Vermont Skier Visits Down Significantly Due to COVID-19

[boston_e]

I can say if you travel a lot it is damn confusing where and where not you have to mask up. About half the hotels I have been to this week allowed vaccinated to go mask free in public spaces. The other half still required all to be masked in public spaces outside of actively eating/drinking. Some of those I'm pretty sure we're due to municipalities and not necessarily the hotel itself. Others were still the business. We both would by habit walk into hotels with masks on and then if we didn't see mask signs or saw a sign stating the adjusted guidance, would take them off. Restaurants are slower but we found a few this week too not requiring them of guests (though employees were still fully masked up).

Even not traveling it can be a bit confusing in various stores etc.. As you describe, I'm keeping a mask with me and I'm checking to see if there is any signage or anything at the entrance before wearing or not wearing a mask.

 

[boston_e]

Agree with all of the recent posts. If people have the ability to work from home, companies will likely be encouraging it if someone is sick (but not so sick that they can't do phone calls / emails etc). Covid or not, they definitely won't want someone with a fever in their office / facility.

 

[flakeydog]

Right. Plus sick days are for skiing midweek powder, not for being sick.

Yup...that's why I try to avoid using sick days for things like a simple cold or cough.

This is why many companies now treat sick time like vacation time because people felt entitled to "use" their sick time no matter what. It just encourages people to come in while sick so they dont burn vacation time or lose income. If you get really sick, injured, accident, etc you could be out weeks of pay.

We'll see how that works out post-pandemic. Sick time should just be there when needed but not treated like an entitlement.

 

[cdskier]

This is why many companies now treat sick time like vacation time because people felt entitled to "use" their sick time no matter what. It just encourages people to come in while sick so they dont burn vacation time or lose income. If you get really sick, injured, accident, etc you could be out weeks of pay.

We'll see how that works out post-pandemic. Sick time should just be there when needed but not treated like an entitlement.

Not quite sure I agree with being used as an example of what you're trying to say. Even if I had unlimited sick days, I still wouldn't use them for any tiny little thing and certainly not if I wasn't sick at all. I'm the type of person that would worry I'd somehow "jinx" myself if I used one when it wasn't really justified and then I really would get sick.

 

[dblskifanatic]

We were in Fairbanks Alaska over Memorial day weekend to see our son. They have dropped indoor use of a masks for the most part. Recommend masks if not vaccinated but not mandatory. Even Starbucks was on board. Our doors you do not see anyone wearing a mask. Then again it is not a very crowded place even indoors.

The airlines on the other hand were hyper focused on mask wearing.

 

[2Planker]

Jimmy has a good point here. I have Asian co-workers that have been wearing masks for years when they are feel even a little sick. One of these coworkers told me that out of respect to others they wear the mask to diminish the risk of transferring colds and flu to others. I would think that 1 in 1000 people might wear the mask as some kind of Virtue Signaling but to label all people with mask that way is just simplification.

I work in Boston's Chinatown.
Masks have been pretty common since "Asian Bird Flu" aka H5N1in 2005

 

[Harvey]

Sick time should just be there when needed but not treated like an entitlement.

+1

 

[Hawk]

This is why many companies now treat sick time like vacation time because people felt entitled to "use" their sick time no matter what. It just encourages people to come in while sick so they dont burn vacation time or lose income. If you get really sick, injured, accident, etc you could be out weeks of pay.

We'll see how that works out post-pandemic. Sick time should just be there when needed but not treated like an entitlement.

Every company has their HR policies regarding sick time. My company just has PTO time and it is all the same. They give us 10 days on top of our vacation PTO. It became the policy when they narrowed down our holidays to only 5. You can use them for sick time, jury duty, funerals, the I have an eye infection and I just can't see going in because it is snowing days, whatever. They don't ask and it's your call. So 10 days on top of 4 weeks on top of carry over and boom! Why work at all.....LOL

 

[dblskifanatic]

So when I lived in CO one of my colleagues took a sick day and went skiing. Ended up tearing his ACL. The company policy clearly states that any misuse will be investigated so they launched an investigation for misuse of sick time which is a violation of company policy. Resulted in getting written up and 90 days probation. He later was let go.

That would be my fate if I did that. My wife has wanted me to do so but cannot bring my self to do that.

 

[Hawk]

That's why you don't work for companies like that. Find a better company. That's a shitty policy and completely atypical for most.
BTW - How did they investigate and find out where he got hurt. Did he work for the freeking CIA or something?

 

[skiur]

Why didn't your friend just say he fell down the stairs at home?

 

[Edd]

So when I lived in CO one of my colleagues took a sick day and went skiing. Ended up tearing his ACL. The company policy clearly states that any misuse will be investigated so they launched an investigation for misuse of sick time which is a violation of company policy. Resulted in getting written up and 90 days probation. He later was let go.

That would be my fate if I did that. My wife has wanted me to do so but cannot bring my self to do that.

This is why I avoid skiing on a sick day. I don’t think my employer would be that intense about it but, eh, just feels awkward.

 

[kingslug]

I told them..I ski..a lot...figure it out. So far no problem.

 

[kingslug]

I told them..I ski..a lot...figure it out. So far no problem.

The problem with lying about things is if you get caught..they will never trust you again.

 

[Hawk]

Don't be stupid and get caught. You get hurt skiing, you go home and never speak about it to anyone. What is so hard about that. I slipped and twisted my knee or whatever. You guys make is sound like they send out investigators or it is a huge moral dilemma. It's not that big a deal. I guess I am the only one on here that has a company that does not really care as long as the work get's done. I work for a good company.

 

[drjeff]

Don't be stupid and get caught. You get hurt skiing, you go home and never speak about it to anyone. What is so hard about that. I slipped and twisted my knee or whatever. You guys make is sound like they send out investigators or it is a huge moral dilemma. It's not that big a deal. I guess I am the only one on here that has a company that does not really care as long as the work get's done. I work for a good company.

My business partner and I chose back prior to the pandemic starting that we were going to just lump all categories of paid time off (we had vacation time, personal time (often used for things like having to leave an hour or so early to take a kid to a Dr's appt), and sick time) into just the category of paid time off. Once our staff got past the concept of the change in name and that it didn't affect their total combined hours that those individual categories formerly comprised, it was well received and frankly from an employers standpoint easier to handle vs the age old question we used to get about "how many of X hours do I still have?" ahead of any planned (or unplanned/unexpected time off) and/or when we were tabulating things for payroll.

 

[jimmywilson69]

I guess I am the only one on here that has a company that does not really care as long as the work get's done. I work for a good company.

I broke my collarbone skiing during lunch in February, no one at work said a word to me about it. Maybe my boss thought I was an idiot for skiing at lunch, but I get my shit done so there is nothing to complain about.

 

[dblskifanatic]

That's why you don't work for companies like that. Find a better company. That's a shitty policy and completely atypical for most.
BTW - How did they investigate and find out where he got hurt. Did he work for the freeking CIA or something?

It was a utility and they are tight with sick time. Not sure how they did their investigation since medical records are protected - but when you are home sick it is pretty tough to tear your ACL - it happens but .... So that raised a red flag.

I used to work for General Dynamics and two people from different departments took sick time and rolled in the hay sort of speak and got poison ivy - that raised a red flag for sure. Not sure what happened to them. They were both married but not to each other. Karma has a way of funny way of working things out!

 

[2Planker]

I canned 2 employees for calling in sick and hittin' the slopes....
Stupid enough to do it, then post pics everywhere of their powder day... DUH

 

[Bosco DaSkia]

yeah, yer a douchebag….. and now we all know it.