I got sent home from work for sneezing too much :(

[asnzplz]

So I have the most horrendous hay fever. Always have and it seems I always will. I feel like I have tried absolutely everything and NOTHING works. Even my allergy specialist says she has never seen a case quite like mine with such a bad sensitivity to pollen and grass. 

Anyway, I was laid off of my serving job during the pandemic. But recently the restaurant reopened (just the deck, no inside seating whatsoever) and I was called back to work.
The restaurant is on the edge of the most beautiful lake. But in the middle of the deck, there is this massive tree. I'm not sure what kind of a tree it is... but it is huge. And I am SO allergic to it. The pollen constantly blows off the tree and flies around the air and lands on the deck tables and chairs, which is obviously a problem for me. The tree is literally so full of pollen that yesterday we had to shut down part of the deck because there were 1000's of bees harvesting pollen there.

It's actually really funny to see people sit out on the deck... because there seems to be a lot of sneezing going on. You can tell who has hayfever and who doesn't just by surveying the guests on the deck.

I take multiple antihistamines everyday just help me through the day, because it can be truly miserable. But today nothing was touching it. 
We have to wear masks constantly, which I feel makes it even worse for me... I don't know if some pollen is getting stuck in there and constantly making me sneeze? Or if I'm sneezing out pollen into the mask and then it is re-irritating my nose. I don't know.

But today, I just could not stop. I had to step away from one of my tables to have a sneezing fit.
I get really cringed out by describing the sound of my sneezes, but they are quite wet, itchy and desperate. A lot of false starts.
Usually I can hide them within my mask with stifles... but not today at least.

Anyway, my manager came over and asked me to see her in her office. I went in and she asked me if I was feeling okay. 
She's aware that I have really bad allergies, but she had to ask because APPARENTLY one of the customers I had been serving had come to her office to complain about me!!!
This woman straight up complained that I was at risk of spreading COVID-19 and that I shouldn't be at work. The manager did explain and let the customer know that I, in fact, only had horrible allergies. To which she apparently replied: "I have hayfever too but you don't see me sneezing like that everywhere!" 

I never once sneezed near a customer, their drinks or their food. I have excused myself multiple times from guests to have a quick sneeze and then return to work, but I am ALWAYS wearing a mask and ALWAYS directing my nose away from guests. I literally have to bring 4/5 different masks with me to work because they get so wet with all the sneezing that I'm doing in them 😂

I understand being worried when you don't know the context of the situation around WHY I'm sneezing... but when my job is to LITERALLY wipe the constantly falling pollen off of the trees off of tables and chairs... what do you expect?

Anyway... she sent me home because I literally had a massive sneezing fit in her office and she was like "Wow that must be so miserable, just go home and feel better."

So now I'm home... still sneezing and down on 3 hours wages  

I'm back tomorrow, hopefully my evening off will give my poor nose a chance to rest and recover lol.

[Bless you, Hi]

sorry that happened to you. I work in the service industry too and sometimes customers can be pretty inconsiderate. Some will complain about anything. Plus with what's going on, some people are kinda unreasonably paranoid. Hope tomorrow goes better for you!

[Usagi]

Sorry that happened! I do enjoy your obs though~you write them well all things considered! Hopefully tomorrow the customers will be more understanding of your plight.

[Paul]

I'm really sorry about the lost wages. 😕 

People are so panicked right now so makes sense. Do you cover over the mask when you sneeze? Might make people more comfortable. And it's somewhat understandable to be concerned since someone who was asymptomatic/presymptomatic is be predisposed to spread more if they're sneezing even if it's caused by something innocuous. But yeah it's frustrating that you're wearing a mask and still have to go home.

[Eights of Spades]

@asnzplz some people are just ridiculous.  You very clearly took responsibility and were being protective of others even as you had to deal with the issue.  I commend you for handling it as you did and am sorry you lost wages ‘cause of it.

On the positive side, loved the observation and the detail you write around it!  Can’t imagine how much you must sneeze per shift or day haha.  How’s it’d go the following day?

Also, 1000’s of bees?? I would not be able to handle that...I’m terrified of those flying yellow zebras...so further kudos 🤣

[sneezomania]

Wow, this is a sad and exciting story at once. Annoying that people can be so inconsiderate and also stupid. That woman obviously doesn't know that there are different levels of hay fever, with one person having it worse than another person.

I hope things will improve for you. Thanks for telling that story, I would have liked to be at the restaurant and getting served by you. 😉

[Bondi]

I enjoyed reading the obs, but I'm sorry you had to go through this, and that people are idiots, who don't even know things about what they're freaking out about. You didn't do anything wrong, though.

[Sneezingnonstop]

On 7/7/2020 at 1:18 AM, asnzplz said:

So I have the most horrendous hay fever. Always have and it seems I always will. I feel like I have tried absolutely everything and NOTHING works. Even my allergy specialist says she has never seen a case quite like mine with such a bad sensitivity to pollen and grass. 

First of all bless you! I have similar pollen/grass pollen issues so I'm sorry you have to deal with that

On 7/7/2020 at 1:18 AM, asnzplz said:

Anyway... she sent me home because I literally had a massive sneezing fit in her office and she was like "Wow that must be so miserable, just go home and feel better."

So now I'm home... still sneezing and down on 3 hours wages  

I'm back tomorrow, hopefully my evening off will give my poor nose a chance to rest and recover lol.

Honestly I've told the same thing(under much harsher words) and haven't been able to go back to waitressing as I normally do. This was a great observation but I hope you can rest and recover and have better luck getting back to work