AIBU to have the day off sick?

[Geofax]

Need some man advice here as I feel very guilty.

I’m half way through my third week at a new job. I love the job and want to stay there long term - it’s a professional environment and my role has some management responsibilities; just for some background.

I’ve felt a bit under the weather for a few days; but nothing serious. However, I woke up at half one this morning with pretty bad sinus pain. I went to grab some painkillers but found we didn’t have any in; so I tried to just get back to sleep - but no matter what I tried I just couldn’t. It’s now the time that I would normally get up and get ready for work, but I’m in pain, unsteady on my feet and sleep deprived and I just don’t feel like I could safely handle morning rush hour traffic (my job is about an hour commute from home.) so I’ve called in sick.

I’m planning on running to the pharmacy later to grab some meds and then trying to catch up on sleep so I can return to work tomorrow all drugged up.

I feel horrifically guilty though - I’ve not been at this place three weeks yet and I’m calling in sick; I’m worried I’m putting across a bad impression and letting the team down. I’ve tried rationalising that if i wanted to be work-shy I’d have called in sick tomorrow rather than today as Tuesdays are some of my lightest days and Wednesdays my busiest. I’m going to have to do some work from home later anyway so that I don’t fall behind with things.

Did I do the right thing?

I think a lot of harsh posts on here which can't have been nice to read if you're under the weather! It's hard to know sometimes whether to stay off sick or go in, esp if you've been under the weather for a few days and you wonder if a proper rest and meds would get you better, then you would be more productive. Well done for ringing them back, though don't feel guilty if you do need time off work because you're sick or if you need to go home from work because you're sick, just don't abuse it. Get better soon!

I’ve had sinus pain before that came on when I was already at work. It was horrendous and I could barely concentrate on my job and the thought of doing an hours commute was not nice so op I do feel sorry for you. It’s difficult to comment on other people’s pain threshold but either way I hope you feel better soon

Some harsh responses!
If you’re too ill to be effective and need to rest, then stay off.

TBH, but like the poster above also work for the NHS so tend not to take time off sick. Hope you feel better soon.

Am I the only one who finds this depressing? So the NHS doesn't have a good enough sickness policy for its staff which means when receiving treatment I could well be sharing in somebody's virus or being treated by somebody working seriously below parr due to not being well enough to work.

MN has so many amazing people on it but threads like this remind me there are a lot of smug twats as well 🙄

I suffer from insomnia and regularly get little or zero sleep and go to work the next day. However, I don't drive. I don't think you should be driving for an hour if you feel exhausted and in pain.

As to the pain, only you know how bad it is so there's no point in asking us. The fact that you've only been there for a few weeks isn't really relevant. If you feel too ill to work then you can't go in. A friend of mine started a new job a few weeks ago and has had to have an emergency op so will be off for a few weeks. These things happen.

I do think however that it looks a bit odd ringing in sick and then ringing back soon afterwards to say you've changed your mind. Makes me think your pain is borderline?

I wouldn’t call in sick on a job in my third week.

Only you can decide if you feel well enough to go to work, don’t be a martyr about it.

Also good to know those who work for the NHS are going in to work sick and spreading their germs!

I’ve called in sick for similar reasons before, but my job is really non essential (i.e. noone’s going to die or be seriously put out by meint being there). I probably wouldn’t do it after such a short time in a new job either. Hope you feel better soon OP!

OP I think it’s going to look much stranger to phone in sick then cancel it than it is just to be sick and own it.

Yes it’s not good to have sick leave 3 weeks in

Could you have used public transport- called in to advise you would be in later as you don't feel able to drive?

Am I the only one who finds this depressing? So the NHS doesn't have a good enough sickness policy for its staff which means when receiving treatment I could well be sharing in somebody's virus or being treated by somebody working seriously below parr due to not being well enough to work.

it’s not the pay, I get full pay for any time off sick up to six months. It’s the fact that there is no one to cover for you as the nhs is so stretched, so if I’m off sick then a clinic is cancelled.

I wouldn't have gone in. I especially wouldn't call in sick and then call back to change my mind. If you've had no sleep and feel unsure about the commute to work, imagine how you'll feel before the commute back. Its not illegal to call in sick, although plenty of MN would have you believe this was the case

NHS also a very strict employer, tight control is kept on sickness absences.

Really? My brother manages someone who has been off for the best part of 5 years and can’t get any support in dismissing her

If I've woken up feeling dreadful because something like a cough has kept me up all night, I have in the past phoned in to say I'm not well enough to come in at the moment, but I will reassess later and come in if I feel better, or phone again at midday if I am still not well enough.

Caprisunorang 5 years?! How on earth does that happen

Keeps coming back for a short time and getting signed off again.

If you're too sick to go to work it really matters not a jot whether you're 3 weeks, 6 months or 10 years into a job; I work in the NHS too and if I'm sick I don't work because my first priority is me.

OP, most employers ask their employees to phone in and speak to their line manager to let them know they're unwell; that way you can have the conversation about getting meds in asap, or getting a GP appointment and then perhaps going into work a bit later, or your manager can tell you not to come in.
Hope you feel better though. Sinus pain is pretty awful.

Five years is a totally different scenario.

Well I was using it to illustrate the the NHS doesn’t seem to be very strict on sickness at all! That’s only the most extreme, he has loads. Has to get agency in to cover the m

I get sinus pain and wouldn't phone in sick, if I had run out of pain killers I would at worst ring in late saying I needed pain killers for said pain and I'd be in pronto. Yes it is very painful,but I've also managed worse headaches.
Lack of sleep, being tired is no reason to stay off sick, sorry. Unless you cant get out of bed and function without throwing up, flaking out etc, you need to go to work and at least show your face.

I work for the NHS and they put myself and a colleague on absence monitoring, 1 of us broke a bone and the other had appendicitis, total of 4 days off each. Lovely.

If I got sick from a NHS employee I'd be pretty pissed off tbh. Particularly a nurse.

How would you know you’d got sick from an nhs employee? Think of all the illness they see, the chances are actually pretty high they’re carrying something.