If you're sick, stay in and be sick ...

especially if you value your work status and reputation. An employee of M's called in sick on Monday (hmmm, being sick on the first and last day of a work week always rouses suspicion, Confucius said) and at the last minute, on top of that. Fine. What can you do? The way the U.S. work laws are set up, you don't question them, and there's no reason to bring in a doctor's order, unlike Singapore.The whole workforce dynamics is built on trust and accountability, which lend itself to horrible abuse of the system. On a side note, I say bring back the authoritarian, and none of that "I-Feel-You" Franklin Covey management psychology. The day had to go on with or without this bloke, who unfortunately, is one of the better workers M has. It so happened that was also the day that the WWE was going on, and at the last minute, we got the OK to go shoot pictures of the event and the fans. On our way there, M commented wouldn't it be funny if we catch said worker at the event. I found out that said worker is a fan. And I was more gleeful than M at the opportunity to catch him red-handed. You see, I have what experts call a revenge gene. Alas, I didn't catch him with my lens. Later that night, we returned home to process the picture. M stayed up all night to finish them. The next morning, he told me he thinks he spotted sick worker in the crowd shot inside the arena. Sure enough, sick worker with the stomach flu is it in the pic.We recognized his shirt, his features, and being a golfer, was wearing a notable golf cap. Before you knew it, word spread like wildfire in the office and everyone who knew him had a good chuckle, as I found out at a team meeting last Friday. Now, what would you do if you found out you were caught? Well, this bloke called in that morning and pronounced himself "still sick." Wow, the gall. We suspect he must be using his days off to conjure up excuses. Come hump-week, and he showed up with a doctor's note. I find that a most uncommon practice in the States. Like I said earlier, there never was a requirement to do that, but his guilty conscience obviously was working OT to cover his lies. Not a real good coverup as that note was FAXED IN! Like M said, if only his workers were as diligent about their work as they were about other people's job and covering their lying tracks, he would have no issue. His story went like this: he was really sick but since he had already spent that much money on his front-row seats, he couldn't possibly stay home. But he didn't have that great a time cuz he threw up the nachos at the person in front him. Now, I've had stomach flu before. It's not pleasant and I couldn't go into the torrid details of the agony. Suffice it to say you better stay near a waste receptacle and not be eating nachos. Pedialyte and antibiotics made up your diet, baby. So the advice is this, dear readers: stay home if you claim to be sick cuz you just don't want to come to work. Just don't leave the house. Murphy's law always works against you --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bob: Why do you want Singapore style "guilty till proven innocent" brought to the US??? Lying with a doctor's certificate is still rampant in Singapore anyway! Mark's colleague should have been more discreet! Explains why there are some characters who cover their faces with the newspaper or files when there are camera crews around Orchard road! Anyway, I am also saving trees now. When Doctors ask me if I need an MC, I say, no need, I am self employed. So they save on their medical chits, but I get the sympathy of Doctors going "MAKE SURE you rest! You can't work if you don't get well!" Well, and YES, I do buy their expensive Anti-biotics. (That explains the courtesy)