Signed off from work

[maryland1988]

I've been signed off from work and my work are constantly getting in touch asking me work related questions. No one has said anything even acknowledging that I'm off sick just constant work questions. Not that I expect cards and flowers, but "hope you're ok, do you mind if I ask a work related q" would be much better than "can you do XYZ now"

I've been signed off with HG (severe pregnancy sickness) and I've emailed in a handover to make sure none of my work gets behind, I've also apologised to all of my colleagues who will be affected by me being off. There's genuinely nothing I can do, they've seen first hand that I do not stop vomiting all day! And this is just making me so stressed out.
For what it's worth, my job is not life and death, they can cope without me! I think it's really unfair but then I am feeling sorry for myself at the minute so I'm wondering if I should suck it up?

Either don’t reply or reply and say I am too sick to work so I can’t help you with that.

How are they contacting you?

Yanbu youre off sick. Youre basically still working if theyre messaging you asking stuff. Its disrespectful.

God you poor thing, that really isn’t on. I’d just respond saying ‘I am not well enough to work at the moment, please speak to X in my absence’

Not that you should even have to do that much, but hopefully they will soon get the picture!

On my personal email, texting and phone calls. I know I should ignore it but I get really anxious about this kind of thing, I've already had people in the office commenting about "how women get pregnant and then use sickness as an excuse" so I was already worried to say I'd been signed off but I truly cannot manage the commute without being sick and I'm not being sick in my car on the motorway for a job! Imagine if I caused an accident!

I really feel I should say something but to be honest I'm a bit of a wimp and I'd be screwed without this job.

That awful. How are they contacting you? Is your out of office email on? That usually reminds people.

Could you speak to your line manager perhaps about this? You do need to have s word with someone as it isn't on!

My manager is the main person contacting me. I told her I had been signed off and she just said ok I'll call you to talk about work later on.

Since then I've had several texts and emails and another one to remind me to check my work email?!

YANBU! Standard response "I'm off sick, please speak to my line manager/whoever is best in your place" or just ignore. And fuck all those people who commented about pregnant women, you need to put yourselfand your baby first - clearly no one at your workplace is going to!

Blimey that's awful. She sounds like one of my ex-line managers.

Maybe you need to remind her of the handover document and say that you will not be checking emails as it delays your recovery. It might be better if you tell her over the phone if you can manage it?

Answering your original post, no you don't have to suck it up.

Ah, as it's your manager that is contacting you, you may need to go higher than him/her to get this nipped in the bud.

I would send an email to your manager saying "Hi X, as I have mentioned before, I am signed off work at the moment and will not be available to answer any work related issues. I have emailed in a handover to Y and this is the person you must contact in my absence with any queries you may have. I will endeavour to be back at work as quickly as is possible and understand that my abrupt departure may have left a gap in the knowledge but Y has the details you are looking for. Obviously to speed up my recuperation , I will not be responding to work related emails, texts or voice messages for the foreseeable future. I will contact you when I'm able to return to work to discuss same.
All the best,
maryland1988"

And then turn off the laptop, update your voicemail greeting on your mobile etc. etc. etc. and I hope you feel better soon.

Alternatively, when he/she phones you for advice/information I would forget to hang up the phone when you're dashing in to vomit and let him/her hear you. Try to answer the questions mid-vomiting and see if they phone you again! That would be a worst-case, last option to use.

Stop answering the phone and responding to emails!

Does the company have an HR department? If so, I'd ring and speak to someone in HR about being expected to deal with work stuff while you're ill. Tell them it's stressing you out.

I can't believe how some employers treat people and it makes me very grateful that I work for an organisation that values its staff. Any manager who behaved like this would be getting a stern talking to.

What a crap place to work to be honest. Who cares what they think. My work was like this and I signed off sick. You would never forgive yourself if something happened to you and yours. Desperate workplace. Disrespectful manager.

If you're signed off, you're under no obligation whatsoever to respond to any calls, texts or emails. Email the manager and explain that as you've already advised, you're signed off sick, and as such you won't be responding to anything work related. I'd also make a request that they stop using personal numbers etc to contact you as it's intrusive!

I'd be letting her know one last time that you are signed off work sick, have done your handover and will not be doing any more. Then I would block her number for calls and texts. I'd just unblock it when I was returning to work.

What size company is it?

I would make a firm statement (in writing - email) that I've been signed off as unfit to work and will not be responding to work messages. If she carries on after that I'd be going to her boss/HR as appropriate.

Over 200 people working there, 70% women so I'm gob smacked by this to be honest.

I've just had another call completely quizzing me about my condition and what the doctors are doing about it, I honestly feel like I'm being made out to be faking it which is absurd as they've all seen how poorly I am!

I said on the call that I will not be working during this week but it wasn't taken well and I was told boss would "be in touch"

I'm just dumbfounded by this to be honest. I know another woman in a different department was off months ago with something pregnancy related and she said her manager was wonderful with her so I don't think it's a company thing to be fair.

Document that, and anything else as it happens. And try to prevent it happening, don't answer work calls or emails. Your company is large enough to have an HR, take advantage of them.

I would contact your companies Hr and complain about this. Your doctor decides if your fit for work no one else

I think Pregnancy Sickness Support has some information on employment rights on their site.

Speak to HR. Don't respond to texts, calls or emails from anyone but HR. Document each call, text and email and ensure your HR dept know the extent of the unkindness currently occurring.

Yeah... what they are doing is discriminating. People have taken work places to tribunal for less. They are not allowed to keep bothering you. They are also not allowed to question your reason for being of sick. You need to go to HR

Are you in a union? I would document everything and also contact HR. I had a boss like this and she would contact me when I was off sick, on holiday, days off. I ended up switching my phone off as I was going to a funeral and found 14 missed calls and four voicemails when I switched it back on. I'd refuse to engage and given the implication that you're faking it, mention it to your GP too. You have my sympathy - I had HG 20 years ago and it was grim.