… to be mad at ill colleague?

I’m surprised at lots of these replies. I haven’t worked in an office since covid, but pre covid, in any office I worked in it would be frowned upon to call in sick due to having a cold. You were expected in unless you couldn’t get out of bed, and when people called in sick with ‘flu’ you’d often hear managers commenting that they didn’t sound that ill etc. There were always ill people in. You’d also get a disciplinary for more than two periods of sickness in a certain length of time, no matter how severe the illness. Things must have changed!

I'm totally with you op. It is selfish behaviour and people should know better after the pandemic. The only thing that can be done is an intervention from the top, so a management policy for health and safety during the winter months, that is very specific about not coming in if you have a temperature over a certain limit, about wearing a mask when you have a cold, about washing up your own lunch things and putting your used handkerchiefs in a closed plastic carrier bag. You shouldn't have to teach adults these things but sadly lots of people only care about themselves. The problem is, if management are not supportive, you cannot really prove you have caught the virus in the office as they can say you caught it from your dc, or on the commute in to work, which is always a possibility too.

I teach and came in for the last week of half term whilst feeling pretty dreadful but I have y11s with mocks coming up, y7s settling in still, other classes relying on consistent teaching. There are so many coughs and colds going round that there are always several students sneezing and coughing, often on and at me. I practise excellent hygiene and keep my distance from colleagues, staying in my classroom and sanitising/anti-bac surfaces regularly. If I'm well enough to teach and it's viral, I go in. I don't go in with D&V of course.

I spent half term wiped out and am only well now I'm back at work again but that's life in a school.

YANBU. Going to work when ill is massively antisocial. It’s not welcome in my workplace thankfully. If you turn up with a cold you get sent home. Nobody wants anybody else’s minging germs!

My workplace only pays ssp, and we used to be able to take holiday for sick, but they've stopped that now. So if we are sick we lose the first 3 days, then its ssp after that.
Most of us go in unless we are unable to get out of bed. And even then we try because we lose so much money.
I've been in with a sickness and diahorrea bug. I wasnt a lot of use and yes I likely passed it on. No fucks given. Pay me when I have to be off and I wont come in with ailments.

Yep I hear you.

*I sympathise but I suppose it depends on the sickness policy where you work.

If you just get SSP maybe your colleague can't afford that. Or if you get full pay but face disciplinary action after a certain point then maybe they're afraid of consequences.

I'm lucky that I can work from home if I have a cold etc however if I couldn't then I wouldnt be able to take sick leave every time I have the sniffles because I'd probably lose my job eventually.*

Yeh, in some workplaces you have to have worked there for X amount of months before you qualify for full sick pay. So you'd lose money by not going in. Some people can't afford that. My husband is in that situation and he has told me that if he's ill, he will be going into work no matter what until his 6 months are up. We can't afford to lose a day's pay! Such a ridiculous rule.

My workplace only pays ssp, and we used to be able to take holiday for sick, but they've stopped that now. So if we are sick we lose the first 3 days, then its ssp after that.
Most of us go in unless we are unable to get out of bed. And even then we try because we lose so much money.
I've been in with a sickness and diahorrea bug. I wasnt a lot of use and yes I likely passed it on. No fucks given. Pay me when I have to be off and I wont come in with ailments.

And if it happened too often it would trigger an attendance problem, yes?

So why not for the teachers when they keep ringing in with colds?

of course she should be at work if she just has a cold as should you. I can't believe the number of people who have voted YANBU when it's just a cold.

YANBU. Some muppet being an ill martyr would put me in hospital for a week. It's annoying.

Sorry I may be in the minority but YABU. Schools are notoriously bad for just keeping going despite illness, most headteachers would not be best pleased if teachers were off regularly with just colds. In fact most of the general population just keep going when they've got a cold.

What’s ridiculous is one person comes in sick and then infects multiple others which means more people are sick and even if they come in - let’s face it - they’re not doing their best work.
I don’t understand why more companies who had whole teams off earlier in the pandemic haven’t got enough brain cells to stop it happening.
Covid hasn’t gone away- they’re literally decimating the work force and future workforce for little gain now.

It’s astounding to me that some of the fundamental learning from Covid have been so quickly forgotten. Really basic hygiene stuff like covering your mouth when coughing, washing your hands properly and regularly, don’t touch your face. And the fact that the same virus can be mild in some people and make others dangerously ill, so show a bit of courtesy and consideration.

i didn’t get ill for nearly three years, a silver lining of lockdown. I don’t understand why other people want to avoid being ill too if they possibly can.

the issue is then it depends on the sickness policy of the company and how many days they may have already used up

I get it and totally agree with people you shouldn't be going in sick however most places i have worked in penalize you for being, in my current place if you even take 1 hour sick leave u loose your bonus of 1k take home pay at xmas, its just too much money for people to loose. Lucky most of us can work from home
You could be like my friend though, whos place also has an attendance bonus but you are NOT ALLOWED to work from home so she has to go in for her mandatory days in the office or else looses big money. Aswell as that take two days sick and you are called up in front of the manger. Its awful. You would have thought Covid has forced business to realise people actually can be sick and shouldn't be penalized for it but no

Appalling behaviour - needs raising with HR as to protocol for illness for the future. There are some nasty bugs going round. A serious cough and cold, should be off, not spreading it around colleagues.
I've had it before when a really sick colleague was in (coughing and cold) and not sent home. I caught it and was ill for something like 3 weeks with it. Ruined a holiday and Christmas, think I even had to take some sick days. Was really angry.

You're changing your argument here.

You either get the hump when staff come in with a cold or you don't?

And if the kids have to, what difference does it make?

Yes! With the good old day nurse (before they took it away <sob>) the combination of paracetamol and decongestant meant I could function at a nearly normal level even with a truly rotten cold. Complete game changer.

Yeah, YADNBU. "Mine" was actually a supervisor who always bragged about what a huge number of sick leave hours she had and made 'remarks' about staff calling in because 'she never did'.

Yeah bitch, because you came in deathly ill, infected all of us, and we did the right thing, we took the time off so as not to infect our coworkers. Unfortunately, we often brought it home to our families!

These days, post Covid, I expect we'd all pointedly wear masks and continually use hand sanitizer. But that long ago (been retired for 15 years) that wouldn't have occurred to us.

OP can you answer the question about the children taking time off with colds?

Are the school just as generous towards them, as they are towards staff?

If you work in a school then she can’t just work at home. If your sickness policy is anything like ours then warnings are giving if you’re off 3 times in a year. People don’t want to take sick leave for a cold. Unless you never go shopping or out in public you’re being ridiculous and it’s only a cold. Do people take medication for colds? I never have