to wish people didnt do the 'brave little soldier' thing

[NearlyMrsCustardsHardHat]

If you have the lurgy stay home!

We've had people turning up with coughs and colds and chest infections and all sorts at work and now i have a sore throat and chesty cough and im asthmatic and don't need it. Surely they aren't productive in that state?

And for good measure woe is me.

poor you.

I think, in the nicest possible way, oh poorly person, YABU. People simply can't take to their beds every time they have the snuffles. A cough or a cold are not take to your bed ailments. They really aren't. Chest infection yes, if you've got a raging chest infection that's bloody painful (I am also asthmatic. I also get a lot of chest infections. It feels like every time I get a cold it goes right to my bloody chest )

But I still think that people just can't take a day off every time they've a minor illness. Some of these are irritations and nothing more. Some sneezing and a runny nose, a cough. If people only pitched up at work/got out of bed/did anything when they were feeling 100% - most businesses would go bust, and most homes would look like an episode of How Clean Is Your House

You need to protect yourself too - wash your hands regularly, don't touch your face/eyes/mouth etc. That's how most colds etc are passed on (I did this when pregnant when swine flu broke out first time and worked in an office).

Maybe people can't afford to take sick leave every time they have a cold, it soon all adds up and I don't think employers would be impressed either. I know how you feel but I think YABU I'm afraid, people can't always put their lives on hold for a minor illness like a cold, much as we would like to retreat under the duvet and stay there there are livings to be earned.

It's difficult, at my work they use something called "Bradford scoring". If your points are over 365 you don't get paid. I had 2 emergency operations then a planned one within 4 months and couldn't take paid sick for 9 months. Weighing up a days pay against snot and coughin meant I worked.
I do sympathise with you though, unfortunately some people ruin it for others. My work brought in this scoring as so many people took odd days off sick

I agree with hecate. Some people get a LOT of colds and so would never be at work. But sorry you are feeling so ill.

Sorry you are feeling so crap :(

Unfortunately most of us have no choice but to work through coughs, colds & chest infections . I 'use & flush' tissues, wash my hands regularly and do all I can to limit spreading any germs to anyone else - but sadly I cannot take the day off everytime I get a sniffle.

Oh i know iabu im just having a whinge really as my sickness record is appalling. Im just as bad though and still go in even when im on deaths door and let the boss send me home so yeah i am being a touch hypocritical there.

A lot of companies also 'discipline' you if you take more than a couple of periods of sickness in one year. To take time off for colds could mean a fast track to a P45.

I get what you mean - I am training to be a chef and as part of my course I have to take health & safety exams. It's quite scary learning about all the different food-borne illnesses there are and what they can do to your body, not to mention how easy it is to contaminate someone's meal with bacteria/viruses unintentionally!

The problem is you are told these 'offical rules' like the fact that if you have any vomiting or the squits (can't spell the correct word!) they you are not allowed to return to work in a food or drink environment until 48 hours after your symptoms have gone.

In reality, if you told your employer you were ill a lot of them would either say 'well come in anyway, we're busy and we need you' or threaten to fire you if you have time off - this happened to a friend of mine from college, she was unfortunate to contract norovirus 4 days before christmas and her boss told her if she didn't come in she couldn't come back.

She lost her job :(

I appriciate that companies cannot afford for people to be taking days off all the time but it is important that when you are genuinely ill that you can take the days off you need to recover - not just for your own health, but all those people you could potentially infect - without fear of ramifications or snide comments from co-workers!

A Thing I have noticed - when I worked in a school, I was sick All The Fucking Time. And then my kids would get it. Or they would get something at school, and I would get it.

I've been working from home for 2 years now. I've had no colds/ flu/ D&V. Kids are healthier too.

Solution: Isolation bubbles.

I hate working with people who are ill. I just know that I'm going to get it and pass it onto all my kids and then finally my husband will nearly die from it! , but I also know how many companies treat people who take time off sick. We are allowed up to 3% sickness in any 26 week period before they start disciplinary action. As many of the staff are part-time this can equate to one shift. Any recent staff (taken on since 2008) don't get sickpay for the first 3 days absence either. Maybe they need to consider having areas for "sick people" a bit like the old smoking room!

i work in healthcare and we get told not to come into work with colds/viruses etc. all fine and dandy, til you get investigated for having more than 3 absences in a year which you only had because you followed their infection control policy and didnt bring your germ ridden self into work.
so your choice is to come in and spread your lurgey, which nobody will thank you for. or you can ring in sick (as per their policy) and get hauled over the coals by personnel for being off sick too much. cant bloody win

This is what I mean! How are you supposed to follow policy and not spread your illness around if you are in fear of getting into trouble for having too many days off! It's not fair :(

If only it were as easy as not getting sick in the first place, it's not exactly like you can help it!

i''l go in dying until im sent home

if i have the lurgy

YOUR GONNA HAVE IT TOO

Rock
Hard Place

It's a complete 'no win' situation :(