I've called in sick

Do adults really take time off for a cold? Where do you all work where that's acceptable? Do you keep your children off school every time they sneeze?
I am a SAHM now but up to last year I worked in childcare. As a team most of us either had a cold or were recovering from a cold (because at least one child always had a cold). We'd have been closed 90% of the time if we'd all phoned in sick with a cold.
Having said that sweating and feeling like you need to lie down is a bit different. So I think you were reasonably to phone in sick today. You can't expect your boss to guess how you feel. If you felt really unwell you should have said. Generally though if it's just a cold why wouldn't you go to work?

She never once asked if I was OK or made the kind of "should you be here?" enquiries other did

But if my boss had shown a bit more interest yesterday I might have pushed through...

Well, ok then. That's her told 🙄

This, finding an increase in this with many new staff these days, expecting spoon fed for everything and fawning and celebrating for just doing the bloody job!!

Of course I know that, I just pop on a mask if I have a cold as anyone else would. I don't ring in sick. And thats what most of the staff I work with now do.
I don't make the policy, I just follow it.
I worked in a Nightingale during covid, I don't need you to tell me about anything to do with that. I was in a hospital. Staff on non ICU covid wards had a paper mask and a plastic visor for protection, so they all caught covid too, from the patients. And vice versa. What's your point? Did you think I didn't know that.

Interestingly the NHS has one of the highest sickness records of all employers.
So the 'policy' isn't working, although 'stress' seems to be the reason they use for being away.

Given the shortage of staff in the NHS it's a hollow policy because what do they intend to do if someone is off sick more than twice in a year?

And a nurse should understand the consequences of a cold for vulnerable people. Old and ill people die from chest infections- that start with a cold.

You are an adult and can decide for yourself if you’re well enough to come in. Not sure how boss’ sympathy yesterday makes a difference to whether you come in today too?

You have a bizarrely resentful and bizarrely childlike attitude towards your boss.

(I don't mean childish, to be clear: childlike.)

I understand that a sickness policy can make it difficult for people to take time off sick.
I’m staggered though that you would say a cold is not life threatening to anyone. Not to the majority of people, no, but surely in your work this can’t be said so casually and categorically?

You shouldn't be going into work ill spreading infection

Exactly.

People forget that you can give a relatively fit person a cold who will then pass it onto their seriously ill partner.

I really, really despise people who go into work with bad colds or sick looking for some kind of prize.

DH is immunocompromised and spends months every year ill because people think it's a good idea to go to work and spread their germs.

I bet your colleagues are really grateful you 'pushed through' yesterday.

If you engage brain can you see how ridiculous that policy is?

As a nurse you surely know that a viral infection can be very serious to the elderly and infirm (the very people who are in hospital.) It doesn't just stop at a cold- some can become a chest infection and life threatening.

Many of the elderly people I knew caught Covid IN hospital FROM THE STAFF and some became very ill.

As a nurse it doesn't say much for your knowledge.

I'm surprised at the number of people who would ring in sick for a cold.
NHS nurse, and our sickness policy is no more than 2 periods of sickness in calendar year. I certainly wouldn't ring in for a cold and I don't think anyone else would either.
A cold is unpleasant but it is certainly not life threatening to anyone. Hope you are feeling better soon though OP, if you don't feel well enough its always fine to ring in.

Can’t stand snot soldiers who seem to think that the workplace cannot function if they take a sick day.

Either you are too ill to work or not. Your bosses caring abilities are irrelevant.

So now you have presented your employer with the worst of both worlds. You are not there AND you have infected everyone else!

I disagree with those who say your boss didn't need to care.
I'm a people manager. If someone is in office and clearly unwell with a cold I'll check on them, make sure they're OK and offer to bring them tea or do a pharmacy run for them. I'll also discuss the next day and suggest they work from home if they're fit to work to give them a break from having to commute. If they're clearly sicker than a cold or minor ailment it will be a different conversation as to whether they should be here at all.

This! ⬆️ You're an adult & only you know how crap you feel. You make the decision if you can work or not. Simple.

Your original post comes across like you've thrown your toys out of your pram because no-one made a big fuss of your heroic efforts yesterday!!

My team are adults and I trust that they know whether they should be at work or not. You sound like you’re hurt from lack of attention tbh.

Retired NHS manager/clinician. We were given HR guidance that its not up to us to send someone home ill unless we believed there was a health and safety or contagion risk. They have to decide what to do so that we can't be said to have skewed their sickness absence record. Similarly under no circumstances were we allowed to ask/encourage/imply that a person should stay at work or come into work if they felt unwell as if an incident did occur, that would make us potentially culpable.

LOL at everyone saying 'don't come in with a cold'. If everyone called in sick with a COLD, you'd all be sacked for being off work too much.

I absolutely do appreciate my colleagues staying at home when they are unwell. Nobody wants your stinking cold thanks!

@Photoclock id rather you stayed away and I picked up the work.

your cold or flu leaves my weakened immune system very ill. I’ll end up in bed and ill for twice as long as you have your cold. I’ll get shingles again as I’m run down, throw in some spinal and facial neuralgia into it off. I might end up with pneumonia again.

So sod your boss because going into work ill and being a martyr to the job isn’t the flex you think it is.

Your boss is not your mum. If you aren’t well call in sick, if you’re ok then go in. Staying off because she didn’t take your temperature and send you to bed with a lemsip is ridiculous.

This. Your bosses reaction should not influence whether you call in sick or not. It's all just a bit petty