strategically placed throughout the library for staff use. Maguire can also take the initiative to have wellness and flu shot programs regularly promoted at the library.

Analysis II Gesundheit!

By Nancy Stouder-McAlpin, Director, St. Paris Public Library, OH

There's nothing pleasant about a colleague handing you a file folder three seconds after she has sneezed into that same hand. The next day you feel a bit off and you wonder, “Am I getting her cold?” Now you are faced with the question of going to work or not. Some employees dread calling in sick for a variety of reasons and employ several common rationales to go to work if they are under the weather. Employees don't want to appear weak, especially in an uncertain economy. Is it fear of falling behind in the work or pushing office duties onto coworkers?

Cooper may feel indispensable, or suffer from lack of confidence about her place in the office. This can make a worker feel shy about that dreaded early morning call to the supervisor. There can be a fear of discipline for those who take every minute of sick time allotted and have little time left when they really get sick.

In spite of various sound reasons for working while sick, there are stronger reasons to stay home. First, that's why employers offer the benefit of sick time. Second, no matter what Cooper's intent, making everyone sick is not fair to coworkers and their families. After 17 years of this habit, she is probably embarrassed to call in now.

Good team players should understand directly from management that everything they do affects the whole team. An unfit staffer does not produce as much as a well one. A policy could be put into effect for presenteeism, a new term for unhealthy workers bringing their germs and infectious diseases to work. In the long run, this has a negative cost for any organization once the illness is passed around. This is a hidden cost because the worker is on the job but performing below par.

Cooper's director and board may want to consider a policy that makes it imperative for an employee to stay home owing to specific symptoms, such as a fever or intestinal disorder. All infectious diseases need to be treated with a stay-at-home directive.

A staff meeting could be called, and direct statements about this topic should be presented clearly from the new policy. This staff meeting should be directed to all, explaining the ramifications of working while sick and the cost to the whole group.

Another option would be to provide a wellness program (e.g., immunizations, professional lecturers). This strategy is designed to keep all staffers healthier and more aware of their actions in the workplace.