The workplace is not a popularity contest. It is about getting your job done effectively. But you can get it done more effectively if you are likable, if you have people skills.
Clearly if the person is sick, I think you want to bend over backwards to compensate.
People tend to treat e-mail like conversation. They don't give it the kind of thought that something in writing should have. If you're trying to be funny and you forget to put in the little smiley face, people could take it the wrong way.
There's no way to draw the line. If you say you can't smoke and you use blood tests to police it, you could also test for genes that cause cancer.
If I saw someone as sick as the person in the letter, I would be concerned for that person. It is better for her to go home.
