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 once had to take 3 sick days in my first week. I felt terrible doing it, but my face was swollen like a football.
It was fine.
Stay at home and keep your germs to yourself.

I had to do this once when I had tonsillitis, couldn't be helped, they were fine about it. The first few days are usually just training anyway. It may have helped that I looked very rough on the first day!

I also once had to go to a funeral on the 2nd day in a job but at least I could pre warn them about that!

Absolutely a lot of reaching. No idea of that person was Typhoid Mary or not and it’s all office legend. But whatever caused that incident had a huge financial impact that year. Had I not been there, I couldn’t have believed something could have taken out so many people.

Tbh I haven’t ever taken my temperature as an adult, to me that’s something you do to see if children are sick.

as others have said it’s a raised temperature for an evening, it’s not serious, just to be expected when you have an infection.

it comes down to whether OP is able to work, which only she knows. (And at 10am, is well sorted by now)

Of course you should stay at home, doesn’t matter if it’s your 2nd day. I can’t believe people put their company and work work colleagues before themselves. You’re just going to make yourself more unwell by going in. I don’t understand this mindset of pushing yourself into school and work when you have a fever

I had to do this a few years ago, was also my second day. I had D&V so really couldn't go in. I was also absolutely mortified.

But unfortunately germs and bugs have no care of when they inconvenience you so if you feel you really can't go in then call in sick. If they are a good employer they will understand.

The op is on day 2 of a probable cold and day 1 of fever. 'Not able to bring down at home' doesn't apply here, nowhere near yet.

You do understand that a cold is a virus right? And that the level of temperature is not indicative of severity of illness, with a virus? Ie. you can have a mild cold and a temp of 39.5 and you can have severe Covid or flu with a temp of 38.

Day 2 of the sniffles is absolutely 'take a lemsip and soldier on' territory 😂

Hmm.. if it’s a virus.. and sounds like it.. antibiotics won’t fix it !

I would go in. You have a bad cold. I will be honest - if you can post on MN then you can go in. Hopefully someone will send you home but it will look really bad if you call in sick on your second day.

No one can stay at home everytime they have a cold. Can you work from home. Offer that perhaps.

"if you can post on MN then you can go in"

That's just patent nonsense.

Honestly, i can’t believe the number of posters saying the OP should struggle in and then be sent home. Do your work places treat you like children? I’m an adult, I know when I am too sick to go in to work. My boss doesn’t need the hassle of me coming to work, spreading my germs, and then having to make a judgement about whether I need to go home/see a GP! Madness.

It's unfortunate but any reasonable and responsible employer should understand you are too unwell to work. I also dont think it is fair on other employees some of whom may be vulnerable due to the potential spreading of germs.Hope you feel better soon

What's all this talk of 'putting people at risk'? This was never a widespread concern pre-Covid. How many people are really 'at risk'? Even with Covid, being around someone with Covid wasn't a guarantee you'd catch it.

Plus no one’s going to risk their own job/pay for the sake of some random they might be sharing a train carriage with

It's her second day - that's the issue, not an employee who was two years, or even two months in.

That employer attitudes to sickness and absence are often unreasonable does not change the reality: calling in sick on your second day of a job with what sounds like a bad cold will look terrible and could well result in not passing probation. Most people need their jobs to afford to live, we have no protection against dismissal other than discrimination in relation to protected characteristics for the first 2 years (will go back to 1 year in 2027 afaik but is 2 years for now) of employment, and many employers will not see a bad cold as the sort of illness that justifies absence.

It's not remotely ok, but it is reality.

The OP has worked for this company for 8 hours! Cannot others not see how terrible that will look. They dont even know her.

Maybe if more people reacted to illness with the benefit of the doubt and 'get some rest, hope you feel better soon!' instead of enabling the punitive idea that people are taking the piss by being unwell, it would eventually lead to a nicer work culture.

I hate commenters that say “just go in if you have a cold”.. Some people have compromised immune systems, for you it’s just a cold, for someone else it could be like flu.

Believe me you’re dealing with somebody here who was saying we should be returning things back to normal during the Rona years in 2020. I’m not someone who advocates taking time off work for a sniffle.

Yes, I do know that a cold is a virus and yes, I also know what a temperature indicates. We have several nurses in my family, so I have picked up a fair bit of knowledge.

I also know from experience that a temperature of 39 or above and being at work when you’ve barely slept is not fun. Been there, done it, bought the t-shirt. But it’s not just that. The OP also has a headache and very sore throat and their face feels tender to the touch like it does when you have sinusitis. I’ve gone to work with symptoms like that before - not all at once - and you don’t receive any thanks for it.

It sounds like OP could have a throat infection, possibly even a sinus infection. I’ve picked up 3 cases of sinusitis from workplaces in the past and 2 of them took months to fully clear. I wouldn’t want half my team coming down with something like that. If you would be the martyr that goes into work with those symptoms, bully for you.

I have never ever been to work with a fever. Not even at the beginning of jobs. Not that I am ill that often. I do go to the walk in health service where I live though and get a note. I have never been fired from anywhere. I do wish this culture of thinking people are taking the piss when they are ill is buried forever. So toxic.

Surely this is relevant. If you're stocking shelves or cleaning rooms go in if you're dealing with sick vulnerable people face to face don't.

It's unfortunate, but these things happen. My sister lost her voice after a respiratory infection the day before she was due to start a new job, and I know somebody who had to leave an hour after arriving for the first day of a new, very senior position because his mother-in-law died unexpectedly.
If the OP has a flu-type illness she will not be fit for work anyway.

Are you driving ie. Not on public transport as I’d go in, don’t go near colleagues, stand a reasonable distance from manager and say I didn’t want to not come in as second day but I also don’t want people to get ill, I didn’t want you to think I was taking the Mickey, so shall I continue to work, and proceed to go home.

but if you were appearing fine yestderag they will think you’re taking the piss.

This makes me so sad. Obviously OP shouldn't consider going to work like this but clearly there is a culture where she must.