to go to work sick

[mommy2ash]

I have a feeling this might divide opinions as I can both sides of it myself.

Today I was the topic of discussion in work as I currently have pretty bad cough and head cold.

I have doses myself up as best I can, cough into tissue paper, keep to myself and have used hand sanitiser every two minutes.

My cough is worsened by the air con and high level of perfume and hair spray other colleagues apply as well as cigarette smoke.

I work in an office non customer facing doing an admin job. My colleagues felt it was selfish of me to come to work.

I honestly do feel bad and don't want to annoy anyone but I have been sick for over a week now. I have paid 60 euro to visit the doctor who said it is viral and he can't prescribe anything. My employer doesn't offer any sick pay and you can't use a days holiday or make the time up. So any sick day you take is unpaid. I can't afford to miss up to a weeks pay before I am better.

Am I being really unfair to my colleagues? How sick are you before you decide you are too sick to work?

If you can't afford it, you can't afford it

I haven't taken a day off in 12 years as I'm also self employed. I've been 'lucky' enough to get sick over Christmas though.

If it's just a cold with associated cough then YANBU to go to work. Colds are a fact of life. So long as you are taking precautions like coughing into a tissue (nb- most hand sanitisers will NOT work against a cold virus, you need to be washing your hands properly after coughing and sneezing) then there's not a lot you can really do. And it's not unusual for the cough to remain for a good few weeks after you've actually fought off the virus- are you supposed to stay off all that time?

Your employer IBVU not to offer sick pay - because this is exactly the kind of behaviour it encourages.

Missed a bit- my 'too sick for work' means actually vomiting, or being ill enough that I can't safely drive myself into work.

Surely your employer has to give sick pay by law?

www.gov.uk/statutory-sick-pay/overview

My employer does pay sick pay and provided I could drive and struggle through the day I'd be at work under those circumstances.

Seeing as the OP is using Euros, I'm guessing UK law doesn't apply to them. :)

I've usually go into work (I work with horses so someone needs to be there regardless!) and if I feel rubbish I'll do what I need to do and then find something I can do sitting down. (There's always paperwork or tack cleaning to do.)

I never go to work with a bad cold because I think it's unfair on my colleagues but I get sick pay so it's not as big a deal for me.

Well, when your colleagues decide to pay for your sick leave they can stfu about it. They work at a place that doesn't allow time off for being sick, so this is just part of the reality of the place they work in until the policies change. If they have a problem they should talk to the people in charge and ask them to put in sick days so problems like this don't happen again.

We have this problem in the US. It's against sanitation code to come in sick, and can get the company shut down for a few days if someone vomits behind the counter. But food places don't offer sick pay, and they don't pay very much. Or.. if they do miss a day because they're sick they have to bring a doctor note, which can cost $100 per visit because low paid people have shitty insurance with high deductibles. So as you can imagine a missed day is a huge deal, since they are now out $100 plus a day's wage. People come in sick all the damn time, and can't go home unless a manager decides they are indeed sick to avoid the doctor's note fees. By that time, they've already brought their germs near all the food.

Anyway, yanbu. If they don't pay for sick days then they are obviously ok with sick people coming in, so you have nothing to worry about. The only selfish ones are the company leaders that are alright with making sick people work and possibly putting the whole floor out of commission during flu seasons because workers couldn't afford to stay home.

People at my workplace are awful for coming in sick. After a day or two, the person they sit next to comes down with it. I can almost see it creeping closer and closer to me until the inevitable happens!

I am glad you are taking some action to not spread it unlike my colleagues who inexplicably NEED to use my keyboard when ill but as the cold virus can be airborne, you're stuffing your colleagues over by risking their health. Do you work with anyone pregnant or immunosuppressed? You might do and not realise. Do your colleagues have no sick pay too?

I understand the pressure of money, but it doesn't stop it from being a selfish action.

I come into work unless it's a vomiting bug or tonsillitis which I get every year. It's not just a sore throat and last year I was admitted into hospital with it.

I am now a manager however so I really have to be in. Its shit really as if I could take two days off to have in bed and recover it would stop the colds lasting weeks on end.

My Dr told me the first sign of a cold have a few days off to get better without dragging it out but when your responsible for so much it's impossible. I have fully paid sick days but I can't take them!

I think my views on sick leave are at the more brutal end.

To me the idea of sick leave isn't quarantine - because the average cold is infectious for quite a generous window while people are still very much able to work. It's for when you are literally too ill to do your job.

This is probably my days in a pressureised research environment talking, but I do feel a bit sceptical toward people who ditch work because of a sniffle or a cough. There's a billions of germs and bugs on every doorhandle, pedestrian crossing button and handhold on the bus on my way to work, so you being home doesn't protect me much. If I wash my hands before I eat and don't let you lick my stationary I should be fine.

I personally do get a fair amount of minor colds and I can only think of one occassion where I obviously infected a colleague. I would have had about three extra weeks off this year if I'd taken sick leave for them.

Seconding what Punctastic and Senpai said. You and your colleagues should stop this discussion of who's being selfish and take the problem to management - their policies are the cause of it and it's on them to find a solution.

I understand the pressure of money, but it doesn't stop it from being a selfish action.

Yes, I very "selfishly" put providing for my family above other people. My children are not suffering for the greater good.

If this company offered sick days, and there was the option of reasonably staying home, you would have a point.

It's not selfish to go into work and earn a paycheck for your family when you really want to stay home and rest. In fact, I'd call it very selfless to continue working hard to provide food for them even though you don't want to at the moment.

I do feel for my colleagues and obviously don't want to make them ill but I don't see what choice I have. One day off won't cure it. It's that annoying persistent type of cough I will probably have for weeks. After two days my employer requires a sick note and I doubt my doctor would sign me off work and again that would be another 60 euro for the visit.

All that said I completely see where my colleagues are coming from and hope none of them get sick

OP, have you discussed the sick-pay issue with your colleagues? Now might be a good time to bring it up. Are you all in a union? Plus, what hellhole do you live in where an employer is allowed to require a sick note but doesn't have to provide sick pay to staff? And where every visit to a GP costs 60 EUR?

Well, I'm at work with a stinking cold right now (I'm on a break!) I would never consider going sick with a cold. I dose myself up with painkillers, sometimes combining paracetamol and ibuprofen to help me just get through the day.
Our sickness is closely monitored and there are repercussions if it dips below acceptable.
If your employer doesn't pay sick pay they, and your colleagues, should anticipate staff going to work while unwell and infectious. Surely the point of their policy is 'encouraging' staff to work unless they are seriously incapacitated?

I agree with a pp direct your colleagues to your management.

If I took time off every time I had a cold I would undoubtedly have a shit sickness record and my employer would be pissed off with me. Given that you are infectious before the symptoms are bad anyway there isn't much you can do anyway. I think you are doing what you can tbh. Ignore them. People like to bitch about all sorts.

You can't win with colleagues like this. They'd be talking about you, behind your back, if you'd "dropped them in it" by going sick with "just a cold"

LOL, uglyswan, that describes loads of places. Certainly US (except not euro!) and Ireland.

We do tend to forget how lucky we are in UK

Well colour me fucking appalled, MrPorky! I was fully aware that the US is a blasted post-apocalyptic wasteland as far as labour rights are concerned, but Ireland?!

I'm not in the UK, btw, and luck has nothing to do with it. Concerted union action, on the other hand, does...

Even in UK, there's no right to sick pay until you've been off for 4 days and then it's only £88 per week. Of course lots of employers are more generous, because of that union action but many aren't. Strange how many people think inconvenient strikes are outrageous though.

Ignore your colleagues, unless they travel to work in a hazmat suit. They don't really mean it anyway, you are taking it to heart because you are ill and a bit fragile. With a cold you are most infectious, and feeling most ill, while you look and sound fine. I do sometimes take time off sick - I've had something like 4.5 days this year, which I do think is a lot for someone who is essentially very healthy, but sod it, I find my job quite difficult and I work with people with very fragile health, I need to be on my game to work.

OP, could you wear a mask to help stop infection?

I've just had a week off with a lurgy, I have asthma and I am so sick of colds triggering infections and attacks, I too get cross with colleagues who come in, but we are paid at my place so a bit different.

I do think it's fair to take every precaution not to pass it on. Having gone back today, it seems this was a bad one as a few people were off the whole week and still coughing.

Also, can you do any work really or are you just there to get paid? I had a fever and was wheezing and having to cough up over the sink every 20 mins last week. Some might just say that's an asthmatic with a cold but there was no way I could have gone in, I was radiating heat till Thursday and asleep a lot. When that person drags themselves in, I get very annoyed.

Awful employer, my sympathies.

You're more contagious before your symptoms show. YANBU