THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 18, 1996 TAG: 9610180550
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY WENDY GROSSMAN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 37 lines
At five a.m. Thursday, Joy Neumeyer, 48, shut off her alarm clock. She had a real sore throat, but she had to get out of bed, feed her cats and go to work.
She didn't think of calling in sick.
Matter of fact, she never has.
Thursday, Bell Atlantic declared Joy Day, celebrating the office clerk's 30 years of perfect attendance.
In elementary school, she stayed home with chickenpox and the measles. But she's never played hooky from high school or the office. It never crossed her mind to take a day off to go to the beach, run to the mall or just lie in bed and watch soaps.
No matter how bad she felt.
``On days I didn't feel good, I would just push myself,'' Neumeyer says. ``Once I got here I just started feeling better. I just don't like to leave my other co-workers with all that work to do. I just can't do that.''
And she doesn't really like the people who can. And do.
``It's hard for me to understand how they can miss like they do. Some I know are real legitimate, but others just miss every time you turn around for the littlest thing,'' she says. ``I drag myself in here when I feel really rotten, and they can't even come in with a slight cold.''
Sniffling and her throat still kind of sore, she gathered with her co-workers on the sixth floor of Bell Atlantic's Virginia Beach office.
She got a diamond ring from the company, a letter from President Clinton, potted burgundy mums, cat-shaped candle holders, a woven peach and mint green wreath, a Garfield T-shirt and some Christmas ornaments.
She left the office around 3 p.m.
The earliest ever. by CNB