Yeah, like Punching down, when you feel oppressed, you find a target to feel like you are better than, to aim your hatred. Unhappy people who feel trapped, under capitalism, finding a way to see the grass is greener on their side of the fence. Shit way to cope, and understanding it doesn’t mean it’s in any way excusable, only that understanding why, is the first step, if we want to question and turn these people back to the light.
It’s still the same problem, though. Your workplace should be acutely aware humans become unwell. And plan sufficiently. I think that guilt is a relied on in any workplace, it’s going to feel very much more dire in yours. I feel for you. In a perfect world, there would be enough staff that staying home sick, wouldn’t matter. They could take previous years data and project how much coverage they need, and employ more (that’s ignoring shortages, but that’s another story to unpack). Or job share with someone, half the work, same amount of pay, holidays and sick days now don’t matter, take them when you want. No workplaces need to be like this, even the shortage of available staff is a fixable thing, it just lowers profit and puts the balance and focus back on enjoyment of life. Money is the root of all evil.