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?

You absolutely should not have been driving. Please don't drive home unless you have a miraculous recovery today. It risks lives.

On another note, I apologise for the 'tired' comment, however the break in and not slept well for a month was a massive drip feed. When I said you were just tired I wasn't aware you had lost sleep other than that you mentioned last night.

I apologise for not mentioning the break in - it didn’t seem relevant to the issue at hand is all.

No way would I have phoned in sick, but I work for myself.
As for sleep deprivation, i went back to work when my child was 3 months old.

For goodness sake stock up on a few pharmacy items for home. You went to work and still hadn’t even managed to get paracetamol?

Sinus pain often responds to steam inhalation especially with a drop of albas oil. Get some lemsip type meds assuming you aren’t allergic (talk to a pharmacist).

Re the nhs sickness I agree with PP who said it varied wildly from some who were forever taking time off and were usually canny to avoid triggering a management plan and those who worked through cancer treatment.

DH who runs a business has hardly any sickness amongst his staff. Those who are unwell are really well treated. Probably because it’s a relatively small company.

I agree MN isn’t the place to ask this sort of stuff. MNetters seem to think ‘work’ is some kind of sentient being, it’s not, it’s individual people who have their own jobs to get on with. They might sigh when the find out someone’s off sick but by tomorrow they’ll have forgotten about it. Only if you persistently absent do people care.

Mossyhill - what does going back to work when your child was 3 months old mean? Would you like a medal?

I’m sure someone else will be along to say “I held a meeting whilst in labour and then was on my Blackberry checking emails in the labour ward and went back to work down the coal mine 12 hours later.”

I don’t know why women feel the need to constantly out do each other.

Good for you @Mossyhill

What has that got to do with the OP?

Does the OP work for the NHS? Have I missed something? I'm confused as to why everyone keeps referring to their sickness policies when it seems to have nothing to do with the OPs situation.

Mossyhill well done, have a cookie.

I don't understand the need for such competition on these threads.

Mossyhill Tue 20-Nov-18 10:06:23
No way would I have phoned in sick, but I work for myself.
As for sleep deprivation, i went back to work when my child was 3 months old.

Slow hand clap for Mossyhill.