A Survival Guide to Managing Employees from Hell: Handling Idiots, Whiners, Slackers, and Other Workplace Demons

Chapter 19. Sick and Tired

When employees call in sick a lot, it could be for many different reasons. They really are sick, or possibly they don’t like the job, are bored, have something more interesting to do, or are looking for another job. The person could also be a hypochondriac who sees illness almost everywhere or magnifies small, inconsequential symptoms into major ones. While you may initially be sympathetic with the first few sick calls, after awhile it becomes a problem. A complicating factor can be that the person really is doing a good job when they are there, although their absence makes it hard to predict the work flow.

That’s the problem Mary Beth faced when she worked as a supervisor at a government agency providing services for ...