Comments on: Speaking Up To A Coughing Coworker

By: James

James — Wed, 18 Mar 2020 14:51:02 +0000

What a mamby pamby load of B.S. Why in the world do you feel an overwhelming desire to coddle such an inconsiderate, immature, and ignorant person such as this co-worker. The co-worker needs to be approached verbally first by a supervisor/boss, then if the behavior continues, disciplinary action is required.

By: Ash

Ash — Fri, 19 May 2017 01:20:25 +0000

In reply to Stop the fearmongers. That's actually not true. While some viruses are more prolific prior to symptoms, viruses are actively in the saliva throughout the infection, and generally shed in higher amounts near fever. The hygiene advice is solid, but the virulence info is a common myth.

By: Chan Meng

Chan Meng — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 01:15:29 +0000

Great advice Emily! I believe this is the first time I’ve seen you post on Crucial Skills, and as I was reading, I was thinking this was probably written by Joseph Grenny. What a pleasant surprise to see a different face at the bottom of the article! Great job VitalSmarts for training the next generation of trainers so well!

By: Jan Katz

Jan Katz — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 18:25:26 +0000

Start with heart and master your story. Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disease, not contagious, that causes a lot of coughing for extended period of time. One CF patient was had to wear a protective helmet all day while she was at work in an office or she would be fired. It was the kind of helmet that kids with cerebral palsy wear. It was humiliating and did not serve any purpose to protect the patient or the co-workers.

By: Stop the fearmongers

Stop the fearmongers — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 17:48:46 +0000

The worse thing employers have done is to create sick time that accrues and which can be converted toward health insurance payments upon retirement. People don’t stay home when they are sick because they are saving for their retirement.

By: Stop the fearmongers

Stop the fearmongers — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 17:46:35 +0000

It’s never nice to be coughed on and simply poor hygiene by the cough(er), However, what wasn’t shared is the fact that for most colds, by the time the symptoms show, they are no longer contagious. Wash your hands often, keep your fingers out of your mouth, nose, and eyes, and you will be survive the cold season.

By: Sara Brennan

Sara Brennan — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 15:25:27 +0000

In reply to CS. Yes, I was going to mention allergies as well. Another way to approach the cougher!

By: Sara Brennan

Sara Brennan — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 15:14:47 +0000

Besides spreading germs, you may want to consider coughing is a stress reaction for some individuals. S/he is in a new environment, new job, new everything. Without getting into life outside work, get to know he/r better. You don’t need to become best friends however helping her calm her nerves might help – a little empathy goes a long ways.

By: Nervous cougher

Nervous cougher — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 15:00:52 +0000

I have a nervous cough that does not spew saliva but is nevertheless embarrassing. I get in front of a crowd; I cough. I do cough politically correctly, but still some folks like to judge without knowing that it’s just a bad case of nerves.

By: vera carbo

vera carbo — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 14:31:26 +0000

Welcome Emily, This is so timely and perfect for a situation that I am in. Not about coughing but a boss who is accusatory; from the first word out of his mouth he puts his coworkers on the defensive.
I will use your wise words. Thank you