Dear J.T. & Dale: I can’t seem to get over a nasty cold and cough. I take medication and don’t have COVID-19, but the cough is persistent. I’m getting looks in the office even though I’ve told people my doctor says I’m not contagious. Yesterday, my boss pulled me aside and said people are complaining and that I need to take sick days until I can control my cough. I don’t have any sick time left, so I’ll have to take it unpaid. Can they do this? — Iris
J.T.: I would first ask your boss if you can work from home so that you don’t have to take sick time. Make it clear you are capable of doing your job, but respect the concerns. Hopefully, they’ll agree. But, if it’s not a job you can do remotely, then I would say they are within their rights to protect the office environment. So, focus on getting some medical help.
DALE: If you can’t work remotely, you could end up out of a job, and getting hiring would be doubly problematic with a medical issue that people find scary. So, this is no small matter, and you must deal with it aggressively. We wish you well.
People are also reading…
Dear J.T. & Dale: I get a lot of requests from recruiters on LinkedIn pitching me job openings that aren’t a match for my skillset. It’s annoying. How do I make it stop? — Chris
J.T.: While you can take steps to keyword optimize your LinkedIn profile so that you show up in the search results of recruiters looking for your skillsets, there’s no easy way to get recruiters to stop sending you unsolicited jobs that aren’t a match. In short, LinkedIn is a free platform, so you get what you pay for. Simply ignore the emails — you don’t need to respond.
DALE: That makes sense, although you might want to use those emails as career research. You’re getting those emails because the openings have some overlap with your skillset. You might start thinking about how your skills fit other jobs, and perhaps start to see new possibilities for career growth.
Jeanine “J.T.” Tanner O’Donnell is a career coach and the founder of the leading career site workitdaily.com. Dale Dauten’s latest book is “Experiments Never Fail: A Guide for the Bored, Unappreciated and Underpaid.” Visit them at jtanddale.com, where you can send questions via email, or write to them in care of King Features Syndicate, 628 Virginia Dr., Orlando, FL 32803.
