I was not a sickly kid. In fact, I hated being out sick, and I had a personal vendetta against anyone growing up who came to school sick and spread their illness to me in turn.
I keep a Costco-sized jar of hand sanitizer in my car. I was one of those who wore rubber gloves to the grocery store in the early days of the pandemic, and I have still yet to contract COVID-19.
So when I get sick, it’s a big deal. And if I need to take a sick day, I should be able to — and it shouldn’t just be because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For someone like me who’s rarely out sick and does everything possible to avoid it, the impending doom of missing work or assignments when I inevitably get really ill every so often leaves me spiraling. I can’t function and feel terrible about myself because I can’t perform tasks or complete assignments like I normally do — and this is exactly what professors and employers want me to feel.
For this, I blame capitalism. I am not a cog in this ever-revolving machine, no matter how much schooling indoctrinates me into thinking so.
Classic work culture demands productivity above everything else, often sacrificing mental, physical and emotional health in the process.
College classes are often no different. But our perspective on illness shouldn't only be affected by the pandemic. Though COVID-19 is vastly more contagious than the common cold or flu, many people report experiencing COVID-19 symptoms that feel akin to such illnesses. Therefore, if students are rightfully allowed to stay home for contracting COVID-19, isn’t feeling sick due to something else just as valid?
When I was a first-semester freshman in college, I got an ear infection — likely due to experiencing central air conditioning for the first time in my entire life. I was as sick as I’d ever been, bedridden with a 103-degree fever. But I had a class whose Friday discussion was required, and if I wasn’t physically in attendance, I wouldn’t receive credit for that week’s assignment.
I literally couldn’t move, so I sent my professor a lengthy email explaining my symptoms along with the assignment, turning it in early hoping they’d forgive my absence.
They didn’t give me credit.
Can you imagine if this were to happen now during the pandemic? Now, professors are overly sympathetic to potential illnesses, taking a “no questions asked” approach in terms of potential COVID-19 exposure or symptoms.
Additionally, even though working from home isn’t an entirely new concept, studies are finding that a hybrid model between in-person and at-home work can increase productivity and worker satisfaction. There’s no reason work can’t be submitted even if it’s done so remotely.
Regardless, necessary days off work should be prioritized. I’m not advocating for an abuse of paid time off, but every now and again, employees should be granted sick days or mental health days with no questions asked. European countries somehow have this figured out, with annual leave and public holidays greatly outnumbering those of the US, according to Statista.
The COVID-19 pandemic shouldn’t have been the first time everybody woke up to the idea of allowing more empathy and flexibility in the workplace. Before productivity, we must prioritize public health.
Our existence shouldn’t just be full of work until we die. I realize we live in a society where working is a requirement of life. But it shouldn’t be in lieu of actually living.
Natalie Gabor (she/her) is a senior studying journalism with minors in business marketing and philosophy. She hopes to one day find a career that tops her brief stint as a Vans employee.
