I received some rather harsh reactions to yesterday’s post, so I feel the need to explain (justify?) my situation at work and my decision to call in sick on Friday. The main complaint is that by missing work on Friday just because I “don’t feel like going” I will be placing a great burden on my coworkers and my customers. Allow me to elucidate.

Friday is, of course, the day before Memorial Day weekend. 80% of our customers consist of federal and state government offices. And guess what? Most of the people who do the ordering in those offices are *surprise* taking Friday off. I know this because (a) many of them have already told me (i.e. “I figured I’d place my order today because I won’t be in on Friday”) and (b) on the eve of previous holidays (Thanksgiving, Columbus Day, etc.) we’ve been dead as a morgue. Whereas on a “normal” day we might get 20 orders, on Friday we might get around 5.

There will be adequate personnel in the office on Friday to comfortably handle those 5 orders and the usual 20-25 annoying sales calls we get every day to which I have to say “no thank you, we’re not interested.” Fact is, I’m going to be calling in sick on a day that I’d probably just be in the office online and surfing and bored all day long anyway.

My other defense is, perhaps, philosophical. Americans work too much. Americans, on average, work 350 hours more each year than Europeans. That’s 9 weeks of labor. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, average working hours in the United States rose nearly 12 percent between 1973 and 2000. That’s why, when I accepted the job, I insisted that I work 37.5 hours a week instead of 40. I can do my job perfectly well, even working less; I sarcifice a 1 hour (unpaid) lunchbreak so that that I can go home earlier each day. And, since I am offered paid sick days by my employer (which is very generous, and which do NOT roll over if fail to use them before the year is out), you can bet I’m going to use them.

My boss has needed to fill the open position in my office for 2 months now. Maybe by me being home sick one day, he will feel an increased urgency to actually INTERVIEW PEOPLE and FILL THE POSITION. I’m not going to be stuck here doing 3 people’s jobs simply because I work very efficiently and am “a good sport.” Any work they can’t do, they’ll just leave for me to discover on Tuesday anyway.

This is the first job in my entire life where I’ve had paid sick time. It’s my pleasure to use it.