Home : Blogs : Kristal Kraft ~Denver Real Estate~303-589-2022 : Denver Real Estate & Relocation

How sick is too sick...to ignore the call of duty?

woman with notebook sick in bed Wednesday of last week I opened my mouth to speak, no sound came out. Voiceless me had multiple appointments that day, all requiring a voice. No go... The nasty cold, cough, crud has taken its course this week, with a symptom disappearing as a new one took its place with each new day.

This past weekend, I had to meet with 3 different clients. I kept our appointments as brief as possible, but I wished I could have bailed out on all of them. Instead I plowed ahead, getting the job done.

I kept thinking how sick does one have to be to just say, "no, I can't do that until I feel better?" Each appointment has a different answer, one had been waiting for me to return from my trip, the other two were only here for this weekend. I didn't want to give up a listing and a nice relocation buyer, so I worked.

Years ago I remember getting up off the couch after having surgery to go "show a house." My excuse was, I knew the buyer was going to buy this house, so it was no big deal to just go show "one house". I remember driving and feeling a tad dizzy, but I remembered I had 3 little kids to take care of and no help...so I went and sold a house.

One of my agents got sick a couple years ago. She was in the hospital going through tests to determine what her problem was. In the meantime she sold a home from her hospital bed.

Calling in sick when you are a Realtor is hard to do. As "independent contractors" we seldom have someone to cover for us. If we don't work, we don't get paid. We drive ourselves above and beyond normal limits and consider it "a way of life."

(Inspiration for this post came from Bonnie Erickson's post of earlier today. Be sure to read it here.)

Kristal Kraft

Broker Associate, ABR, CIPS, CRS, GRI, ePRO, PMN, PNG
TheBerkshire Group, REALTORS
3801 E. Florida Ave., Suite 400
Denver, Colorado 80210
303-589-2022 ~ direct 303-953-5362 ~ fax

Selling Colorado Since 1984, Serving the Following Areas:

Denver Home Search	Highlands Ranch Home Search	Parker Home Search	Englewood Home Search
Littleton Home Search	Search Denver Foreclosures	Greenwood Village Home Search	Relocation to Metro Denver

Posted by Kristal Kraft ~Denver Real Estate~303-589-2022 on 11/06/2006 06:47 PM

Comments (26)

Originally posted at: Denver Real Estate & Relocation: How sick is too sick...to ignore the call of duty?

26 Comments on How sick is too sick...to ignore the call of duty?

NOV

2006

Ummm. Had my cell phone ringing a few hours after giviing birth and it wasn't and easy labor. When do we say "no." Don't ask me.

Hope you are recovering KK. What can a Realtor without a voice do, besides blog?

No wonder I got a 100k points .... this week alone! :)

I think I would turn off the phone after giving birth...

Kristal,

Hope you are feeling better, alot of people here have the flu. Do you work alone or have a team to help?

Teri, I don't have a team, but I do hav a company. With that said, there's only so many things you can delegate. Somethings you just have to do yourself...

Have fun at Nardi Gras

Hi Kristal, I have mixed emotions about working when I am sick. I wouldn't want someone to get what I have and vice versa. I think it is great to have someone you trust to help fill in when this happens.

This is the time of year when the weather changes and that nasty cough goes around! There are times when my co-workers have given me that "stop breathing on me and go home" look...

I think this is a good reason to take life at your own pace. Rest when you can, enjoy life and don't get sick to begin with. My 2 cents.

NOV

2006

Get better Kristal Kraft. I draw the line at when I am contagious or obnoxious to those around me...

Hope you're feeling better, Kristal. If not - go to bed, turn off the phone, and rest until you're really better.

One of the many benefits of having a great family team is that they make you go home when you're sick, and they take over all the appointments and tasks that are Must Dos and you know what? They get done without you, the listings, the offers, the negotiations, the article deadlines, etc.

I know I struggle at times with when is sick too sick to be in the office. I know I do get annoyed with those who come in here to work who are sneezing and coughing and spreading sick germs all over the place....I just really don't want to catch someone else's sickness, even if it is "just a cold". Just a cold can easily blossom into something beyond just a cold, as it has for me several times.

My thoughts - if one is contagious, stay home....pretty please!

Kristal, I do hope you're feeling much better SOON!!

Ann

As Independant contractors it is difficult to just "walk away' when we are ill. At least we are fortunate that our profession allows us to do many of our chores from home with the Advances in Technology. Tools such as gotomypc.com have allowed me total access to my computer at the office so that I could even print items to my office printer. That being said my philosophy is stay home and rest when ever you can as "pushing" it may lead to a prolonged case of being under the weather and worse you could infect your clients and coworkers. Just prepare and have the right tools to work from home.

I really feel for you Kristal, and I'm glad you are feeling better. I had a horrible vomiting virus a couple of weeks ago and THANK GOD it's 2 of us. Rick got it last week and I covered for him.

Kristal..... achu... sorry about that. Anyhow, where was I....? lol

Even though I am single and support myself..... I tend to run myself into the ground, even when I am sick. It's funny, my previous company that I just left.... I would be there every day of the year, rain, sleet, snow, and deathly sickness.... but that one day that I am not there, for whatever reason....people stop me and ask if everything is okay....or where was I... lol I am like...gee, it was one day out of the year.

Getting back to your topic. Since I am in the mortgage business, that I don't need to show homes, I am not as worried about being sick and going to the office. If I have a client coming into my office, unless I am dying, I meet with them. I just hope that you get better. I had a bad cold/cough for 5 weeks...yes, 5 weeks. It feels so good to have it out of my system.

Overall.... I hardly have ever missed work unless my body just couldn't move. Get better

PS... who is the woman in the picture? ;o)

NOV

2006

The last time I forced myself out of sickbed because of work, I got into a costly fender bender while showing homes to some clients. I'll always stay in bed now!

Kristal,

Must've been something you picked up here in NJ. I lost my voice last Wed too but did manage to meet a customer and tried my best to have meaningful 'conversation' (ha ha)

Today my manager told me I looked terrible and while I was trying to catch my breath, I thanked her! Fortunately she didn't call 911 as she had threatened to do. We do some crazy things in business (and not just in the real estate business either...) Anyone who is responsible for their own livelihood knows that you can't do business from a sickbed.

Hope you're feeling better today.

Kristal,

I have sprinkled magic dust and you should start feeling better very soon!

Leslie ~ I have mixed emotions also. I never want someone to catch what I have, but for some reason some folks want me to help them...no matter what!

Kristin ~ The look is very familiar! I've got it memorized...

Dena ~ Thanks for the cute card...I really enjoyed playing the game!

Marueen McCabe ~ Contagious is understandable. Obnoxious? Humm I will have to work on that...I've been told... :)

Sharon Simms ~ Having a team that is tied to the outcome is the best way to go! Good for you, you have it made!

Mykael Marinelli ~ very wise advice indeed!

Ines ~ tag team sickness is better the "twin sickness". I hate when we are both sick at the same time.

JEff ~ picture? Who cares? She's sick leave her alone!

Rich ~ It's hard to pay attention to everything you need to do when you are 100%. Staying at home is good.

Caron Mosey ~ Cool another WCR member! I have no shortage of people to help with business. I do have a problem delegating busy work. Referrals are always easy and welcome...the other I feel guilty asking for help.

Joanne ~ breathing is not optional! Yes, it was probably something I picked up back east. Of course something is going around here as well. I'll be ok...thanks!

Carol Williams ~ Thank you for the magic dust...aaaaachoooo! I think it is actually working! (where's my Benedril?)

Thanks all for your kind and thoughtful comments.

NOV

2006

Obnoxious - Projectile vomiting, snorting to keep the sn*t from slipping out of r nose, hacking coughs that make it impossible for you to talk.....

Great Post! I wish more people would stay home when they are sick instead of spreading germs and making everyone else sick!

Maureen - I was there a couple of weeks ago - and the day after with fever and everybone aching. (My 2 older kids had it at the same time - you can imagine the mess at my house). I could not even get out of bed! Thank God for Tag-Team-Sickness - Rick got it the week after.

Maureen McCabe ~ yes that would be Obnoxious!

Jennifer Giraldi ~ Germs are nasty little critters, I wish they would make the kind you can actually see, then we could get out of the way..

Ines ~ 3 kids, sick and sick Mommie, I remember those days. :(

I understand the sick and we mainly get sick when we push to hard. We need to listen to our bodies and take a little longer nights rest so we do not get sick. Listen to your body and you will make it through the season without being sick. Plus, we forget to drink a gallon of water a day, yes that is right this flushes the germs away and no sickness. Then we will not have to worry about spreading germs to others and we will not have to worry about missing appointments. It is just plain and simple, our bodies running better when we take care of them.

Get well soon and remember to drink plenty of water.

NOV

2006

Susan ~ Thanks for the advice. A gallon is hard to do...but water is the only thing I feel like drinking. That for me is odd...no diet Pepsi cravings at all. That is a good thing I'm sure of it!

I myself had a voice disappearance here in Asheville....the same BUG, I guess, that closed schools around here... Hope you are better...Luckily I am training a new agent who ran the gauntlet for me this week! Pacing is everything..wish I would have had that vacation I planned for back in..was it August...(??)...this forced vacation has given me cabin fever :-D

NOV

2006

JaneAnne, Oh I hate forced vacations. I'd rather be pleasantly goofing off...

Yes, I'm going to be better soon...

Leave a response…

Name:

Email:
(optional)

Comment:

What does the graphic say?