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😢

Very toxic and it’s not seeing the bigger picture. You end up risking multiple people at work coming down with the same illness and productivity nosediving more than it needed to if somebody had just stayed off.

I mentioned above I’ve picked up 3 cases of sinusitis from workplaces. Twice it was at the same workplace and we had multiple people off work with it or coming in being very unproductive. I also had the pleasure of getting a sickness bug at work because someone came in with a, “dodgy stomach,” and stayed at work despite being sick at work 3 times. They thought it best to carry on and not say anything. 😬Oh and of course they’d been in and out of the kitchen multiple times. Half the people that worked in the building were off with it then.

I would go in and basically show them how sick you - then get sent home.

You don't get a high temperature with a cold.
It sounds like it could be something like tonsillitis, and you should seek medical advice.

Fuck her colleagues. She needs to keep the job.

I'd drag myself in and explain that I'm not firing on all cylinders due to illness.

This has happened to me twice

started a new job in sainsbos once, felt ill on my first day, struggled in on my second thinking I’d be ok and then then went downhill rapidly with the shivers, headache, sore throat, luckily hr were lovely and sent me home saying I really did look and sound awful.

the second time was in the hospital, started new job, within a week I’d caught c diff and was so bloody poorly. I was off for 10 days and lost nearly a stone.

can’t be helped sometimes, I’d stay off with a temp of 39 tbh, especially if your rough

Did you go in? I would just be really genuine and apologetic on the phone. The timing is unfortunate but these things happen!
I think that is better than going in and not being able to do the job properly because you're unwell and then risking others getting sick too.

go in do your best. Get sent home then they’ll know your genuine

I was very ill a month into a new job in the past, I had horrendous food poisoning and took 4 out of 5 days off. The 5th day I went in I felt so weak and almost cried in front of my boss and really should have just taken the full week and come back when I was over the worst. Nobody ever cares about these things as much as you think they do.

Having a temperature that high sounds like more than a cold.

@ChoosingMyOwnRandomUsername the full picture being if the company are going to be clear from the off that they don’t see their employees as humans and give them the grace to believe it’s unfortunate timing rather than slacking, then that’s a company that are always going to treat you as a machine and say good riddance.

And attitudes like yours and others on here about performing perfection as an employee are the reason so many people go to work and infect all round them. Something being normalised doesn’t make it ‘right’.

That’s before we even get to what level of work does someone with a temperature and dosed to the eyeballs put in. I don’t want someone half out of it making decisions or engaging with clients.

It’s presenteeism for the sake of optics. Benefits no one except extremely shit managers and people brain rotted by corporation logic.

I say that as someone ex big corporation and a current employer who has to actively stop myself regressing to that same short sighted attitude because ‘it’s what you do’.

Depends how many colds you have. Average is a couple a year so yes you could take time off when it's at its worst, usually days 2-3.

I do think that in this situation, I would go to work if I could, but then tell them early in the morning if I couldn't get through the day as some employers unfortunately do discriminate against people who are ill right at the beginning.

Shit happens, and people get ill. Explain the situation exactly to your manager. You can't go in when you're at death's door with a 39 degree temperature - even if you physically could, would it look better to do a shit job and infect everyone around you? You're not going to be able to do anything even if you do go in so you won't make a good impression anyway, and you'll just end up even worse and needing to take more time off.

E: I had just started a new very competitive probationary period (me vs three other people) but had to start a week late as I was hospitalised for sepsis. I ended up getting the job. People shouldn't count genuine illness against you.

There is absolutely no way I’d take my 2nd day of employment off.

As an employer I’d also look completely unfavourably on anyone who did. It looks absolutely appalling.

Then you are terrible employer.

I can't believe the number of posts telling OP to 'drag herself in', 'show them she is sick', 'get sent home'.

Nonsense. I manage a team. I recruit people that I trust and that I treat as professionals. If someone tells me they are too ill to work, I take that as the truth and wish them well to recover. Whatever day of their employment that is. We are adults, I respect them. And it's not my job to manage other adults, in terms of telling them to go home if they have dragged themselves in unwell.

If of course there is an ongoing pattern of unsustainable sickness, that's another matter. But getting sick on day 2 is absolutely no issue in itself.

If you had a bad case of flu or meningitis or a migraine etc, you'd have no choice but to take time off. Maybe you've never been seriously ill (yet) but there really are times when people are so ill they cannot physically go to work, no matter how much they want to. Also, there are times when it would be irresponsible to spread your germs about.

This happened to me once - I was so ill on my second day! I got to the bus stop then had to turn back home. They told me not to come back, but it was only a temp role!

You have to go in. You can't call in sick on your second day, ffs.

Yes, you should drag yourself in. It looks horrific and you only have a cold. Trust me, no matter what your employer says, calling in sick on your second day it a terrible look

Several years ago, l had an appointment with a private doctor. An obviously unwell woman came into the waiting room saying she had been up all night with flu but couldn't possibly miss her appointment. I am sure that the practice would have been very happy to postpone her appointment to another time. As it was, two days later, I came down with flu and had to miss a week of work. I felt truly rotten and I still wonder how many other people she might have infected. The timing is far from ideal but I think @xogossipgirlxo's colleagues would rather she made a swift recovery by looking after herself at home rather than potentially infecting numerous people at work and anyone else she might come into contact with en route; thus inadvertently causing hundreds of working hours to be lost.

I manage a team and I absolutely would not want you to drag yourself in. I wouldn't hold it against you long term either.
I think I'd be more annoyed if you came in ill.

Thanks, however I think we do alright.

We had an employee recently use her full 2 year rolling sickness allocation in her first year of employment. Someone off on the sick with back issues, redecorating her house. People mysteriously always ill on a Monday, when their social media shows their super busy social weekend.

Call me cynical (genuinely not bothered if you do), but I wait to be convinced someone isn’t going to be a constant sick note, because there’s no way of knowing otherwise when you employ them. People don’t lead in with “I like taking time off because my nail has broken.”

There are far too many people who call in sick with a cold, a snotty nose, a headache, not “feeling 100%.”

Do a covid test

An adult should not be “sent home”.
OP is fully capable of deciding if she is well enough to go in. Of course a little sniffle then go in but high temp, feeling dreadful etc she should not be in work.

Don’t go in. I hate it when people who are really ill come into work expecting to be “sent home” by their managers.

Call your boss - explain the situation and apologise for the timing but unfortunately nothing you can do - it is just one of those things that you can’t control. As a manger I would respect someone a lot more if they did this than come in feeling dreadful and spread their germs around.

Could you message your apologies and say you’ll work extra hours to make it up. Just to show willing.

I'd have considered that a worse crime before covid.

The company will lose out more if OP goes in and spreads germs around, causing more people to be off.