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AIBU?

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Original poster

To call in sick for the rest of my nights?

29 replies

Jilkie · 09/10/2024 04:04

I am a health care worker doing night shifts this week.
I felt really run down last week and found out at the weekend I am pregnant.
I am just finishing my second night and I am completely and utterly exhausted. I stopped at a green light on the way home. I have two more to go.
I feel like I should pull myself together and definitely feel a bit of letting the side down but I don't know how I'm going to cope doing the next two nights. I'm only sleeping in short fitful bursts in the day. My abdomen is cramping up. I'm thinking about calling in sick but feel like a wet wipe for doing so. I am on annual leave next week so after these shifts I'll get some rest. WIBU?

OP posts:
Lovinglife2024 · 09/10/2024 04:51

Congratulations by the way!

Lovinglife2024 · 09/10/2024 04:50

If you're having abdo pain and are feeling run down to the point you feel unable to do your job then I would ring in sick. I also work in healthcare and over the years I've realised how dangerous it is to go to work when you don't feel like you're firing on all cylinders.

Zapx · 09/10/2024 04:48

If you’re that tired I’d argue that you ARE sick. Is this your first pregnancy? And congratulations!

LoftLaughLoads · 09/10/2024 04:29

I used to be unable to sleep during the day. Then I discovered that this was because there were levels of tiredness I had been previously unaware of, and what I had previously thought of as a "9" on a scale of 1-10 of tiredness was in fact just a 3.

Whilst you're definitely unreasonable to lie (sick leave shouldn't be abused when you aren't sick) it may be that lettimg down your employers and clients at no notice is the only thing you can do if you physically cannot fulfil the obligations of your contract. Admitting that is not unreasonable. Doing so by claiming to be sick means you will be profiting monetarily from lying about why,, because sick leave entitles you to sick pay, and that is unreasonable.