How sick do you need to be to call in sick to work?

[Nomoreafterthisone]

Just that really.

Does it change your answer if you work from home?

What stops you calling in sick?

Fever or chills, fatigue more than tiredness, uncontrollable bouts of coughing. If I'm likely to spend most of the day on the sofa under a duvet. I lose pay so I would not call in sick for a mild cold as I can't afford it.

I really never ring in sick to work, would have to be extremely poorly to have a sick day. HOWEVER I do work hybrid so a mix of office & wfh with the ability to wfh more if I need to. If I had to be in the office every day then I would have taken sick days because there have absolutely been times where I was too poorly to get up and dressed to commute & be out of the house all day, but was able to plod to my home office in my pj’s and do my days work from there with a constant flow of snacks/soup & a lunchtime nap!

Perm WFH so I do push myself. When I am flaring with RA I do call in now as pushed too hard a few years ago and ended up bed bound for almost a year. It also comes with brain fog which doesn't lend itself well to finance.

Like others, I mostly WFH so am able to work with a cold etc without worrying about spreading it around. If I was due to go into the office that day, I would cancel (I only go in for a change of scenery really, as my team are based all over the country).

I haven't had a day off sick in four years, although recently I've had a couple of instances where I would have been off if it hadn't been the weekend or an A/L day 😐

If they can’t work from home than I think that they should call in sick. It’s not fair on the other people, working in close proximity to that person, to be exposed to all these bugs and viruses and then have to become ill themselves.

"If they can’t work from home than I think that they should call in sick. It’s not fair on the other people, working in close proximity to that person, to be exposed to all these bugs and viruses and then have to become ill themselves."

That's then assuming that they get more than ssp. Many people simply cannot afford to be off sick:

Or are worried about the sickness tripping absence meetings at work. Again many companies have strict policies about the number of sickness absences before measures are taken.

My work just piles up when I'm off sick so I have to be completely unable to function before I call in sick because I'd rather keep plodding through my work then have a few days off and come vadk to a nightmare.

I'm rather envious of people who have the sort of job where you don't have to catch up on missed work like when i worked in a shop.

I work from home so never take a sick day, I am also the only person to do my job so there is not really anyone to call in sick too. I always know when I have something on the way virus wise so I get ahead of myself in preparation so I can then work at a slower pace (or not at all depending how bad I am) for a few days.

Yes, of course, you are right. I guess in an ideal world a person wouldn’t need to think twice about this, but I appreciate that for many people it’s not possible just to take a day off, like that.

I don’t think it’s an issue with merit. But rather of finances aka

• you are on zero hour contract so won’t get paid
• ssp only so can’t afford it
• already have taken some sick leave - worried that you’ll end up being fired

And then you have the general attitude (like yourself idk?) that you are supposed to be working into your death bed if you are a ‘good employee and not lazy’. This general attitude that people who aren’t working are lazy, unreliable and generally awful people ‘who are working the system’ is all over. From taking ‘too much sick days’ to benefit ‘scroungers’, the idea is the same. You’re not allowed to be ill unless stuck in a bed.

But if you’re not working (whilst wfh) surely you should be taking those as sick days??
I know it looks good. And if you have enough flexibility in your work, you will be able to get away with it (dh certainly does).
But the reality is that you have been ill like everyone else. Just privileged enough to be able to hide it.

If I have d and v but not feel too bad then i might try and work from home doing admin, but not allowed in work (NHS) until 2 days clear even if feeling well by then.

Also if I can't drive for any reason like when I hurt my wrist as I visit people in their homes. I can do some work from home so would do that if feel well enough even if I couldn't drive.

If I feel too unwell to concentrate or look at the screen (migrain for instance) then I am off sick. I do get very good sick pay though which helps.

It's simply impossible to ring in sick every time you get a cold, especially if you happen to be prone to them or if you have young children constantly infecting the home.

Most of us would lose our jobs I'm afraid.

When you’d be incapable of doing your job.
Or infections so putting your colleagues at risking of catching what you’ve got.

I'm actively throwing up all day - well whenever I eat or drink anything. If I had to go into an office I'd be off sick but I don't have an office so I'm working - I do get sick pay but try to save it for if I'm REALLY sick,

What if sick leave is unpaid?

Here in the NHS you get grilled by the Spanish Inquisition, guilt tripped and threatened with the next grade of sickness up so I'd have to be dead really. I just go in with a mask and visor if its anything infectious which makes me even more miserable.

I have to be pretty unwell. I have to set work for my classes, which may or may not get done. My colleagues will have to cover for me. I'd rather go in and have a day of poster/research/video lessons, than try and fill in the cover form with all those lessons by 7:15am.
Having said that, going home in the middle of the day is even more disruptive, so if I don't think I can make it through an hour long commute, a work day where I am up and down lots of stairs, and another hour commute home, I don't go in.

I'm a nurse in the private sector so don't get sick pay. Single mum of 3 so I work even when I'm really unwell. Only really go off with d&v (that I've most likely caught from work) or very very severe flu. I once worked the day after being hospitalised with a kidney infection. I discharged myself after IV fluids n antibiotics. Not my finest move but I have kids to feed.

I suppose it's more complicated than just yes everyone should stay home whenever they have something contagious.
Obviously if you're vomiting or shitting your knickers then that should be a given, or if you're in hospital/unconscious/limbs hanging off/dying then you should be at home.

However if you have a cold or cough, i'd personally prefer you not be around me. I know I'm exposed on the bus/shop/from my kids school/from my husband's work etc so there isn't much that can be done.

I suppose it's similar to some of the old COVID advice. If you can work from home, then work from home. If you can't then you can't.

My sick leave went down enormously when WFH. I had quite a long drive and it was making the journey safely that put me off attempting to get in when feeling unwell. WFH you get more of a chance to sleep in and take regular breaks throughout the day so I imagine people powering through will have a quicker recovery time if they are working at home rather than dragging themselves in.

I think it's bad that people who are in roles working with the public are often the ones who don't get sick pay (and obvs no chance to WFH) so are more likely to be going in and spreading it around .

I had hoped that following the pandemic there would be a better culture around this .

I don't think there's a black and white answer for this, it's been different depending on what else is going on and my state of mind.

For most of my career (nearly 40 years!) I've been a power on through and don't let anything stop you type, but I had two spells, one when realtionships at work were going very badly and once after a bereavement, when getting through any day was so difficult, if I wasn't in top physical shape I really wasn't fit to do anything.

Like a lot of people, I am far less likely to take a sick day now I work hybrid. If I have a bad cough or cold, I just work from home rather than go into the office.

I don't necessarily think it's a good thing. It probably is for my company, but I end up pushing through because I can sit in my PJs at my desk at home, or take a nap on my lunch break. I'd probably recover more quickly if I actually took a day off sick and stayed in bed!

I did take three days off sick last year when I had a horrible virus and could barely get out of bed (I think it was COVID tbh) but that's the most sick leave I've had in a very long time.