To think work can't expect me to come in

[Dollymixtureyumyum]

Basicly my Ds has just come out in chicken pox
I have never had them even as a child. At work my collegue is pregnant and has never had them.
I am on probation as just started the job. I had to take a week off for a kidney infection earlier and have been warned about my absence. My overall boss has been great but we have trustees who are a stickler for the rules etc.
What the hell happens now, i can't go in and potential infect a pregnant lady but how would this be recorded. I am not ill. Any advice or has anyone been in this position.

[magoria]

What happens if you take the week off as leave and then come down with chicken pox which means you have to take even more time off?

Also you may already have been infectious at work?

[RiverTam]

To begin with I assumed you were a single parent but I see your have a DP, so this is equally his problem as yours, it's not 'wife work'.

DD got chickenpox just as I started a new job. DH covered it all (3 days a week for 3 weeks). Any reason why your DP can't cover it? Might only be a week.

[Viviennemary]

I think this is being massively overthought on this thead. The person you sit next to on a train might be infectious for all anybody knows. Leave it up to the employer and the pregnant colleague to work something out. It isn't your responsbility if you inform personnel and management of the situation.

[StealthPolarBear]

River the thread isn't about looking after the child, it's about the op potentially infecting a colleague

[witsender]

She should stay off if needs be. Can you sit apart?

[roundaboutthetown]

A week's leave seems ridiculous - you could be more infectious when you go back than you are, now! The incubation period is up to 3 weeks. Are they planning to give your pregnant colleague time to be tested for immunity while you are away or something? Could you get tested for immunity?

[PegsPigs]

River the OPs son does need looking after but it makes sense for it to be her so she can avoid the pregnant woman in her office. The OP has already said her DH has arranged parental leave before she knew what her manager would advise.

[lostinmiddlemarch]

What you do is ask the pregnant lady to go to her GP because she is the one at risk; it's not up to you. If he thinks there is a problem, it's for your boss to work out who doesn't come in. It's not for your boss to decide that a week will be sufficient time. You're both in the dark without proper medical advice.

Incidentally, I don't think you should have to take annual leave if you have to be in. It's a health issue so not your fault. The company has a duty of care and it should be the one shouldering the problem, not you. Though it doesn't surprise me that your boss has suggested that it should be you!

Get your colleague to phone the GP first thing in the morning.

[lostinmiddlemarch]

if you have to be out

[ghnocci]

Sounds to me like you just want an excuse not to go to work.

You haven't got CP, you don't know whether you're incubating it or not. I would have thought most people in this scenario would continue in to work and let the pregnant colleague know as a courtesy.

I know they've granted you leave but I don't think will reflect well on you OP.

[Dollymixtureyumyum]

ghnocci so would you just ignore what your boss has said then. Actually my boss thanked me for getting in touch and letting her know rather then just turning up tomorrow morning.
I have given my boss the facts and she has made the decision.

[Fozzleyplum]

Here's an employment lawyer's view: you should not stay off - you're not ill. If your colleague needs protecting, this is to do with her pregnancy and your manger will have to decide what needs to be done.

Is the real issue that you need to be at home to look after your DS?

[Dollymixtureyumyum]

And yep staying off with a fractious child with chicken pox will be so much easier then going into work of course I am
after a week off

[thegiddylimit]

I think you've been screwed by your employer. You shouldn't have to take annual leave to protect your colleague and if you do get chickenpox in a few weeks you are entitled to sick pay, you shouldn't have to take it as unpaid leave if you are in the UK.

When you told your manager they should have informed your colleague, we regularly get emails at work if someone has shingles or CP (employer has a duty of care to inform). But they shouldn't penalise you for having a sick child.

Also, I'm amazed you got a warning letter when seriously ill. We track sickness at work and it doesn't take much to reach an official review point (it can be as few as 3 separate days off in a year, or a single longer absence). However, the manager can tick a box on the return to work form to say if they are concerned about the frequency. If someone is seriously ill then obviously you'd say no concerns but it's still useful, e.g. there's a reminder to arrange a phased return after any long term sickness.

[Dollymixtureyumyum]

I know i shouldn't have to but with my Ds having chicken pox I am quite happy to take the annual leave and look after him.
I was not happy about the warning either TBH

[gingerboy1912]

Op you aren't ill you need to go to work so that you don't jeopardise your job, it's up to your pregnant colleagues what she does, what if she was out for lunch and it was the chef preparing her food that was in your situation?? I've never heard of someone taking time off because their child has an infection and it might possibly affect someone else

[maddening]

When I was in probationary period I told my fiancé in no uncertain terms that any illness of ds would have to be covered by him - as he had been with his employers for 15 years and so was more secure in his employment - we now take it in turns - my parents can cover Monday's and Tuesday's if they have nothing planned and have done so we have limited the impact and not had to use much parental leave which is unpaid anyway.

[ZenNudist]

Got to page 3. There's no way I'd take annual leave to avoid infecting colleague just because colleague is pregnant but dies t want to stay out of work.

Don't you need that holiday to cover school hols etc?

[Viviennemary]

The OP might not even be entitled to statutory sick pay if she hasn't been paying the relevant NI contributions for the qualifying year. And some firms don't pay sick pay. She should not use her annual leave or take time off sick. Can't believe people are advising this. She could lose her job.

[Dollymixtureyumyum]

He is not at school, i work three days a week and two of those he goes to grandparents usually but won't this week.

[Fozzleyplum]

I think what you are saying, OP is that your manager has actually played into your hands.

If I read it correctly, you needed time off to look after your DS and there is no legal entitlement to take time at short notice for this reason, whether it is paid, unpaid or annual leave. Your manager has made a very odd decision that you should take annual leave to protect your colleague's health. In normal circumstances, that ought to be completely unacceptable to you. However, if you need to look after your DS, the manager has allowed you to do that.

Provided the manager's take on it is not that you were asking to take leave at short notice (which could count against you, particularly whilst on probation), this seems to have worked in your favour.

[Dollymixtureyumyum]

I am not taking time off sick it is annual leave that is owed to me. It is very unlikely I will have to take any more time off. I can't be penalised for taking annual leave. One of my colleagues took a week before Christmas AL because his mum was ill.
It's a case of my colleague who is pregnant and soon to go on maternity is finishing off a huge project of which the big event is this week. My boss has asked if I mind taking annual leave so she can do this event and see all her hard work though. The reason she has asked me to take annual leave is that I don't get any more sick time against me (you are not entitled to parental leave till you have been in the job for a year and I am not quite there yet)
I get to have the week off with my poorly son and my husband can earn a wage as he is hourly paid and does not get paid if h me does not go in.
My colleague gets to see all her hard work pay off.
In the last ten minutes I have heard that my boss has also offered my colleague the option of working from home the following two weeks after next week which she is taking and has advised she gets checked to see if she is immune.

[Dollymixtureyumyum]

That right I wanted the week off so I fed my boss a story and now I get the week off hurray . I told her the facts and she made a decision which as far as I can see has taken in the bigger picture of my son being ill, me still being on probation, the potential risk however small and my colleague having a huge event this week that she won't want to miss.

[Needtobebetter]

OP I'd feel exactly the same as you, but you've done the right thing by speaking to your boss and letting them decide.

For all the posters who are saying that the OP's DH should be taking responsibility here you do need to RTFT - he has organised to take time off already! The OP is genuinely worried about how her presence will affect her pregnant colleague.

The colleague should be the one to stay at home, her pregnancy protects her from any impact to her absence record. Plus, it's an unusual situation where she has no immunity and therefore, big project or not, she needs to protect herself.

Op you sound very kind and considerate, you shouldn't have to take annual leave but I'm not sure how I'd go against my bosses advice either. Hope everything turns out ok.

[Adeleslostbeehive]

To be fair it's a pretty different situation that's it's an internal promotion (which wasn't mentioned earlier) Most places don't like you taking extended annual leave in probation as you can't accrued much.

I think you've thought too much about MN and what "they say" about CP and pregnant Women. MN is just a Internet forum. You can't let it influence big decisions like that.