My recent illness  has made me think about the cost associated with being sick. As I thought about it some costs were less obvious than others and not all of them had a monetary value. Here’s what I came up with:

Lost wages – If you’re sick you may not be able to go into work. A lost days pay can be a pretty big blow to people financially.  For some people that one lost day can have a snow ball effect causing them to fall further and further behind on the bills.  For some lucky people their employers offer paid sick days. They would rather pay people to stay home instead of dragging themselves into work and spreading the “joy”.

Doctors bills – The is one of those expenses that really tears people apart. They can choose to pay the doctor and possibly get better sooner or they avoid going to the doctor and possibly prolonging their illness causing them to call in sick more days then they need. It s a gamble that our American neighbors have to deal with. There could still be some costs associated with the doctors here in Canada though.  Many walk-in clinics in Toronto charge a small fee for a doctors notes and other similar items.

Medicine – Medication can be an expensive cost. People generally start buying vitamin C and work their way up to antibiotics. I know at one point my fiance had me taking 6 or 7 horse pills at a time. I don’t know what it all was but I’m sure it cost a pretty penny.

Comfort Food – When you’re sick you don’t want to eat one of those frozen breakfast burritos you made in advance.  People want to feel good and comfort food can certainly help with that. I found myself asking my fiance to pick up McDonald’s one night. Not only did we get burgers and fries but I also had to have a hot fudge sundae.

Employer Perception – This isn’t a problem if you call in sick once but call in 3 or 4 times in a short period and an employer may start to wonder.  Its unfortunate that your hard work  can be devalued by something you had little control over.  This is especially an issue now with companies looking to trim their ranks. For me it was the first time I called in sick in 5 years.

Lost Time – When you’re sick you’re not in the mood to do anything and generally just let time pass you by.  You can try to accomplish tasks but either you’ll do them half ass or you’ll slow your recovery.  I really wasn’t in the mood to make any posts for the blog (even though I tried). As well I had been meeting my goal of going the gym 3 times a week until I got sick.   So I missed a full week at the gym and instead of increasing my weight this week I have to redo the weight I was doing last week.

For me the final two points are the ones that concern me the most. Even though I don’t call in sick often I still hate the thought of my employer thinking I’m a slacker.  As well I hate lying there like a bump on a log. Its hard enough for me not to procrastinate and being sick doesn’t make it any easier.

Which points are concerns for you and why ?

-mfd-