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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Working from home when ill

28 replies

superlibrarian · 15/03/2018 15:45

If it is a desk-based job where some employees work from home sometimes already, and given a manager trusts that an employee is not skiving or playing the system, is it U to allow staff to work from home some days when they are ill (you know that level of illness where you're horrid with cold but don't actually need to spend the day in bed)

A thinks it is U not to allow this sometimes, as it saves the business lost days through minor illnesses

B thinks it is U to allow this, as it is unfair to people who don't have desk-based jobs

OP posts:

minionsrule · 15/03/2018 15:51

I have splinters over this one.
I can and do wfh and yes sometimes if it is not my wfh day I will wfh if I am a bit under the weather as I have quite a long drive to work.
On the other hand, the people who cannot wfh have to either come in or take a sick day - where I work, if they are looking at redundancies then number of sick incidents is taken into account so in that case I could potentially keep my job just because I am allowed to wfh when otherwise I may have phoned in sick.
If I was really ill (like a bad chest infection I had last year) i did actually take the time off sick as I needed complete rest.

From the company's perspective I suppose it is better they have someone working rather than off sick.
From my own view as well with wfh, if ds is a bit poorly (he is not young now so no need to constantly watch) I would also offer to wfh rather than take emergency leave so that is an added benefit to company as well.

Sorry I haven't answered your question but these are my points of view - the only real downside is if the company use it when it comes to things like reviews/notice.

Gudgyx · 15/03/2018 15:59

I don't have a work from home job, I am desk based, but have a laptop and company mobile so I CAN and do work from home occasionally, when I need to.

I don't wfh much, as I prefer the routine of going into the office.

But I picked this kind of work, admin and desk based. The plumbers/electricians etc I work with, they picked that kind of work. They have different benefits to me, being mobile and having a trade. I can't do an admin homer, I don't have a works van I can use on occasion for picking up large home items. My benefit is being able to wfh when I need to.

So I agree with A. Everyone's job has different benefits, and we all chose our own jobs.

HunterHearstHelmsley · 15/03/2018 16:01

I work from home and from an office base. Unless I have to be somewhere specific then I choose on the day where I want to work. I'd definitely work from home instead of having a sick day.

TheDailyMailIsADisgustingRag · 15/03/2018 16:05

In my last job, people could usually work from home, but not if they were ill. I think the logic was that if you are too sick to come in, you’re too sick to work. Probably depends on what the job is tbh. These were technical people who probably shouldn’t be working fuzzy headed.

Mayday01 · 15/03/2018 16:10

I usually work from home when ill, as I'd be working anyway with my phone going off regularly, the office calling for updates over situations, unmovable deadlines (court). Pointless taking a sick day if I'm actually working.
It's bad enough taking annual leave as you usually end up coming back to an absolute shit storm.
The only time I've been totally left alone is when hospitalised

AngeloMysterioso · 15/03/2018 16:27

I recently lost my job after being signed off for several weeks with near constant diarrhoea. I was capable of working from home (it was the journey to work without access to toilet facilities the moment I needed them that prevented me from going in) but they wouldn’t let me. So now I’m unemployed.

AccidentallyRunToWindsor · 15/03/2018 16:32

If I am ill enough that I can't make it to work then I take time off sick, usually asthma or UTI related.

If I have a cold and feel a bit rubbish but can still do my job I WFH, no point infecting others who may have babies/vulnerable adults about.

Original poster

superlibrarian · 15/03/2018 16:40

Good point about the different perks of different jobs. I had a conversation with DP about that the other day. He can't WFH so thinks it's a little unfair. However if he leaves during the day to collect a poorly child he doesn't get time deducted, whereas I nearly always would. Swings and roundabouts.

I think there are plenty of illnesses where you're under the weather and, more importantly, contagious, but you're still capable of WFH, and it makes sense to the business to do that.

Angelo, I'm sorry

OP posts:

Urubu · 15/03/2018 16:46

B is U. Following his/her reasonning, nobody should be allowed to wfh as the receptionist / cleaner / ... can't either.
And whole teams should be allowed to go to lunch together as for some teams there is a requirement that at least one person is always present.
And nobody should be allowed to work a different pattern than 9-5 because some people have to.

ImogenTubbs · 15/03/2018 17:01

I think it's totally fine, but sets a bit of a precedent of expecting people to work when they're ill.

Original poster

superlibrarian · 15/03/2018 17:06

sets a bit of a precedent of expecting people to work when they're ill

True, and a difficult one. Is it better if it is asked for by the employee, rather than suggested by the employer?

OP posts:

ImogenTubbs · 15/03/2018 17:23

Yes, and tbh when I worked in London and I was ill it was often the commute I couldn't face rather than sitting on the sofa with a lemsip sending a few emails. Not a great habit to get into though.

saltandvinegarcrisps1 · 15/03/2018 17:30

The problem with many of the types of jobs that you can work from home are the type where if you are off, your work is still waiting for you when you return. E.g. compare a ward based nurse to a lecturer. If nurse off, someone has to do the work. If lecturer off , marking will still be waiting, teaching likely to rearranged etc (unless absence was prolonnged). So in the lecturer case, you would just work away at home if you were I'll but not dying IYSWIM?

DalekDalekDalek · 16/03/2018 02:38

If you are too sick to work in an office then you are too sick to work from home doing the same tasks I think.
I would think an exception would be something like a broken leg where you are fit to work but may not be able to travel to work.

HicDraconis · 16/03/2018 04:02

I can't wfh at all - I need an operating theatre, surgeon, nursing team, tech and all the equipment that goes with it to do my job :-) I still don't see it as being unfair when the Ops Manager or Services Manager (desk based jobs) choose to work from home on days when they don't feel up to coming in. You could argue that it's unfair I get to go home early if a list finishes unexpectedly quickly while they have to stay and work their contracted hours (although I work over and above my contracted hours so when a list finishes early I am out of the door without a second thought).

I do think it sets a precedent that if you're off sick you should be contactable and able to work - and some illnesses you can, but some you really can't. You'd have to be careful that people weren't being pressured to try and get stuff done at home when they'd be better off eating copious amounts of vitamin C, resting/sleeping/watching crap TV and giving themselves time to fight off whatever bug they have.

A seems perfectly sensible and B seems to have the mindset of a toddler. Has B got to adulthood without the realisation that sometimes life is not fair? And some jobs have some advantages that others don't? And you can appreciate the advantages of your own job without resenting the advantages of another?

Johnnycomelately1 · 16/03/2018 04:43

This is pretty standard where I work. If you are contagious (e.g. cough/cold) but not feeling ill, most people choose to work from home. It's still totally fine to say "I'm off sick" (i.e. too sick to work) but most people seem to appreciate that there's a middle ground.

treaclesoda · 16/03/2018 04:55

I think it's a good middle ground for when you're contagious but not so ill that you are unable to function.

My biggest reservation would be that in a lot of workplaces, junior staff aren't allowed to WFH simply because they are junior, not because it's not possible. But if it's an option for all staff where it is practical, then it seems ok.

FluffyWuffy100 · 16/03/2018 05:16

Yes totally fair and a good idea. Who wants people to come into work with a nasty cold?

If you feel up to doing some work from home that is better for the company than you being off sick.

expatmatt78 · 16/03/2018 05:32

We do have some staff that work from home maybe once a week as policy but this winter flu has been rife and everyone has gone down one by one! Recently someone dragged themselves in and spent the morning coughing like they were dying and we sent them home! No point exposing everyone else to that shit! I do think it's polite to stay away if you're sick and infectious

BumpowderSneezeonAndSnot · 16/03/2018 07:15

I agree if you can WFH then why not? As long as your output is no different then who is it affecting?

I have worked in places where junior staff were not permitted to WFH under any circumstances and the resentment that built towards management was awful

HackedOffSeller · 16/03/2018 10:12

I have ME and work from home when I'm feeling under the weather just to help my condition. If I didn't do think I would have loads more sick days as my immune system is not brilliant. Working this way has actually improved my health as I don't keep pushing myself to go to the office when I should really be resting. I can still do my work as mentally I'm still but I just need to rest my broken body.

LivLemler · 16/03/2018 10:26

I think it's perfectly sensible to allow people to work from home.

My last job was strict 9-5. It was either come in for the full day, or take a full day off ill. Very frustrating with a minor illness like a bad cough/cold where I would often want to say come in at 10 or 11, get through the most urgent stuff and head off at 3 when feeling shit. Anything I didn't get done would be waiting for me after, no one else would need to make up the slack.

I have asthma and generally worked through the cold part of illness (afterall, it's just a cold) and then would end up having to take a couple of days off fully later on with a chest infection. Not ideal for my health, or for getting through a load of work.

In my current job I choose my hours and can work from home whenever I want. I've found those illnesses much easier to deal with now I can work from home or come in for a few hours. Much more sensible.

treaclesoda · 16/03/2018 11:48

In the entire organisation that I work for, the only person not allowed to WFH is the receptionist, for obvious reasons.

The HR manager was just saying recently that in over 30 years in the workplace, he has never worked anywhere with such a low absence rate and such good morale, high productivity. If only more employers could see that flexibility has a benefit for the entire business and isn't about people trying to slack off.

Sn0tnose · 16/03/2018 12:05

If you are too sick to work in an office then you are too sick to work from home doing the same tasks I think.

What makes you think that? There are lots of times I need to work at home due to illness. My brain is performing just fine but the commute and sitting in an office all day would just be awful and I'd probably get less work done. And because most places now have limits on sick leave, it means I can still get my job done without worrying about whether I'm going to get an attendance warning. I do prefer to work from my office rather than my home, but it's better than the alternative.

Viviennemary · 16/03/2018 12:08

I suppose it's up to the individual company as nothing seems to be very fair in the work from home land. IMHO.

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