to think being certified off work sick doesn't mean you can't leave the house

[Swansandducks]

A colleague has been out of work on a cert for the past two weeks. Someone saw her yesterday apparently collecting her niece from a ballet class and is now going around saying our colleague is 'throwing a sickie'.

AIBU to find this annoying? The woman in question has had a very bad chest infection and is due back in work on Monday. Surely it is normal that on the last few days of her illness she is capable of going out and about for an hour or two a day, which is very different to facing a long commute and a full day at work?

I wish people were this outraged by empployers taking the piss from their employees. The amount of free labour UK employers get is extrordinary.

Well quite @redexpat. My employer owes me at least 10 days annual leave over the previous four years. (And no, I'm not currently at work).

I wish people were this outraged by empployers taking the piss from their employees. The amount of free labour UK employers get is extrordinary

Ha yes.

All those unpaid lunches people work through. All those short notice shifts the do unpaid because if management know you swapped you'd be in trouble. All that coming in early because you know x isn't feeling well and you want to make sure you are there to help.

All the extra time travelling and incurred expenses because they sent you to cover somewhere else.

All the time you practically single handedly keep everything up and running and stop paid your hourly rate and not that of someone who is paid to have the responsibility.

But the second you phone in sick your name name is mud and you are removing multiple knives from your back by people who have no fuckimg idea about what you are feeling or going through.

Disgusting.

Why are all these unreliable liars working for companies anyway. Get rid fill woth decent staff and start bloody trusting them or pay the price for not doing so

2 weeks off for a chest cold seems alot

No idea what a chest cold is, but a chest infection if not treated and sufferer has enough rest can easily turn to pneumonia.
It's true cos I had it.
Titoft, me too, job I adored, new manager turned everything on it's head. I had to leave for my own well being. Still all these years later pissed off that I no longer have that wonderful job.

I had a chest infection which then triggered my asthma and I was really poorly. I was signed off work for a week but going to the shop or picking up DC from school is a far cry from being at work which there was no way I could have done.

There's a girl signed off with 'stress' at my work at the moment.
So far she's been on holiday, had multiple meals out and been to a concert. All posted on social media in the last two weeks.
She was due back at work on Monday but has been signed off for another two weeks

Good on her! I was once signed off for six weeks with “stress”. I was actually suicidal with depression and anxiety brought on by work, but my GP said stress was the catch-all term for that.

I had pre-booked theatre tickets and spent the whole evening feeling so guilty that I’d even left the house.

If she’s struggling with her mental health, she absolutely should be going out and doing things that help with that, rather than sitting inside dwelling on it and disappearing into a pit of misery.

Agree with you Duck but I question the mindset if she’s posting it on social media.

I was signed off for 2 weeks with a chest infection. I felt really unwell, it was January and at that point I didn't drive. My line manager was really peeved that I didn't go and collect work to do at home (it involved physical portfolios so online/email not possible). The half hour walk there and again back would have wiped me out even in week 2. The first week it was a struggle to get to the GP. People are totally unrealistic about illness.

Once again it's the stigma attached to invisible and mental illness.

People judge - "she looked ok at the cinema/shopping centre/airport when i saw her on Tuesday afternoon"!!

I've no doubt there are people taking the piss and milking the system but it shouldn't be the first conclusion we jump to.

I'm technically on holiday at the moment but was put into hospital yesterday. I've phoned my boss because I think I will still be in hospital when I'm supposed to be back at work. If I get out of hospital on Tuesday. Do people think I should just go back to work on Wednesday?
When I do get out, I will still need to drop the kids at school. This will be awkward as I work there. However there is a big difference between driving round, waving them off then going home to sleep and doing a full day's work.

Exactly. The default position seems to be that you have to feel guilty about being out sick and need to sound sick enough when you ring in to prove that you're really I'll. I have come across some people across the years who abuse sick leave policies but they are very very much in the minority. Yet they seem to define how many people view those who need time off for illness.

I don't think you need to feel guilty if you are off sick. But posting photos of yourself living it up whilst colleagues are picking up the slack, is at best insensitive.

I get why peoples backs are up about posting on social media. But again, it just proves the lack of understanding we have for mental health issues such as depression and stress.

Actually what you should be thinking is, oh look there's my friend who's really been struggling recently with depression/stress having what looks like a nice time which hopefully will help her to feel better.

That's what people don't get... Things like going away, going to a concert or just a trip to the cinema/lunch with a friend can be crucial to someone's recovery where mental health is concerned.

I would have killed myself if I'd sat at home during the time I was off. I know it.

I went out and saw friends and one of the girls posted a picture on Facebook of us all in the garden at a BBQ and I was petrified about work seeing it but then I thought no... This is exactly what I should be spending the time doing. Surrounding myself with people I love and reminding myself why life is good. I shouldn't have to explain that to anyone, least of all the people I sit next to at work.

And to the PP who said it's naive to say you can't just blame management when someone is off and you have to pick up the work, it's not about blame. You can't pass blame to anyone when it comes to falling ill... It isn't an active choice.

But it is managements responsibility to manage situations such as this... And if they aren't doing that properly leaving you stressed too then you should raise it with them.

I may be wrong with this but if the dr provides a sick note then I'm fairly certain that the workplace are allowed to accept an employee coming back before it expires.

So the dr may have felt she need 2 weeks off (for example) but if she feels better after a week and a half then she would still be off work for the remaining few days. Unless I presume she can be declared as fit to work by the doctor but that would involve a fairly sharpish appointment in that circumstance?

*Workplace AREN'T allowed

Whatalearningcurve. That’s not correct, you can return to work at any time you want to before the end of your fitness to work certificate runs out (you can even choose to ignore it completely if you wanted to).

Should also add that it’s actually up the employer if the choose to allow someone to return to work before the end of a fitness to work certificate expires.

I was signed off for 5 months with stress this year but i still had to function, go to shops, get out of the house before i went nuts. Doesnt mean i was well enough to work. I am a carer when not at work and my partner almost died twice. I went out to meet family for coffee etc to try and get a break now and again. People shohldnt judge when they dont know what is going on with that person.

Mango. I agree there’s a lot of misunderstanding around mental health issues but some of this may be due to the reasons someone’s off work.

If it’s work related stress then most people would understand that avoiding that activity is part of the recovery process. However, I think many find it harder to understand when someone is off with non work related issues but seem able to carry on pretty much all other aspects of their life except for work.

Not saying that’s right, just that I can see why some people might misinterpret it, especially if it’s then posted all over social media.

whatalearningcurve - you are wrong. A sick note is merely a recommendation to the employee

I'm off sick with flu virus for 3 days' and feel guilty and haven't even left house. I would go to supermarket if desperate or doctors.

If long term sick it's slightly different.

I was signed off with stress for about three months, many years ago. The first thing my doctor told me was that I MUST go out and do nice things, and not feel guilty about it. He ordered me to go shopping, have lunch out, go to the cinema, concerts, walks in the countryside, away for weekends, whatever worked to fix me.

Whether she is or isn’t, the colleague that’s going around slagging her off for it needs to grow up.

YANBU, of course she's capable of running an errand. Hardly running a marathon is it!

What did make me angry was the person I manage was off sick with a chest infection, and during this time went to a fireworks display  that's something that could be seen to be exacerbating illness, not a quick errand.

I do think that GPs have a lot to answer for in terms of absence. It's very easy to be signed off with anxiety etc, I went to the doc with anxiety years ago, looking for genuine help, he basically cut me off and said outright do you want to be signed off work. I really didn't!

Lookingforadvice123

I agree. I think it's incredibly easy to be signed off sick these days.