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.

Martyr? Or just not ill enough to need to be at home? I suspect it's the latter.

@sophisticatedsarcasm

"I went to work last Christmas Eve with a 40 degree temperature, didnt find out till a few days later it was Aussie flu."

Well that's nothing to be proud of, is it! I had flu last year because of someone coming in for one day with flu. Though in their case, they came in, said they had flu, spread it around and then took three weeks off. I ended up with it, as did my DH and DPs.

ADastardlyThing
It depends on your position and world view.

To me martyring is people who are clearly unwell, struggling in and then making a big drama over how ill they are but 'you know work has to go on'. They act like the whole workplace would end if they weren't there / they are so so so much busier than anyone else that we couldn't possibly understand why they needed to drag themselves in etc. (We get a fair few of these in teaching, with added martyr because we are meant to give bumper prizes for how much they are devoted to their class etc)

To someone who is a 'ooh sniffles let's have a day off' anyone who makes sensible common sense decision is a martyr.

YANBU. I really hate this especially in my current job as we all have laptops and phones and the option to WFH. One particular person in my office comes in eyes running, sneezing and coughing and snotting everywhere and it’s just so gross. We all hot desk as well so there’s no escaping the bodily fluids. But “I MUST do this, that and the other” (never anything that can’t wait a week/someone could cover).

It’s the same person that’s always first in and last out and greets me with “Afternoon” when i get arrive at 7:30 rather than 7 eyeroll

It's all well and good saying people shouldn't come in with a cold, but some of us don't get sick pay and can't afford to be off sick.

In my case i am the person who does my job each day no one else does it or could/would do it, kitchen cleaning specific jobs so if i didnt go in the kitchen would be at the stage where the chefs couldnt cook the food as the kitchen wouldnt be clean and the customers wouldnt be happy having food from a dirty kitchen, we dont get paid for the first three days of any absence for illness so i would lose three days pay, and i work on my own so i am not giving my cold to anyone else, and i wear plastic gloves which if i have to blow my nose i can take off wash my hands and put on a clean pair, and no i dont go round doing the martyr look i am here i just quietly get on with my work all be it a bit slower than normal

Im on a zero hour contract and have a weak immune system. If i dont go to work when im ill i dont get paid at all. I need to work to afford rent and bills. Many people are in the same situation. Why not blame businesses or the government for this business model rather than people who need to work to live.

The OPs workplace has particular reasons why it is unreasonable to be what is termed a 'workplace martyr'. I don't think this applies to most people.

The way I decide whether to go into work is:

If I was self employed and wasn't getting paid she sick would I go in?

Just chiming in with another YABVVVU

Scrumptiousbears fair play to you. Although if I did my job on a self employed basis I'd earn about half as much again. My employers get away with paying me what they do because of benefits such as, well, guaranteed salary, pension, life cover, and yes, sick pay. That squares the circle for me, and I value the protection and security over a few extra quid.

I realise not everyone has this luxury but i won't work for an employer that won't pay sick pay. To me it suggests and employer who doesn't care about you if you're ill, and frankly if that's the case, why would i care about them?!

I think that you have a duty to be fair minded about calling in sick. A snuffle or a cough etc, maybe you should make the effort, but flu like symptoms of a nasty cold? Being able to have a day off with pay is the reason the salary is lower than it should be for a contractor. If i feel i'm being genuine, i'll have my day or even week without a hint of guilt.

Thing is, you can't always tell the difference between cold and flu. I saw Yidette86's post, but it's not always that clear cut. I've known people with flu who had it really mildly, and I (and others) had had colds so bad that I'd have been a danger to myself and others if I'd been in work, eg from lack of sleep due to so much coughing.

Luckily, I rarely get colds now. I just wonder if that's because I've been exposed to so many I have antibodies.

I worked in Hospitality years ago and can recall how people would come to work even if very poorly, coughing sniffing spluttering all over food being prepared.

Many don't even wash their hands regularly even tho it's reiterated to do so and Handwash/sanitizer is everywhere around.

Management won't send them home as customer can't see behind closed doors so who cares really.

As for people who wipe nose with their hand then put lids on coffee cups as seen recently. Good on customer who quietly politely but firmly insisted on a replacement from someone who didn't have a runny nose

What Herculesfan said. Should be off if you're handling food or a nurse.
I seem to have a cold from about October to March - secondary teacher - so I'm sure I'd be fired if I stayed off work. We have to justify sick days - I had 2.5 days off last year and had to sit and fill in paperwork about it with my (then) manager. Hugely ironic as she's off approximately once every 3 weeks for at least a day.

Unfortunately some people have to go to work with coughs & colds so they can keep a roof over their heads!

100% agree with you. It’s hard to take time off for a cold as people think you’re slacking but they make me really ill too - and coming in costs the team productivity in the long run.

You can't take a day off work for a cold! I wouldn't be able to work all winter between needing to be off with children who have a cold (who I send to school) and picking one up myself. YABU

I don't feel ill when I have a cold, and it would feel very wrong to me to take time off when I didn't actually feel ill. I'd do it if I was told I had to because of someone with a problem with their immune system, though.

3 instances of sickness per year at my work puts you on a stage 1. Another 2 in the next 6 months puts you on a stage 2. Another 2 in the next 6 months and you're sacked. That's 7 instances in 2 years to end up sacked. We cannot stay off sick with a cold if we want to keep our jobs.

In the main I would say unless you have some sort of mitigating circumstance (like an underlying health issue) then no, you can't really take time off for a cold. The whole country would grind to a halt over winter if everyone went to bed for a couple of days each time they got the sniffles! You just need to take some paracetamol, buy some tissues, and just get on with it.

YABU.... you can't expect people to take time off for a cold or cough.... do you think the same for children, they should skip school just because they have a runny nose and a cough... if that's the case then my DD should have missed the last 12+ weeks of school as she's had a cough since the 1st week back in September

In my office if you are off sick over a few number of days/or instances you lose £200 at annual appraisal time. It used to be a fair system but they clamped down across the board because of skivers in a certain department so we all have to suffer.

You definitely not being unreasonable specially if deal with elderly people. I wish employers forced people to stay home they are contagious. I can't count how many times the entire office got sick because of stupid people that come to work when they are unwell. It's counter productive

Suck it up sugarplum!
Not your decision to make. Some people need to come to work for money and even a sick day is too much.
I equally dislike anyone who takes time off for a small sniffle!

As some people don’t get to paid if they’re off sick, most people at my work struggle through & share germs. I wouldn’t go in if I was ill if I got paid though.