To be so fed up with people spreading illness?

I can see this from both sides to be honest.
I can understand it's frustrating if someone is spreading colds etc. In an ideal world people would stay home if unwell.

However, and perhaps this depends on your job/workplace, but sometimes people have little choice.

For instance, I am a teacher.
The school I work in has a draconian sick policy. If someone is off 3 times in 12 months they get called to a HR meeting and are given a formal written warning. Not happened to me but I know others it has happened to.

Then, if I am off, I have to set cover work early morning, making sure it's something my classes can access without a subject specialist. My classes miss out on their normal lesson and time is tight with exam groups.

I'm head of department so my job doesn't stand still which means I would return to a pile of things I need to do.

Honestly, it's easier to go in and drag myself through the day!

Yanbu OP. Most people are incredibly selfish and don't give a monkeys about anyone else, as we saw during COVID.

I literally had a conversation today about this with a friend who has a sick child. Of course it’s awful to deliberately spread a vomiting bug or something like that but usually by the time you are actually properly unwell you have been out and about that day or the child has already been in school or daycare. Sometimes you might feel a bit “off” and for me that’s just usually a cold that leaves me a bit drained and obviously I carry on as normal with a cold but then there are the rare times when it turns into something flu like where you feel really unwell.

I live alone and wouldnt be able to afford my bills if I went off sick everytime I had a cold. Would also likely put my Bradford points into investigation. I do how ever carry sanitiser and use everytime I cough/blow my nose. I have antibac wipes in my drawer also.

I can count on two hands the number of days I took off 'sick' during my working life - you went in unless you were bedridden and it wasn't a tragedy if others caught your cold. People are pathetic nowadays - taking days off for minor ailments. Just get on with it.

I'd agree if it was someone coming in with a D&V bug but coughs and colds are commonplace minor illnesses. It's actually a good boost to the immune system to have a cold a couple of times a year, it means if you get something worse your body will be better at fighting it.

My boss would go loopy if people took sick days or cancelled client meetings to WFH just because of a runny nose and sore throat. We'd be expected to take some paracetamol and crack on. Like another poster, when my kids were nursery age I had back to back colds for a couple of years and WFH wasn't a thing then. I'd definitely have had the sack if I was off sick every time. Schools say kids are expected to attend with minor illnesses (but not D&V).

It's also worth noting that people are usually most infectious just BEFORE their symptoms show and during the first day. Many is the time I have felt fine first thing and been sneezing and streaming in the office by lunchtime. Obviously I don't breathe over people and warn them to keep their distance but I wouldn't rush home immediately.

People have got so prissy about colds since covid.

You think those of us with asthma and similar illnesses are big babies because we don't want someone's cold? For you it's mildly irritating. I had to go to my GP because I was struggling. I was struggling to even walk the half mile to the surgery. They usually last a good 3 weeks

I would keep face masks in the drawer, and wear them at work for the week leading up to your vacations. You can explain to everyone who asks that you are fed up of holidays and weekends being ruined catching viruses from colleagues.

I thought the one plus about COVId was that it raised awareness about how illness and disease was passed on to other people. And generally speaking people took on board the need for washing hands and not to cough and sneeze over other people.

But now we are back to people not bothering to cover their mouths when coughing, sneezing over peoole, wiping their noses with their hands, picking their noses in public, and generally behaving in an absolutely gross way with no thought for the germs they are spreading. I don't even want to think about their hand hygiene.

I don't work but i've walked out of a couple of shops recently because in one the assistant was absolutely loaded with the cold and was sniffing and coughing over the stock. And in another a customer was sneezing away without making any attempt to use a tissue.
I dont understand people's attitude to spreading germs.

Ha, this… If everyone hid away whenever they got a cold, the country would come to a standstill.

Alot of people get ill on holiday as the stress hormones are not keeping the illnesses at bay. Or they catch something on the plane. Or in the airport.

I think if you can work from home when you are feeling rubbish then that option should be used rather than coming into the office. But work places not like people being off for colds/ coughs and it can lead to a disciplinary!!

however we had a colleague at work who’s daughter had d&v Sunday and Monday and was going to come into work Tuesday but Monday stomach was churning but was going to see how she was, we told her not to come in as we have 2 of us going away over half term and definitely want a sickness bug on long flights or in general !

People definitely shouldn't be coming into work if they are throwing up!

I hope you're going to isolate yourself on holiday OP seeing as you're not feeling well.

It is frustrating and I try to keep my distance from the infected person and wash my hands more. I will WFH if I’m well enough to work but don’t want to pass anything on. I can do that in my current role. In my last two jobs, I was “customer facing” so I was either in work or off sick. I couldn’t be off every time I had a cold or sore throat.

It’s a shame about your holiday but you’re being unreasonable about this.

Will you be self isolating for the rest of your holiday then? Wouldn’t want to ruin anyone else’s break.

I agree OP. It is so annoying especially when it impacts upon your holiday time. Been there! That said, my employer always took a very dim view of people taking time off for illness. I guess it also depends upon whether an employee is paid for absence. Not everyone can afford to take time off. As you said though, if the infected person had worn a face mask and kept her distance from others where possible, this would have gone some way to decreasing the risk of spreading it to others.

Well, if you only get statutory sick pay you might not be able to afford being off for anything but a serious illness.

I thought we'd all learnt from COVID about respecting the fact that others might have babies/elderly family etc, and to be mindful of that, but no.

We learned that bugs and germs are part of life and we cant all stop.

People are such big babies these days. It's annoying when that happens, but maybe focus on bolstering your immune system.

On one hand yes, it is really annoying catching colds that other people bring in on the other, it is how our bodies build immunity.