6.
“I moved to the Netherlands eight years ago. The biggest one I realized was probably working while sick. For 20 years, I came to work every day unless I physically couldn’t. Like, I had to be so sick that I legitimately couldn’t make myself get out of bed. Even then, I felt bad for not showing up. I was in the Netherlands for maybe three months already when I got a cold. My boss came around to my desk and sent me home. I was still on my probation period, so I was super worried that if I took a sick day, I’d be fired and sent back on a plane to the US.”
“I told him I’d go home, but I’d take my laptop with me. He told me to just go home and rest, and not to come back until I was well. When I came back after getting better, my boss sent an American colleague to talk to me. This guy had been at the company for 10 years and said, ‘They don’t want you getting anyone else sick; there’s unlimited sick time for a reason.’ So, now, I’m the one telling new arrivals to use their sick time.”
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