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Really sick. Like 103+ fever or throwing up. I have that horrible problem of feeling guilty if I miss work.

If I know I am coming down with something serious, I'd rather just go ahead and take the day off. Usually one full day of solid rest really helps knock out whatever I'm dealing with. Otherwise, I drag myself to work for days and extend my illness a lot longer than if I would have just stayed home to begin with. I try not to feel guilty when I take a day off, but I still do a bit.

Like Highwire, I find it best to spend a day of resting than trying to go to work sick. I just seem to prolong the sickness if I try to go in. Plus, no one in my office appreciates you spreading your germs. Everyone would prefer you stay home when you're sick than get everyone at the office sick too.

I have the option to work from home when I need to, so if I feel like I am coming down with something I just do that. It saves me an hour each way on the commute, so I get a little extra sleep, and I'm not spreading my germs to everyone else-- a huge pet peeve of mine. You're not helping anyone by coming in sick.
I have to be really sick to take the day off entirely. We just get paid time off, whether it's for vacation or sick, so I hate to waste what could be a vacation day being under the weather. I've mostly only had to take a day when I throw my back out.

I guess I'm somewhat of a hypocrite in this regard.
I feel so guilty when I am sick and hate having to take off work.
I also have such a weak immune system, I get SOOO angry when coworkers come in sick.
I've been sick TWICE during this pregnancy thanks to inconsiderate coworkers.

I think the company's HR policies influence this a lot. At my first job (working for the government), we had 2 weeks sick time AND 2 weeks vacation time. Because they weren't combined, it was in our best interest to actually use sick time when we were sick.

At my current job, it's two weeks COMBINED PTO. Who wants to give up a potential day of vacation in exchange for staying home sick.

I think I've found a happy medium. If I'm sick but not too sick to work - I ask to work from home. Then I don't get anyone else sick.
If I am so sick that it makes it impossible to work, I give up one of my valuable PTO days.

I never call in sick unless I am super sick. A few weeks ago I had appendicitis and was going to work. I thought that I just had a stomach bug and was planning on staying in my office all day. My husband made me go to the dr instead of work, which was a very good thing, since it ruptured that afternoon.

I have to be really sick. Most of the time that I am really sick I at least go into the office and show my face for a few hours. I do the things that NEED to get done that day, and I make sure everyone sees that I'm not faking it, and then I go home. I have a serious guilt complex and despite the fact that I have never once faked sick I worry that people will think I'm faking it if I don't come in for a little while.

I would call in sick if I was coughing/sneezing/runny nose/or fever
I hate when peoPle come to the office and spread germs, so I used to stay away if I was germy

i would have to be VERY sick not to come in. i'm a nanny, so if i call out it really screws things up for my bosses. most of the time when i get sick, it's something i catch from the LOs, so i don't worry too much about getting them sick since they've had it.

I hate it when people bring their germs into the office. If you're coughing up a lung and snotting all over everything, please stay home!

I'd have to be deathly sick because my (previous) job involved mostly desk work and I can cancel clients and reschedule them so that I don't spread my disease. It's pretty easy for me to grab a coffee and stay at my desk all day with my illness.

ETA: Our sick days and vacation days are different. We have 3 sick days and 2 weeks vacation so taking a sick day wouldn't be "wasting a vacation day" because they don't mix anyways. Unless, it's the end of the end, then we are allowed to combine them.

My husband however, works in a medical office directly with nurses and staff and patients so when he's sick *at all*, he can't go. He can't risk spreading it throughout the office.

When I worked, I had to be really sick. Otherwise I'd always miss work. For me sick usually means migraine, and I always have a migraine. So it has to be a really really bad, I have to go to the ER or I can't lift my head off the couch migraine.

Now it's the same for I won't call my mom or DH to come home and have them miss work to watch LO unless it's really really bad.... or they'd have to miss work all the time!