Workplace etiquette when you have a cold

[whatthej3ff]

Pre covid, if I had a cold I would still be expected to go into work even though we have the ability to work from home from time to time (when absolutely necessary).

I wondered if you have noticed a shift in expectations where you work now that we're all a lot more aware of health matters? If you can do your job from home, have a cold and tested negative for Covid - what does your workplace expect you to do?

There is no formal policy but I would certainly WfH and I'd be unimpressed with a colleague who came in with an obvious infectious illness (perhaps unless they had some good reason).

Pre covid: come in, spread the germs around, the office.

Post covid: stay the fuck away.

@Chasingsquirrels

Pre covid: come in, spread the germs around, the office.

Post covid: stay the fuck away.

Although maybe we haven't formalised it quite like that in the office manual.

@Chasingsquirrels

Pre covid: come in, spread the germs around, the office.

Post covid: stay the fuck away.

A few years ago I developed a really nasty cold while in the office. I soldiered on, as was the norm and had the next day off, but a colleague whos asthmatic caught my cold and was really very I'll. I felt so bad about it. Since then I never take any infection into work.

I do now have the ability to work from home though so that makes a big difference. Recently had a sickness bug and was able to work from home much more effectively than in the office.

A lot of it will come down to the nature of the job (as in, is it reasonable to WFH or do you need to be on site) and what sick pay and sickness and annual review policies the company have.

We can WFH easily so I tell my staff to stay the fuck away. We’ve all absolutely had it up to here with illness and sick days. We can be more productive if we’re not catching shit bugs. But we are entirely set up and able to WFH

WFH and not spread germs has always been our policy

What about for people who can't WFH. Has having a cold changed? Anywhere I've ever worked pre-covid, you'd be rinsed for calling in sick "for just a cold" but what about now?

Even pre-covid, every job I've had would expect staff to either WFH or stay off with a cold/respiratory, rather than spreading their illness to others. I never realised there were jobs where ill staff with an infectious illness were allowed to be onsite spreading it!

Same as @Chasingsquirrels

We can work from home though and are being encouraged to at the moment due to the rise in both covid and general viral infections.

It used to drive me mad when people came in, obviously infection with a cold. So inconsiderate to people in the office and on public transport (we could work from home).

Now I'd expect people, if they must come in, to wear a mask and be fastidious about hand-washing.

I’m a teacher and would probably go in with a small cold - half my class were sneezing over me before half term so it’s a miracle I didn’t get one. I’m still testing twice a week. I would feel embarrassed if colleagues noticed I was unwell though and would avoid getting close to anyone. I don’t know how we’re going to get through the winter!

@Hairyfriend That's crazy! In all of the positions I've held to date, I would always be expected to go into the office when I had a cold (unless it absolutely knocked me off my feet). Same for my husband and close family!

Yes IME you don't go into the office with a cold because you don't get care about spreading your germs. It's because your manager will give you a bollocking and you can only have so many instances of sickness per year

I never realised there were jobs where ill staff with an infectious illness were allowed to be onsite spreading it!

Lots of jobs expect staff in even when they're in and have punitive sick policies to discourage them from taking time off such as paying the bare minimum of sick pay, removing future shifts (e.g., no overtime if you've been off sick in the last month), unofficial punishments such as not getting offered any shifts at all the following week (zero hour contracts) or being put on the least popular shifts as "pay back", and low trigger points for disciplinary - my mum's workplace has a policy that three days or two periods of absence, whichever you reach first, will trigger a discussion of concern (i.e., informal warning) then any one further absence will trigger a written warning then any after that and it's dismissal. Not surprisingly, they all go in when they're sick.