Do you go into work poorly?

Next time s/he tries it on like that you simply email back a one sentence reply. "Thankyou for your concern." Don't respond to any more details such as specific tasks s/he wants you to do, just the reply "thankyou for your concern."

It heavily gets your point across but s/he couldn't accuse you of being rude or not responding to emails. Keep a record. It's unreasonable behaviour.

There is only so far I'd go. I work in a primary school so everyone goes in sick all the time as we're too stretched for staff as it is. Primary schools are a germ fest anyway so you'd never have people in if you stayed off with every sickness you got. So we only stay off if we seriously need to, and we all know that colleagues must be feeling bloody terrible if they're not in as none of us like to leave the rest of us in the lurch, or the kids for that mattter.

If I have vomited or feel I'm about to, I stay off. If I just have the start of a stomach bug and have stomach pains and feel off/no appetite, I go in till (if) it gets to the "feel bloody awful" stage. If I'm just feeling a bit shit with a heavy cold and/or sore throat and a mild high temp, I dose up on Anadin Extra and go in. I've had COVID a few times now and the bad times were very bad and I stayed off. If I have a migraine (not often anymore but used to) where I feel nauseous, can't think or see straight, I stay off.

Basically if I can dose up and manage to do the job, I go in. If I can't manage to do the job, what's the point in me going in, so I don't.

@PumpkinPie2016 I’m also HoD and know exactly what you mean and you often need to redo the work you left too. Being off is usually more hassle than it’s worth. Classrooms are filled with germs anyway.

Usually yes (unless it's something contagious) as by the time I've adapted my lesson plans to be delivered by a non specialist I might as well just go in and suffer through. Usually have to re-teach what the supply teacher has taught anyway. I teach Law so it's quite niche for most supply staff to pick up.

No. But post covid my employer very much has a “keep your nasty germs away if you’re ill” policy. Most of us are at home most days anyway.

Wherever possible, I dose up and go in.

To be honest, it's easier to go in than stay off by the time I have sorted cover for my classes and extra curricular (can't just cancel as they are part of the school day).

I would also return to additional work that still needs doing as a HoD.

No! And I’m furious with people who do. I know someone that got extremely sick just before an expensive holiday all because the office Poorly Pauline came in and coughed and sniffed her way through the day. It wouldn’t be so bad if Poorly Pauline did any work but she was about as much use as a chocolate dildo.

Usually I'll go in, the odd days I've used holiday to cover my ill day, but usually it's only really if I'm infectious to the team that I try to be more considerate/balance my commitments to the company.

I'd always go in.

We are explicitly forbidden from entering the office building with any symptoms of contagious illness, even a cold. We can work from home if we feel able.

as a person with a severely immune compromised household member, it is a policy that makes me truly appreciate my employer. Even a cold can be a very big deal for some people.

I don’t need to anymore, I can just tell them I’m working from home. I used to though, I’ve always been badly paid and never got sick pay 👎

Go in if at all possible. I’m a teacher and setting cover work is a pita. It’s easier to just go in and teach. Supply is also really expensive and school can’t afford it.

I would be off sick if I had body aches, temperature, headache etc.
The only place I've known people to battle on through those sorts of symptoms have been teachers, during my brief stint . One woman had a hacking cough for weeks whereas if she'd taken a week off she would have probably recovered back to full strength much more quickly.

Nope.

My health is more important than anything else (I am disabled) so I would not work if I am poorly.

Also I believe it is not acceptable to go to work with something potentially contagious and infect everyone else...

A headache, yes I would.
Something contagious I’d work from home

With a cold, I would go in. If I had a temperature and full-on flu-style body aches, then no. I'm a teacher. At any given point there are umpteen kids in your classes with colds and all sorts, so you're not really going to avoid the lurgy just because a few colleagues stay off rather than come in. And obviously I can't work from home.

Oh yeah it's fucked up. NHS staff aren't treated particularly well.

I used to before the pandemic. Now if I feel shit I stay home. I am lucky as I get full sick pay.

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Typically yes, self employed gardener so not in contact with people though.

Yes. NHS. They put you on stages.

I've had five days off in a year. 3 due to family emergency and deaths. Two due to a sickness bug that went through the team like wildfire, but me being stupid only took one day so I didn't let people down, all it achieved was making me worse resulting in another day. It's five separate periods of sickness. One week is one period of illness.

I'm on stage one (should be in stage two but it's discretionary) stage three can see you fighting to keep your job.

Another perk of WFH, just stay home till better

I have pretty robust health so I genuinely haven't had a day off sick in over 30 years but I only work part time now so that probably helps in that I don't pick up bugs or sickness... never had Covid. My DH is the same .. recently retired and never had a sick day in his life .. but I recognise that we are both very fortunate.

I stay off if i physically or mentally can’t handle it. If I’m coughing and sneezing but otherwise feel ok I’ll go in

Have been fully WFH since March 2020 and not taken a single sick day. Not that I haven't been ill but I've not been ill enough to prevent me logging on and plodding through.

I'd have definitely had a few instances of being too ill to be in the office though.

Depends how ill.

I get reasonably frequent colds - snotty, bunged up etc and will work with those. In spring I also find it difficult to differentiate between a cold and hay fever so will go in then as well.

If I feel crap then I stay off and rest.

If I feel well enough to go to the supermarket, cinema or a friend's for coffee, I consider myself well enough to work.