To not know what is allowed when signed off sick

[Justasconfusedwithnumber2]

I am in my second pregnancy and have just been signed off with breathing difficulties for 3 weeks while prescription kicks in. I have never been signed off before so don't know what is expected. I assume I am OK to pop to the shops etc if needed? I work part time so will have my eldest son the rest of the time. Only problem is I have tickets to a stand up comedy show at the weekend. I assume I shouldn't go now? Absolutely gutted as it was booked a year ago 😢

BTW I didn't ask to be signed off. Doc recommended I rest

Sorry to hear you’re unwell.
Of course you can pop to the shops if you need to - you don’t have to be tied to your home. But most employers would say that if you do anything that makes your condition worse (and therefore delays your return to work) then that would be frowned upon.
I think therefore the comedy show might be a no go. But that’s your call.
Get well soon.

Go to the gig, sounds like you need a bit of a break!! When you’re signed off sick it does not mean your life has to stop, it means you are not able to carry out your work duties. So a couple of hours out sat at a gig is fine! As is popping to the shops, grabbing coffee with a friend etc 😊 enjoy the show and hope you’re feeling better soon x

I feel like this is a 50-50 thing. I just don't want to get 'caught'. I've mentioned it to my colleagues as I have been so excited.

Popping to the shops is not the same as doing a shift at work. Ten years ago l had pulmonary infiltrates (basically a lung condition) which left me very short of breath and constantly exhausted. l lived on my own, and sometimes l had to go out for basics. l couldn't have gone to work on pain of death.
Sitting down at a comedy show for a couple of hours isn't the same as doing a shift at work. l'd go. lt'll likely do you good. lf your doctor says you aren't fit to go to work, you aren't fit to go to work. Not that you can't go out of the house for the entire three weeks.

If you feel up to going to the show at the weekend go. I am currently signed off sick and did exactly that this weekend, it never occurred to me not to. You are too ill to work, it doesn't mean you can't sit and watch comedy for a couple of hours.

For me I suppose a lot would depend on what your job involves, what the doctor had actually told you, how far you’d have to travel to the gig etc. as to whether I thought it was taking the piss or not (seeing it from your employer’s POV). Sick notes don’t mean you can’t leave the house, of course they don’t.

Agree with Calico

I know someone who went to a football match whilst on sick leave and was then sacked.....

Popping to shops fine.....if I was your colleagues I'd be thinking the comedy night was a bit cheeky.....

People at my work do all sorts when signed off work! If you don't mind saying what your job is that could help. If you work a few hours at a time sat down the going a comedy show isn't that different. If you work an 8 hour day stacking shelves on a shop floor then a comedy gig is significantly different and it's easy to see you could do one and not the other

Definitely go to your gig if you feel up to it, we are not shackled to our employers .
It would be different if you were off with the flu, unable to get up or a stomach bug and 13 hours later you’re at a gig. It’s black and white, don’t panic.

Sounds like you had a mum like mine - 'if you're not well enough to go to school, you're not well enough to go out.'

I work in HR. Being fit to work is not the same as being fit to attend a show/ go on holiday/ go shopping etc.

I've only ever seen people disciplined when they are doing things like earning money through self employment whilst sacked off.

I am currently signed off sick, recovering after a cardiac procedure.
I will be off until Thursday at the earliest. Most of the time I am at home in Pjs, on the sofa or in bed. I am not allowed to drive anyway for another couple of days.

However, at the weekend I went to a meal out with family involving a night stay in a hotel. It was an important event and not one that could be arranged once we had the op date. It would have also affected others, and family would have lost money. So I did go - I rested all day, I rested in the hotel, I still just sat.

I have had longer sick leave in the past and I have followed my hospital or doctor's advice. So, sometimes this has included going for short walks or to the shops, having lunch out with a friend, sitting in a chime or theatre, and at the end of one lengthier sick leave - a pre-booked week's holiday. I didn't hide any of it and my employer was always aware and fully supported everything.

YANBU i was signed off for 3 weeks after a miscarriage and I still had my then 2yo to look after. I still went to the shops and met friends for a coffee.

I went on holiday while off sick with depression/anxiety, with my employer's blessing. They hoped it would help me get better.

I think it depends on a) the reason for being off b) the nature of your job. As long as a reasonable person wouldn't conclude from your activities that you're fit enough to work your normal hours then you're fine.

But I'd be a bit tactful and lay off social media.

if you're not well enough to go to school, you're not well enough to go out.

Depends why you are signed off.

If its a bug, flu, heavy cold, infection, etc - then yes, can't go to work and shouldn't be going out.

If its a broken bone, recuperation from an operation, mental health, recuperation after a more serious infection/illness - then quite probably no, that doesn't work. You can be well enough, and it be actually advised by medical staff, to go out and about a small amount as part of your recovery. There is a huge difference between being well enough to sit for 2 hours at a show and being well enough to do a full day's work.

For me day to day tasks that can't be avoided, like food shopping or taking older dc to wherever they need to be are fine. I'd certainly raise an eyebrow if one of my colleagues was off sick for a physical condition and in a comedy club though I must say.

If you were running a marathon then YABU

Going to a comedy gig? YANBU.

Go and hope you feel better!

I wouldn’t put anything you do on social media though. Some people (including some managers) really do think you should be confined to your bedroom if you’re signed off, whatever you’re signed off for. So if you post lots of pics of you socialising, someone snide might drop poison in the wrong ear.

I'd go to the comedy night but just in case anyone sees you, I'd dress down ie very casual, and not put on a full face of make up! If anyone sees me without makeup I look ill anyway! Go and enjoy, but not too much. Hope you are better soon.

Will laughing a lot not make your breathing difficulties worse, though?

I am asthmatic and laughing a lot can bring on an attack.

When I was off sick for 6 months for a physical condition, my lovely colleagues used to pick me up once a month and we'd go out for a meal. Because they knew fit to have a gentle evening out was different from fit to work.

Sitting in an audience? Fine. Dancing the night away? Not fine.

It's not Jimmy Carr you're due to see is it - because he's cancelled some shows for medical reasons. If not - you should go. As others have said, it's not the same as doing a shift at work.

I'd go to the comedy gig. It's not the same at all as doing and 8 hour day at work, and I presume people wil be with you in case you need help.