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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To not go to work tomorrow?

35 replies

iheartmycat · 08/02/2013 00:07

Felt like shit for days, went to gp tonight and been diagnosed with chest infection. Can't sleep cos lying down makes me cough and wheeze even more. Joints ache, head aches...moan moan moan. line manager obsessed with my sick leave and I'm currently on a second stage absence review for having a week off in October with a bad back and a day off in January with stomach pain (awaiting surgery for this). I was sent home from work at lunchtime today cos I was so obviously not well my cough was driving them crazy aibu to take tomorrow off even tho they,re monitoring my absence?

OP posts:

Annakin31 · 08/02/2013 00:10

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LittleTyga · 08/02/2013 00:11

Poor you. Take day off - it's obvious you're ill. Worry about work when you get your strength back. It happens when you're ill you tend to catch everything going! Wish you better.

ThatVikRinA22 · 08/02/2013 00:12

actually i say bollocks to that. if you are ill you are ill. is the job worth your health? if so go in
if not dont.

wineandroses · 08/02/2013 00:13

I have a test for myself before I decide whether or not I can go to work if I feel ill - I get up and have a shower and a cup of tea. If I feel relatively ok, then I go to work. If I feel like falling over, I stay home. Mostly, I go to work.

babiesinslingsgetcoveredinfood · 08/02/2013 00:14

I've just started a thread where I want my DH to be off to help me as I've got bronchitis. If its the same thing, stay off & rest up. You'll make yourself worse otherwise. It is worrying though.

McNewPants2013 · 08/02/2013 00:16

Do you work weekend, if not its just 1 more day.

It is up to you ofcouse and I would say stay at home, but what will happen if you take the day off

LeChatRouge · 08/02/2013 00:17

Ring your line manager as soon as you know she is in. Tell her what the doc said and what your course of treatment is (if any?). Ask her if she wants you to come in considering its an infection? Let her decide.

Jinsei · 08/02/2013 00:18

If you're genuinely too ill to go to work, then you shouldn't go in. Quite apart from your own health, it isn't fair to your colleagues to spread your germs around.

But why is your line manager obsessed with your sick leave and how come you are on a second stage review after only six days off?

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 08/02/2013 00:18

If you have a chest infection, not sleeping, achey joints and possibly infectious to boot, really can you do your job in this state?

I used to always drag myself into work- migrane, colds, broken toe , even the day after a 7 week miscarriage .
Then I was at a lecture where the speaker was talking about a patient who was sueing the practioner who treated her "He shouldn't have treated me, he wasn't well enough"

And it was like an epiphany. WTF was I dragging myself in ill? To make myself worse?

Follow your instincts cat.See how you are tomorrow then decide.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 08/02/2013 00:21

wine I used to drop my DC at nursery en route to work, so by the time I got ready and got them ready and drove them, I knew one way or t'other.
And after all that effort, I was practically there

Original poster

iheartmycat · 08/02/2013 00:25

Thanks for the opinions, I,ll see how I am in the morning - maybe I could take a half day or something in the afternoon. I had 8 days off earlier in the year when I was hospitalised with stomach pain, we have to have reviews if you,re off more than 3 times in a year and I just seem to constantly trigger the reviews, despite having the lowest amount of days off in the team!!

OP posts:

StuntGirl · 08/02/2013 00:26

I had a raging chest infection a few years ago and it floored me. Only you know if you're well enough to go in. I know when I had mine there was no way, I was off for the whole week. If you decide to stay off as long as you keep your manager informed I would worry about the meetings later.

Original poster

iheartmycat · 08/02/2013 00:26

Tho gp did say was probably viral flu bug thing, line manager is pregnant, maybe should stay off for her sake?

OP posts:

Original poster

iheartmycat · 08/02/2013 00:28

Hmm gp did advise to go home, rest and that it will probably take a few days to start feeling better. Have serious underlying heart condition and had pneumonia a few years ago, and I'm always scared of not nipping Chet infections in the bud, if you know what I mean.

OP posts:

ThisIsMummyPig · 08/02/2013 00:28

Can you book emergency leave (holiday) on the day? Where I work people do that to aviod hitting the sick triggers

wineandroses · 08/02/2013 00:37

70isalimit, yeah, pretty much not worth turning back then is it? My parents were always a bit sceptical about days off school or work, unless I was clearly close to death. Guess I've kept the same ethos. DH's family (medical people) generally believe there's nothing wrong with anyone in the family unless they can't stand up, so our DD has little chance of much time off school! Caveat - exceptions made for infectious diseases.

Jinsei · 08/02/2013 00:39

Ah, if you have had 14.5 days off in the last year and you have the lowest number of sick days in the team, that might explain why your manager is obsessed with sickness absence. There must be a huge amount of time lost to absence in the team as a whole, and somebody is probably on her case about it.

Having said that, it sounds like she is just following procedures - you have hit the trigger so you have to have a review. What are the consequences if you are sick again while still on review. Will it go straight to a third stage, and if so, what does that mean?

If the consequences are serious, then you might well be better off taking a day as annual leave. Did they refer you to occ health when you were off with the back problem?

Jinsei · 08/02/2013 00:43

Would your heart condition be regarded as a disability, and if so, have you declared this? Might make a difference to their approach, but only if there is an impact on your current illness.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 08/02/2013 00:46

AFAIK - I can self certificate for one week (5 working days).

One day counts as an episode if I'm just off a day, but if I'm off then go back too early and go off again, it is counted as 2 even if it's the same illness.

If you go back you are saying that you are fit to work.

I can (sort of) see why people take a whole week off sick leave,

Original poster

iheartmycat · 08/02/2013 00:53

That's a good idea re phoning in the morning and seeing if I can take a days annual leave, that might save any hassle. I,ve never had a day off where I didn't see a gp (ie if I'm not sick enough to be needing medical attention I'm not sick enough to be off) yet you see others in the team have weeks and weeks off at a time, yet it's only classed as one 'absence' under the policy.

I just find it all incredibly stressful on top of feeling rotten!!!

OP posts:

Jinsei · 08/02/2013 00:55

Yes, if it's only the number of episodes that triggers the review process. Our policy has a range of triggers - multiple episodes but also total number of days. Makes more sense in my view.

If you'll be penalised for going back then going off again, then you might as well stay at home till you're fully recovered. Presumably your half day this afternoon will be counted as an "episode"?

Hope you feel better soon.

Sausagedog27 · 08/02/2013 07:50

Take it off. You might be under review but if you have visited your gp and have it documented there isn't an awful lot they can say. I had similar where I used to work. It makes me so angry that the people who take time off for hangovers etc spoil it for the rest of you.

You sound v poorly and don't want to risk it getting worse.

Wishing you a speedy recovery op.

drownangels · 08/02/2013 08:01

At the moment people at my work are going in when they are really ill and with good reason.
There are going to be redundancies next year and who goes is decided on a matrix system. Most people have a similar length of service and relevant qualifications and supervisions. The decider is sickness record over the previous two years. Nobody wants any sickness on their record and dragging themselves to work in all sorts of conditions.

It's not fair on them, our colleagues and the public we work with, but perfectly understandable.

WhenSheWasBadSheWasHopeful · 08/02/2013 08:04

I really feel for you. We have a similar situation at my work. If you are off sick more than twice in a twelve month period you will have a return to work interview which is just an opportunity to bollock you re your "frequent" absences from work.

I am allowed to be sick again at the end of March, I've been ill all his week and have been dragging myself in and just doing a really shit job

McNewPants2013 · 08/02/2013 08:05

I would post in legal to see what your employment right are regarding your heart problem and sick leave.

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