To walk out of work. Will they fire me?

[AtSea1979]

I left work today. I had an accident as was being sick and ran out after that. I messaged boss to say I had to pop home and would be back then I called an hour later to say I wouldn’t be back after all as still being sick. Been poorly for a while and I know colleagues have been bitching about the amount of time off I’ve already had. I work in care so they can easily twist it and say I neglected my duties and walked out. Not told boss why I left just that I was poorly, again.
What should I tell them tomorrow?

at this stage I think you need to go to your boss an tell them everything.how uve been ill and its now being fully investigated by the hospital and are really sorry it took you by surprise again yesterday and what exaxctly happened meaning you had to leave.
at that point they know the full story so can decide from there.
is it something you see being able to be cured/treated.
tell them the problem but your making steps to sort it.if you've been a good worker I think they should be sensitive and if your popular then id be concerned for you more than anything else at this time.
be very apologetic.
do your co workers no how seriously poorly you are.could it be worth talking to one of them . saying you just wanted to make sure they don't think your slacking.that there has been something really up and uve currently having it sorted at hospital,that ur sorry and don't ever want them to hink your just not pulling ur weight.

What actually happened when you walked out? Was another colleague on site to step in, or did you abandon a vulnerable client? You say you called your boss - could your boss have reasonably covered at short notice and/or sent someone else to cover - or was a client left in a dangerous situation?

Walking out was clearly not ideal, but I think it's worth understanding the implications of you doing so, and if you had considered those at the time, or if you just panicked and left.

Also, was this foreseeable (you say you're undergoing medical investigations) or was the sudden accident something new? If you're at risk of needing to run away mid-shift, you're clearly not capable of doing a complete shift by yourself and your line manager either needs to make sure you are working alongside someone else or tell you to not come into work. There has to be some sort of assessment to keep your clients safe, as well as you.

There are lots of questions here and the answers will determine the outcome of your job. You need to arrange a meeting with your boss and be honest.
You didn't just leave. You left a message within 5 mins and then you called to say you were unwell and not coming back. Your boss knows you are having medical treatment/tests. This really isn't that bad.

The pre agreed time off for your children is nothing to do with this situation. That time off (unpaid) is your legal right.

Do you have IBD or IBS?

Sorry you're so poorly but you must know you can't return to work for 48 hours after vomming? Even if you have a pre-existing condition that sometimes has upchucking as a symptom you can't know that that was the sole and direct cause of today's vom and you'd be putting clients at risk if you ignored the 48hr rule surely?

Suspect the way you managed or didn't manage leaving would have a bearing on whether you'd face a disciplinary or not. Did you manage to hand clients over or were they just left?

OP you havent explained in your OP that it wasn't a sickness bug and are getting arsey with people for assuming it was, why should we assume something more sinister without you indicatiing it? Most people who are sick have a bug. its a normal assumption. Tell us the appropriate information if you want us to judge based on the facts, or leave us in the dark but don't then get offended if we fill in the gaps ourselves with reasonable assumptions.

agreed time off for childrens perfomances at school is surely leave and wont count against you.

I am really sorry about your health issues and know how strict the policies can be, as I was a HCP for years.

During that time, all the women on shift at one point or another either shat themselves, had a period which flooded or were covered in vomit.

It would have been unthinkable to just walk out of work without telling anyone we were going. Working with vulnerable people, and strict staffing ratios is important.

You work in care. You know people have accidents. It is normal. You know no-one laughs and takes the piss.

You could have gone to the work loo and shouted for help, or pulled the alarm cord if needs be. Other staff would have come, and could then have helped you out the building, but at least they would have known you had gone.

Also, if you are having investigations, you do not know at this point that what you have is not contagious. You would only know that if any patients in the care home caught it. By which time it is too late.

Let your boss make the decision on whether you should remain off for 48 hours. Then it is not on your head. If you go back, against policy, and spread it, then the outcome would not be good for you or your residents.

Would I discipline you for this? I would HAVE to. No choice I am afraid. I couldn't risk losing my job because I didn't report and discipline a member of staff for leaving without telling anyone.

I am so sorry.

also sorry to be crude but if i had pooed myself at work ( which i assume is what happened) I would have left too but would have left a very different message to the one you left saying you would be back in ten mins. I would have said I apologise but I have been very sick and had to leave urgnetly , i will stay off for the rest of the day and contact you in the morning, so sorry for the inconvenience.

I'd prepare to be disciplined, and possibly more than that. You left work. I'm sorry, but you should have stayed onsite, and contacted someone- even if that was from the toilets. You instead walked off, leaving vulnerable patients without adequate staff, and no notice to the incharge that you needed to do so. And let the manager know by text. You didn't follow procedure and I'd imagine that will not go well for you at all I'm afraid.

I imagine that leaving without permission I.e. going AWOL, won't be looked on at all favourably OP, even in such a circumstance.
How was anyone to know where you were or what was happening when you went missing?
I would think it to be irresponsible behaviour and probably a disciplinary matter, albeit with extenuating circumstances.

A dozen days off in 2 years is nothing

I think a lot of companies would disagree.

I don't understand why you didn't explain you had been sick in your first message - saying you were 'popping home' seems an inappropriate and strange thing to message to your manager during working hours. TBH they don't have to twist anything, you DID neglect your duties, albeit because of sickness.

I have no idea if they will fire you but think it's likely they will take disciplinary action.

You are likely to be disciplined, not necessarily because of the absence, but the unprofessional manner in which you managed/communicated it.
Your absence level IS high. I’d be expecting your employer to refer you to occupational health and then next start capability proceedings.
You are also posing a risk to others - you have no idea if you are spreading germs. 9times our of 10 it might be IBS, but what if it is a bug? And please don’t say ‘you know’, because ultimately this isn’t about you, it’s about the safety of those you work with. Presumably if they need care, they’re vulnerable? They may have compromised immune systems. The 48 hour rule is there for a reason.
I know this is harsh, but from a HR perspective, it’s the reality.

I work in care so they can easily twist it and say I neglected my duties and walked out.

That wouldn’t be twisting it, OP, that would be the truth. You did neglect your duties and walk out.

You should have spoken to someone before you left; it is unacceptable to just walk quietly off a shift regardless of the reason.

You crapped your pants and drove home to clean yourself? Then you didn't go back and rang in sick for the rest of the day?

You could have phoned from the bathroom or wherever you were to let your boss know. If you are working in care you can't just leave.

Many work places don't pay sick pay so having to take yet another day off sick could have caused many issues for OP. If she felt like she was capable of working without putting others at risk, then maybe she decided to take the chance.

Fwiw ive shat myself twice this year so far. I wasn't even poorly on one occasion, I just lost control. I do have a medical condition but for me shitting myself doesn't always mean I feel poorly. I'd have just left work as well, maybe sent a text on the way out the door but no way would I have waddled round the building looking for my line manager to help me and hoping that I'm not leaving a trail.

They probably will have to start disciplinary action but that doesn't mean you'll get sacked

A dozen days in two years is a lot!

I work in care so they can easily twist it and say I neglected my duties and walked out.

^They don’t need to twist anything. You admitted yourself that you walked out and as a result you did neglect your duties.

Your almost certainly will be disciplined. Your sickness record is also concerning. If you worked for me I would fire you.

It does seem a lot but like I said they have grouped together any requests (that they have said yes to) for time off with kids etc. DS broke his arm and I needed to go and I needed time for physio etc. As a single parent it has soon added up.
I’m not sure who I need to speak to. My line manager, the overall manager or onsite HR manager.

Poor you, how embarrassing! I'd be honest with your boss. If it's too embarrassing you could say you vomited all over your trousers and had to dash out. When I had morning sickness I had a couple of accidents like that, the first time I shouted through the office door to my boss that I was going home and didn't want to drip sick on the office carpet, the second time the office was empty so I left a message on her work mobile and bleeped the ward manager to say I was leaving.

It's good practice to speak to someone before you leave, but when you're covered in bodily fluids I think they'll make an exception. A colleague of mine scrawled a message on the office whiteboard to say she'd gone home sick (norovirus!)

" I really don't think you can be sacked or disciplined. A dozens days off in 2 years is nothing."
What?

AtSea your workplace should have a sickness reporting policy. You should follow that, ordinarily. I’ve worked at places where we’ve deducted a day’s pay where people haven’t followed the correct procedure.
In this instance you will need to speak to both the HR manager and your immediate line manager as soon as you can. Don’t be surprised if they suggest occupational health and then a capability plan.

People putting their income over the lives of their vulnerable patients grind my gears.
The 48 hour rule is for THEIR protection, not yours.

You are just as likely to be contagious, if not more likely.

You shouldn’t be a anywhere near vulnerable people.

I hope nobody dies under your brand of ‘care’ - it’s reckless and negligence and the Home or Hospital needs reporting to the CQC if that is their idea of good practice in staffing levels.

Your boss should be fired too.

Q