Those who play the system

In my previous article, I wrote about how, if I’m genuinely sick, I shouldn’t have to justify myself to my employer.
It’s interesting that the people who feel the worst about making that phone call or sending that message are usually the ones who are actually sick. They almost feel guilty for asking to take sick leave. They feel like they’ve let their manager and their team down.
But what about the other side?
The people who play the system.
They don’t even bother letting anyone know in advance. We often only find out just before the shift starts that they’re not coming in. Since we’re the ones who actually get the work done, we’re the ones who feel the impact the most. Management gets annoyed for a while, but in the end they always come to the same conclusion: the work still has to be done, production can’t stop.
So we get the extra workload.
We do the job of two people.
And these colleagues don’t do it once or twice. You simply can’t rely on them.
What frustrates me the most is that there are never any real consequences.
First they use up all their sick leave.
Then they use their annual leave.
If that’s gone too, they get unpaid leave.
Somehow, there’s always another option for them.
Yet they never end up in front of HR or management.
The next morning there’s a bit of eye-rolling, a few comments, and then everyone just carries on as if nothing happened.
Meanwhile, those of us who are genuinely sick still feel guilty for staying home.
Honestly… who understands that?