Is it an American thing to have to worry about losing your job because you're sick?

Like there isn't a valid enough reason to miss work. I have the flu, I feel somewhat better this morning but still awful, still contagious and our customer base is definitely the most vulnerable age population. But I'm going to lose my job if I take another day off...

Not only am I going to be patient zero for everyone else at work and our customers, but I am so tired and in pain. I don't know how I can make it through my shift. They just need my body to be there...

What a shit feeling.

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cherokeepatti · 61-69, F

Seems like it. We had sick leave for a benefit but our manager would write us up if we took 24 hours or more every 3 months, unless we had been hospitalized or had an injury and couldn’t work at all. If you got the flu and took off a week you’d get written up, for example. Then if you took 24 hour or more of unscheduled leave three 3-month periods in a row they would terminate us. When I retired after 25 years I had 1800 hours of sick/emergency time. I did take all of my vacation time but it was scheduled time. Most of the sick/unscheduled time that I did take was for my daughter. I did take 2 days in a row off one time and it was because I had strep throat twice in a month’s time. My daughter was young and since I had never been off work like that she started worrying that I was going to die.