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Original poster

How do you decide when to go to work when you're sick?

71 replies

Aaaahfuck · 02/12/2018 09:49

I'm ill at the moment with a cold/virus but it's keeping me in bed/on the sofa so not just sniffles I'm feeling pretty awful. When I'm ill I often end up trying to do too much or go back to work too soon and then get worse or take ages to get properly better. So I'm curious how everyone else decides when you're well enough to go back to work or do things? For example I wonder if in an ideal world I should rest for another day after I can't get out of bed? This is something I wouldn't normally do. What does everyone else do? On the other hand I feel like some people don't even rest up when they're ill and seem to get over it just fine.

I'm lucky in that I get paid sick leave which I know everyone doesn't.

OP posts:
Original poster
Aaaahfuck · 02/12/2018 12:03

Anyone?

OP posts:
maddiemookins16mum · 02/12/2018 12:16

Could I speak to my customers on the phone and discuss tax stuff (work in tax accountancy) coherently without my head pounding, coughing down the phone etc? That would be key for me, so depending what you do (customer facing or even indirectly customer facing), will it affect the purpose if your role.

notpushyinterested · 02/12/2018 12:19

I have to be practically dead before I stay off simply because if I am not there, the job doesn't get done and the impact is huge.
Haven't had a day off in 3 years.

Caprisunorange · 02/12/2018 12:20

If I can’t physically or mentally work. I figured that’s what everyone did

Timeforabiscuit · 02/12/2018 12:24

If i can do the school run, then I go in.

If its contagious, I work from home.

blueskiespls · 02/12/2018 12:26

I think if I was too ill to drive to work, or had a nasty contagious stomach bug (norovirus type thing) that no one at work wants to catch, then I wouldn't go in. Personally I'd have to be really ill to phone in sick.

OccasionallyIncomplet · 02/12/2018 12:27

When I feel like the day off would be beneficial to my physical or mental health.

Additional, there are a certain amount of days off a year I can take sick. If I'm approaching the end of a year and have any left, I will use them as sickness days.

Original poster
Aaaahfuck · 02/12/2018 12:30

Caprisunorange I think it's more complicated than that though. For example I worked on Thursday for a bit but did very basic stuff and wasn't productive then felt worse by Friday. So I think you can make yourself work if you absolutely have to but then is it sensible?

OP posts:
TheTurnOfTheScrew · 02/12/2018 12:30

I get full sick pay for 6 months, but TBH, my yardstick as to whether I go in or not is would I stay at home if I only got statutory sick pay?
If I'm getting back on my feet or just under the weather I negotiate to work from home, but appreciate this isn't an option for many.

Caprisunorange · 02/12/2018 12:31

Well you can’t really know because you might’ve felt worse on Friday anyway if you’d stayed at home- that might just be the natural course of the illness.

Mxyzptlk · 02/12/2018 12:32

I am very rarely I'll so if I feel unwell enough not to go to work, I stay off. Then I get better a lot quicker.

Mxyzptlk · 02/12/2018 12:32

*rarely ill

Original poster
Aaaahfuck · 02/12/2018 12:33

My workplace is quite relaxed and I like my job so I'm not looking for your consent not to work! I'm just ill and sick of being in bed so thought I'd ask what everyone thinks.

OP posts:
Original poster
Aaaahfuck · 02/12/2018 12:34

Caprisunorange yes this also true!

OP posts:
SocksRock · 02/12/2018 12:35

I have to actually not be able to get out of bed and need help with the school runs to consider not going to work. Or be vomiting. My workload is heavy at the moment so if I don't go in, I'm just storing up problems for myself. I do have the ability to work from home as well, but I prefer being office based. Often I'm doing site visits as well and some of them would have a cost implication if I missed them so I do drag myself to stuff like that regardless.

whenwillthetwitchstrike · 02/12/2018 12:39

There's a variety of factors - how I feel, am I contagious, what work do I have on that day, am I the only senior person due in that day.
Last year, I had an infected wisdom tooth and had to have two days off as I couldn't lift my head off the pillow. I still did a conference call on one of the days as I am the only person in the organisation who does my job and they couldn't re-arrange the call.
A few weeks ago, I had a bad cold and felt rubbish so I worked from home. It made no difference to anyway that I was at home rather than in the office. The next day I knew I had to go in whatever happened as I was effectively in charge with all other senior people being out for various reasons.

AlexaShutUp · 02/12/2018 12:45

I very rarely take time off because the work just mounts up and it is more stressful when I get back. If I'm contagious but well enough to work, I can work from home. I'd only take time off if I really couldn't function.

Polkapjs · 02/12/2018 12:48

It’s a tricky one. Sickness - no question. Dicky tummy, WFH
Cold? Tricky. Terrible cold would be better to work at home and spare colleagues but the bitching isn’t worth it. We’ve a guy off currently who they were all moaning about for blowing his nose but now he’s off they’re moaning too about his being off!

JustHereForThePooStories · 02/12/2018 12:55

I use the shower test. I find if I’m not well but think I could probably make it in, my morning shower either makes me feel much better, or much worse.

Original poster
Aaaahfuck · 02/12/2018 13:16

Shower test sounds good! I often start getting ready and if that feels like too much then I don't go to work. I also feel like how I feel with and without pain killers makes a huge difference. Sometimes I take a strong pain killer go to work or do other stuff and then feel horrible when it wears off.

OP posts:
puppymouse · 02/12/2018 13:28

If my body is struggling to regulate and I'm getting chills/sweats or actually have a temp I won't go in. If I lose my voice I don't usually go in. If I'd been sick/diarrhea I wouldn't.

To be fair if we're feeling under the weather we usually wfh in our team but this would be my benchmark if I had "can't really miss" meetings in the diary...

gamerwidow · 02/12/2018 13:31

If I’ve got a cold I normally just go in because I’ll usually be fine with paracetamol and the work takes my mind off the cold.
Occasionally though I’ll get a really bad cold which completely wipes me out and even with medicine I can’t think straight and then I’ll stay at home because I’ll be no use at work at all.
I’m in the middle of a bad cold of the moment and I’ve had to do some urgent work from home today and it’s taken me twice as long as usual because I can’t go concentrate and I just want to go to sleep.

Thistles24 · 02/12/2018 14:09

I always set my alarm and start the day as if I’m going in. Often I can feel choked with the cold when I wake, but after a shower the steam has cleared it and I feel much better. If I’m exhausted and aching after the shower, I know I shouldn’t be going in. I would never do as a PP said and feel I can “use up” any untaken sick days before the end of the year- they’re there for a reason, and it’s that sort of attitude that sees companies reduce sick pay altogether.

shesaysgoes · 02/12/2018 14:16

I have to get up, go and feed two hungry horses, turn and muck out

Downside of horse ownership is, my boss knows that if I'm up for them and shovelling shit at 5am then I'm fit enough for work! He also knows I'm on a private yard so I don't have the luxury of someone to do them for me.

He is right to be fair

BooseysMom · 02/12/2018 15:27

@Aaaahfuck...Great name and great thread! Firstly sorry to hear you're poorly. I'm also been off work for a week with a flu like cold virus and it's now turned into a tummy bug with cramps. I feel ok one minute then like I wanna collapse the next. I'm wondering when to go back too..if I go back tomorrow I'll need a doctors note and can I be arsed to battle on a Monday morning to get an appointment? No I can't so I suspect I'll go back tomorrow even though I'm still bad!
Good luck and get well soon!