To be annoyed by what I call 'Workplace Martyrs'?

[SapphireSeptember]

Because I'm feeling rather cross right now! The ones who come in coughing and spluttering everywhere (for fuck's sake, cover your mouth!) and looking like death warmed up. "Oh, it's only a cold!"
Reasons this annoy me...

1. I work with two people with compromised immune systems. One of them is a WM herself, and made herself really ill by coming into work when she shouldn't have, resulting in a hospital stay. Still hasn't learnt, and still comes into work when she's really ill.
2. Someone I know is currently undergoing radiotherapy. If I get a cold I have to avoid them, because I don't want to pass my germs on.
3. Yes it's only a cold, but colds make me really ill for some reason, and I'm sick of taking time off work because they won't.
4. Where we work requires both handling food and dealing with customers, a lot of whom are elderly. They don't want your germs either.
5. This notion that they're the only reason the place is still running. I'm sure it won't fall down around our ears if you stay in bed for a couple of days. They also like to inform everyone that they haven't been off sick in ages, as though those of us who have are guilty of some moral failing.
6. I blame this lot for my current cough/sore throat. Flanges! If I get properly ill I am NOT going to be happy.

I've got itchy ears and a swollen throat but off to work I go. Can't stay home when you run the business I'm afraid. Self employed tablets in my bag (lemsip max) and lots of warm drinks and coughing and sneezing into my arm is my day ahead

yabu its a cold, not flu

Depends on the workplace really. If you work in an environment that docks pay if you rock up with S&D, or a cold, then obviously don't go in. If you're prone to every bug going, or if you're under 1-2yrs employment then you're on rocky ground surrounding paid sick leave entitlement. Plus some companies base sickness leave on number of incidents accrued vs number of days. So technically you may only have taken 3 days off during a 12mth period for illness vs someone taking 3,7,6 days off during 3 periods across a 12mth span. But the 3 occasions would still class exactly the same to red flag on the system.

BookMeOnTheSudExpress
I agree.

I have a colleague who likes to lay the foundations for being ill so we'll have a day or so generally groaning and making sure lots of people know how unwell they are (but it's never anything more than sniffles). We can predict when the absence will be.

They're quick go tell anyone with a cold that they should be at home and have a rest, as if working with over a thousand kids during winter means days off for the sniffles.

I sit next to a cougher she rarely covers her mouth. She drives me insane. She did get cough mix after I suggested it. She apologises. I just want her to cover her bloody mouth

It’s stupid to expect people to take time off for a cold, especially if you don’t get sick pay or have a zero hour contract. If you have kids you expect to get ill more than those without. The only time I don’t go to work is if I’ve been throwing up. I went to work last Christmas Eve with a 40 degree temperature, didnt find out till a few days later it was Aussie flu. I did the same when I had tonsillitis a few years back. So I guess you could say I’m a workplace martyr 🙋🏼

Most workplaces get arsey if you take time off sick so it’s no wonder people come in and spread their germs around. Opposite culture here in Germany, people take days off for the slightest thing and it’s completely acceptable.

BookMeOnTheSudExpress

I agree with your analysis, I definitely recognise the people you mention.

Also MaisyPops The people who lay the foundations for being ill drive me up the wall. Like you say you can predict them being off, and they always make out others are wrong for coming in. (When like you say it's just a cold.)

kalinkafoxtrot45
Ours is quite good and runs on common sense.
I do worry that with people like my colleague taking the piss that things might get tightened up.

YANBU

Stay at home and keep your germs to yourself. I had someone like this who always came in with a stinking cold and then I'd get it

On another thread the op was encouraged to take a day off with a cold in case it developed into pneumonia or a chest infection.
No reason to think this, just in case.

I had a colleague like that, she kept coming into work with a dreadful cough, which turned out to be whooping cough. She was def not popular with many of the rest of us either having young children or access to wee grandchildren. But then it turned out, her daughter had a baby about this same time & the wee girl got whooping cough too, so all the family were split & put into various isolations. If youre sick, dont go to work

StealthPolarBear I have a great boss, very understanding if you need time off but I would love to see their reaction if I phoned up to tell them I needed time off just in case

We get a disciplinary if we have too much sick leave so people come in with all sorts.

That said everyone gets colds at this time of year and life has to go on.

Don't worry about 2) OP. I wasn't told to avoid getting a cold during mine.

I get full sick pay and I wouldn’t take time off for a cold. I’m able to work so I go to work. If I’m properly ill, I take time off.

Colds are a fact of life, taking time off for one (unless it’s an unusually bad one that leaves you feeling too ill to work) isn’t justified.

Yanbu.
I'm happier picking up someone else's work than having an ill person coughing away next to me. I can't afford to get ill (LP) so I don't want them near me. Same goes for stomach bugs, I've had a deacde of bowel problems and am terrified of catching anything as it might cause more damage.

YABU, can you imagine if everyone stayed home with just a cold in winter, it would cause chaos.

Flu yes but a cold no. I don't want sick days against me for a cold.

The problem is a cold lasts about 7-10 days and people get 3 colds a year on average...

People would be in trouble fir taking that many sick days off...

YABU...and a bit mean actually! I've had a cold since October...just can't shift it! Some days it's 'just a sniffle' and in others I've felt like shit! I have been to the GP as I caught a secondary ear and chest infection for which I did need antibiotics and three days off work...but the cold is still going strong!

By your calculations I'd have needed 8 weeks off so far...can you imagine? With a cold?

Try having a little sympathy for heaven's sake! It's bad enough trying to get through the day feeling like shit, without work colleagues giving you a hard time about it on top 🙄

You can still go to work with a cold just take some paracetamol and get on with it. If it was a flu of pneumonia etc obvs stay at home or anything like a stomach bug. It sounds like you're a bloody "workplace martyr" oh look at me being surrounded by all these germs

I definitely think it depends a lot on company/employment policy though. If someone loses £80-90 pay through a 'sickday' then yes they will probably turn up and cough all over everyone if they can't afford to lose the wage. It's not their fault as much as employment policy.

YANBU

I must be extremely lucky in my workplace then. I take time off for colds so as not to spread it around, and can work from home. Don't take the full duration of the cold but 1-2 days when you're at the most grottiest.

It's bad management practices that drag the sick in to spread the plague. Surely overall there'd be less sickness if people felt able to isolate themselves when they are most infectious?

If there's a lot of unexplained sickness at work, then that is bad job design and other factors (what us managers are paid to address) - not illness.

There’s no way my dh could take time off for a cold! He’d lose a ton of money as there is no sick pay. We just couldn’t afford it.

As someone with autoimmune disorders I do understand how annoying it is when people spread stuff about at work but I don’t think people have a lot of choice if they don’t get sick pay.

Your sentiment is correct, but you’re blaming the wrong people. In many workplaces, time off sick can result in pay being docked, disciplinary action or the sack. Short-sighted employment procedures result in people being unable to risk time off.