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Original poster

People off sick at Christmas

45 replies

madcatladyforever · 23/12/2020 12:02

Pissed off with it basically. When I started nursing years ago the only reason for being off at Christmas was your sudden death! if you genuinely were sick you would have to present yourself to management and they would look at you and decide if you really were sick so you'd better be genuine.
Now people ask for Christmas off and if they don't get it they just go off sick - not even with covid.
We've got 12 off right now, none of them with covid, we have a skeleton crew, and all of us will be working our arses off and will not have any kind of a Christmas by the time we get home because we'll be covering for the shirkers.
This is the 2nd year running this has happened and I'm feeling absolutely pissed off, run down and just totally demoralised. There is no comeback and the same people do it year after year.
I just think people have no sense of responsibility any more whatsoever. If your relative in hospital doesn't get a wash this Christmas this will be the reason why ff's.

OP posts:
EveryPlanetHasAYorkshire · 23/12/2020 12:06

When I started nursing years ago the only reason for being off at Christmas was your sudden death! if you genuinely were sick you would have to present yourself to management and they would look at you and decide if you really were sick so you'd better be genuine.

Really now? Hmm.

When I worked in hospitality years ago I once had to phone in sick on boxing day. No I wasn't hung over. I had a really bad virus and was completley wiped out. There was no way I could have worked.

Toasty280 · 23/12/2020 12:18

I work in care, and it's the same 'winner's goes up a huge amount over christmas. I have moved to a more central role this year so won't be on the front line but last year I really struggled to cover shifts, meaning I did doubles to cover it, if I was in the same role they would all (those who called in sick) be getting attendance management letters this year.multiple haven't seen me on Christmas morning for years

OverTheRainbow88 · 23/12/2020 12:20

I think their career won’t recover from it.

Like teaching, a few colleagues who called in sick during Ofsted, they are yet to get a promotion.

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Events & celebrations
farawayplanet · 23/12/2020 12:34

I worked with a nurse who just refused to work xmas day, because she had kids, this happened every single year. There was ructions on about her, but she didn't give a stuff.

I always worked xmas, but that's how it was when I was training. We all had to do our bit. People have no personal or professional integrity now.

Pomegranatespompom · 23/12/2020 12:37

Loads of sympathy, it's always the same people.

RoobyMyrtle · 23/12/2020 12:42

Always been the same. 20 years ago when I worked in a hostel for homeless young people. I regularly had to double shift because people were too hungover or didn't want to work their allocated rota over Xmas. I left when I had kids so it couldn't happen again. Wankers all of them. I once worked 5 full days including nightshifts but thankfully that wasn't Xmas day.

TheFormerPorpentinaScamander · 23/12/2020 12:42

This winds me right up! I'm a single parent and used to work in care. I always took my turn at working Christmas day/new year. Yet the same colleagues bitched and moaned every year that it wasn't their turn. Whilst moaning that "Porpentia's going to be claiming she needs Christmas off as she has children. I only ever asked to alternate my years so i worked the years DC were with their Dad and had the years they were at home off.

Managers would give them the days they wanted to keep the peace, and even then they'd phone in sick. We were meant to work 2 of the 4 days from 25/26th Dec and 30th Dec/1st Jan. Yet the same 2 carers manged to get all 4 days off.

Of course people can get sick over Christmas, but it's weirdly convenient when it happens to the same people every year!

When I worked in retail when I was younger I called in sick the day after our work Christmas party. I was so ill. Id never felt that bad before. Manager gave me dressing down for calling in sick with a hangover, I never got hangovers! Found out a couple of weeks later i was pregnant and that's why I was so ill after drinking more than a pregnant woman should Blush

thefirstmrsrochester · 23/12/2020 12:45

Absolutely agree, it is always the same person(s). You can see it coming, don’t get the shifts/leave they want, and they are off sick giving not a fuck about everyone else left to cover.

OhioOhioOhio · 23/12/2020 12:46

These people look like thru get away with it but they don't. The fact they are selfish and lazy stays in their back story.

TheFormerPorpentinaScamander · 23/12/2020 12:50

Incidentally some of the best shifts I worked were the Christmas ones.
One year when I was still bank staff, I worked boxing day. My "work husband" and I cooked fish, chips and peas for lunch (it was a Friday, small MH setting, they didn't like to deviate from the usual meals). Served all the residents and the Nurse in charge, then sat in the kitchen eating ours, which was cold by then, together. We are still in touch and fondly remember our "first date" Grin

Another year I worked Christmas day with 2 of my favourite ever colleagues. Our cook came in so we didn't have to cook. We had a lovely meal, arranged Secret Santa between us, and spent the afternoons watching Christmas movies while the residents relaxed. Apparently as it was Christmas Day they were having a day off (from what I'm not sure) and as a result didn't want to do any Christmas activities with us.

Admittedly the years I worked in a care home were very different! Lucky if we had time to pee thanks to the twats calling in sick and leaving us short staffed.

NotMeekNotObedient · 23/12/2020 12:58

Really depends on the situation - my nurse friend has been told it's tough that both her and her DH (also in healthcare) need to work Xmas day this year and she needs to be a team player and find childcare...on Christmas Day Hmm which she obviously can't find anywhere. She has no family in the country. She'll be calling in sick as despite arguing round in circles she's still cant get the time off. What else is she supposed to do? She feels terrible as she doesn't want to leave her patients or colleagues short staffed, she works so hard and this seems so unfair after an awful year.

nosswith · 23/12/2020 13:03

It is a pity that they cannot be paid anything for sickness over Christmas, as I am sure whilst cruel on one or two, the rest would solve their issues and turn up.

Non-payment for the first day off sick is something I encountered in an industrial setting I worked in years ago, and sick levels were very low.

Bubble20203 · 23/12/2020 13:10

My DP is taking this Christmas off whether they like it or not, he has worked nights for the past three Christmas periods right the way through (xmas eve, xmas day, boxing day) and his arse of a boss has refused every holiday application this year.

I appreciate its different when you have the regular piss takers but we haven't had a Christmas with him in years nor have his eldest DC.

TheSilentStars · 23/12/2020 13:12

Twas ever thus
I was a civil servant and we used to get either Christmas or NY off. People would announce they were going off sick for whichever one they didn't get.
And yes, management definitely checked up in those days. I had glandular fever and had to have a home visit.

Dillo10 · 23/12/2020 13:15

LOL at someone telling ME if I am "genuinely" sick or not

FippertyGibbett · 23/12/2020 13:18

You have my sympathies, I’ve been there.
It’s always the same people and there’s never any come back.

Gwenhwyfar · 23/12/2020 13:33

@NotMeekNotObedient

Really depends on the situation - my nurse friend has been told it's tough that both her and her DH (also in healthcare) need to work Xmas day this year and she needs to be a team player and find childcare...on Christmas Day Hmm which she obviously can't find anywhere. She has no family in the country. She'll be calling in sick as despite arguing round in circles she's still cant get the time off. What else is she supposed to do? She feels terrible as she doesn't want to leave her patients or colleagues short staffed, she works so hard and this seems so unfair after an awful year.
But she knew when she had children that being a nurse included possibly having to work any time so I don't quite get this.
lubeybooby · 23/12/2020 13:36

sorry it's making it tougher on you OP but that's a management problem or even higher... government decisions etc problem not the fault of anyone ill

Ill people should not be working especially not anywhere near other people. covid or not. This culture of carrying on despite illness needs to get in the sea and stay there

Deathraystare · 23/12/2020 13:36

Used to piss me off when staff on the wards who were due in, would magically all fall sick on the day and not bother to ring in or tell me (on reception) to cancel their cab! So I spent most of the day chasing the ward for a phone number so I could tell the cab waiting outside their house not to bother (they would not answer the door). Oh and they used to get paid even though they were absent! Luckily the powers that be stopped that.

Laughnaff · 23/12/2020 13:37

It’s rotten, we have the same problem at the school holidays, the same people every year taking 6 weeks sick. Sore back brigade. Plus when they come back they still have holidays to take!!

Countdowntonothing · 23/12/2020 13:42

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

plominoagain · 23/12/2020 13:42

I’ve worked the last 14 Christmases and also the New Years . This year I should have finished on nights Christmas morning , but half my team have been pinged by the track and trace app , which takes us all out of isolation at midnight on Boxing Day . The amount of complaining that has come from some members of the other teams , including the one that stole our Christmas from us last year by complaining so much that they changed the roster and made us work for the tenth year in a row, is unbelievable . They’ve only had the last 5 years off after all , and they knew about this in April , so I give the same amount of fucks about their time off, as they did about mine .

yvanka · 23/12/2020 13:56

Gwenhwyfar

Yes, PP's friend should not have trained to be a nurse due to the distant possibility that she might procreate with someone who also worked shifts, and that all their family might die or leave the country before the DC were adults.

Soubriquet · 23/12/2020 13:59

I’ve had to have the last couple of days off due to dh showing symptoms of coronavirus..I felt guilty as hell but it can’t be helped

It’s shit you have to drag yourself into work so that a manager can decide if you’re ill or not. That last barbaric

Crappyfridays7 · 23/12/2020 14:06

I’m a nurse and I’m off this Christmas, I’ve been really unwell since the end of November & had scope etc and waiting on results now have a uti so really enjoying spending the lead up to Christmas feeling shit AND feeling guilty for being sick and off work whilst my colleagues are v busy. But if I was there I’d be little use to anyone. Piss takers ruin it for those actually unwell tbh I worked last Christmas was due to work this one too and next too. We aren’t all skiving