2nd day of new job calling in sick ????

[xogossipgirlxo]

I’m mortified. I had bit of cold yesterday, took paracetamol and ibuprofen, went to my first day at new job. You know what it’s like, adrenaline keeps you going, but I came home and felt really really run down. I barely slept at night, because meds didn’t really work. I know it’ll look bad calling in sick on my second day but I’m genuinely ill, my temperature is about 39C, my throat is aching so much, shivers, headache, my face feels really tender to touch on my cheeks like it is with sinusitis. Are they going to think I’m taking the mickey? I was so upbeat yesterday, really enjoyed my first day, I’m gutted today😢

I’d be going in. Unless you’re at death’s door, this will look very bad.

Why?? Surely this is the worst of both worlds because it still gets spread round the office.

Some mad comments here. I would not be particularly bothered if someone missed their second day. If anything, I would feel sorry for them. You can’t help being ill!

Although it’s too late now to reply I am doing so anyway because that’s how the internet works. I would try to go to work if I could in this situation as I imagine so would you OP. If you were too unwell to go to work then I would suggest telling your employer that. Also mention that this is as inconvenient and disappointing to you as it is to them as you feel happy with your new employment and don’t want to let them down. People get sick sometimes and I assume that missing work due to this isn’t a regular occurrence for you otherwise you wouldn’t be asking a bunch of strangers on the internet. I would hope your new employer would give the benefit of the doubt in this situation and you would prove to be reliable after this. If not, there is always a better job for you?

Honestly staggered by the comments on this post. If you’ve got a fever you will feel terrible and in no fit state to work. Of course it’s not ideal to be off sick on your second day in a new job and of course you’ll feel awful about it but that doesn’t mean you should ‘man up’ and go in. Be honest, say you’ve got a fever and you’re not well enough to be in work. It happens and if they’re a half decent employer they’ll be totally fine about it. I really can’t imagine sacking anyone for being ill on their second day.. and I work in HR.

Happened to me once. I'd managed to get viral pharyngitis the day after leaving my old job and was very very ill. Temp of over 40° and I honestly felt like death. That was the day before I was due to start. Brand new job!! I did go in- even though I probably wasn't safe to drive, and they took one look at me and sent me home!
if you can drag yourself in I'd say do it just because new job etc

I think some people just hear/read a certain set of symptoms and think 'that's just a cold'. I mean, some people dismiss Covid as a cold now FFS 🙄, and I do think some people who've never had flu think it's just a bad cold. And I bet a lot of the 'pull yourself together, dose yourself up and go in' brigade would soon change their tune if someone came to work with Covid or flu and passed it on to them.

I would go in. First impressions etc. My current job first two weeks had a bad cough turned out it was non infectious stage of whooping cough so any sickie since then people have thought must be genuine. Wear a mask, isolate, take tablets but I would go.

It is SHOCKING how many people say dose yourself up and go in. It's clearly not just a cold is it? OP has a fever and it isn't coming down with meds.

Please don't force yourself to go in, can you work from home in your job? If not, call in sick. If you spread to somebody vulnerable or the whole office/place goes down with it they won't be impressed. Absoloutley moronic to tell you to dose up and go in. Hope you feel better soon!

So refreshing. It’s making my blood boil to think that some people would think it possible to go in with a flu like illness and to spread their germs around. Irresponsible. Any human manager would understand.

I think you did the right thing OP - sometimes you are too ill and you would have spread your germs

This. Any decent employer will understand.

She may not die but vulnerable people do

I hope you are starting to feel better.
No way you could of worked with a fever

Absolutely do not go in. The person who sits next to you could be going on a trip of a lifetime, their wedding, to visit their grandson. You get the picture. You are ill. Stay at home. These things happen. If I was your boss it would not bother me at all. If you kept having random days off throughout the next few months then it would bother me.

@LivelyJadeLeader You are ridiculous
I do not want a colleague of 20 years nor 2 days coming in and spreading their germs.
Do you realise that us people "sitting on our lazy butts all day" need our brains to do our job and our brains are compromised by headaches, temperatures and sickness?
Yes, there are some people that take the piss but I was not one of them when I contracted flu four days into a new job (over 20 years ago) and neither is @xogossipgirlxo

This happened to me in my job. I’m still there six years later. It happens!

If you're ill, you're ill. Presumably they could see you weren't right on your first day, so knew you weren't skiving.

Anyway you are way better than one lady I employed some years ago. 2 hours into her first day asked to go home sick.

Lazy butts? I have a desk job and whilst yes it's not very physical, I support 100's of clients with their health and safety needs and I can't begin to tell you how hard and fast I have to work, the liability, the ridiculous deadlines! My partner has a desk job and he has the IT network of a entire hospital trust on his shoulders and ask does some late nights and weekends. What makes you better than everyone else? Imagine your loved one gets rushed into hospital after taking severely ill or having a car accident but the networks gone down so your loved one in a critical state can't have x-rays and scans! Imagine my partner is off sick and can't fix it and that he got sick because you attacked one his colleagues and bullied them online to go into work with a bad virus that has swept through the IT department? See how horrific your attitude is! And your sick belief that everybody except you is lazy!

I had to be off with my sick child on my second day in my current job, I felt terrible but his temperature was high and there was nobody else to have him.

I've been there 2 years now.

would they have noticed you were coming down with something when you were in yesterday? It’s not great at all, but it depends on your place of work. I work with vulnerable older people, so I would send you home immediately. Also, if I was about to jet off on holiday, I wouldn’t appreciate a dose of the lurgy from you!

There's no way to avoid getting a cold from someone else other than living as a hermit.

Anyone with a cold, whether showing symptoms or not, is contagious for 2 weeks. There's no way it is practical for everyone to stay off work / work from home for 2 weeks every time they catch a cold. Adults catch about 4 colds a year and kids catch about 10 and they spread them around to everyone else.

Cold germs are everywhere, in the street, in the supermarket, the restaurant, the cinema, the bus, the train, taxis, the lift, on handrails, door knobs, supermarket trolleys, any surface that people touch.

I find people on here are very odd about sickness. You've only just started the job. Phone them and let them know you are unwell and have a high temperature. It's really not the end of the world. Communication is important and they will appreciate you being honest. What would look bad on your 2nd day is not turning up and changing your phone number lol! But seriously, please don't spread what you have around the office. I worked somewhere once that rewarded presenteeism with cash and gifts and every type of flu spread (including swine and bird flu!) through that place and took so many people out at once.

EXACTLY.

All of this. I am utterly shocked by the number of posters telling the OP to go into work regardless, and I hope none of them are managers. If she goes in she will risk infecting her new colleagues, some of whom may have low immunity or live with people who do. What if one of them were to become seriously ill as a result? Then the OP really would make a bad impression at work.