Do you feel guilty about work when ill?

[Imillagain]

I'm a TA and I've had to take a few days off due to what feels like a virus (swollen glands, no energy, spaced out, no appetite). The guilt I feel over not being at work with the team I work with, supporting kids and adults, is awful. I can feel my inner voice saying "FGS get a grip and go in, you're not dying!"

Does anyone else feel guilty? Or even feel like a fraud? I know other members of staff saying how rough they feel when they are at work so it makes me feel like I should just get on with it, but all I've done is sleep or lay on the sofa. I feel quite down that I can't just "Pull myself together and get on with it."

Where I work senior members of the team tend to work themselves into the ground so it's difficult to not feel guilty if you take time off yourself. However, we don't get sick pay so if you are actually off then it's usually accepted that you are actually nearly dead anyway. Sometimes you have to be off work.

Never guilty, just bad at the though of what the nasty bunch of women were saying about me as I'd seen them in action when other staff members rang in sick. Yes, I did report them about openly discussing and cussing staff. It then went quiet, ie malicious gossip was more subtle ad amongst like-minded verim.

at my places of work, i got full pay for up to 6 months, but the managers rarely took a sickie unless depressed etc, EG OH had left them etc. The managers expected others to be in via bad mouthing a few people but the staff were much better at this - see above post.

NB: if you are unwell, most likely you'd make a mistake and they will remember you for that mistake and not about you making a big effort to come in and possibly spread your germs.

I found it hard to call in daily but once I was off sick, it was rarely less than the full week or the rest of that week

Yes, because I know that another teacher will have to be put in to do my lessons.
I've been lucky this year (touch wood) and not had one day off sick so hopefully...
But, yes, it's not, I suppose that I feel guilty, but that I know it creates hassle for someone else.

Yes because my already very busy colleagues will have to pick up the slack.

Yes I always feel guilty and not 'ill enough'.

I'm actually ill with a virus right now-swollen glands, very painful to swallow, high temp. My first thought was 'I'm glad I'm on annual leave for 2 weeks, I don't have to worry about phoning in sick'. How fucked up is that!

The last time I had to have time off was for covid and I can't remember the time before that. I remember the guilt though!

Always feel terrible guilt. It's human nature I think

Be kind to you and have the time off of your need it.

I think TAs feel particularly guilty - we know other hard pressed TAs are having to cover as well as juggle their own timetable.

You can’t pour from an empty cup. It’s the whole put your own mask on before helping others. Try not to feel guilty!

Yes I feel guilty.

When I spend the afternoon vomiting I feel less guilty

Yes, even when I had covid. But I love my job and my colleagues, and I didn't want to make their lives harder by doing my work too.

I use the guilt as barometer for how ill I am. The more guilt I feel, the less ill I actually am. I know I’m too sick for work when I feel zero guilt about being off. My body has no room for the emotion when it’s properly battling an illness, whereas when I know could go in really I feel lots of guilt!

I used to.

But then I became properly ill, leaving me disabled, and I realised that they really didn’t give a fuck about me, so I no longer feel guilty.

Thanks everyone. I've struggled in before when ill and been sent home and I thought if I struggled in again I'd be sent home again. I've gone in with coughs/colds before and just dosed myself up, but the thought of being in class supporting some pupils with challenging behaviour when I feel like this...I managed to get up and have a shower to get ready for work and that knocked me for six, so went straight back to bed and just slept. And yeh, it is the thought of others having to cover for me and being inconvenienced.

I felt this ill before though, back in Oct; it feels viral but also in the back of my mind I'm wondering if it's something else... I take MultiVits as well as separate VitD, VitB, and Probiotics to try and stay healthy because when I'm ill it really affects my mood.

I'm so sorry to hear that @OilyTussle

Yes I understand and feel like this but I have colleagues who come in really ill and make everyone else ill in the bargain

Yes, I always feel guilty. I've been really unwell recently (unable to breathe, constant GP appointments, tests, hospital etc) and so had 2.5 weeks off. The guilt is terrible, even though I've not had the energy to sit most days.

It's hard, but you really do need to look after yourself.