'Essential' workers calling in 'sick'

[twinkletwinkle00]

What would you do?

My wife and I both work for businesses considered essential. She works for a bicycle company and I work for a food seller (online, specialised food so not a supermarket or anything along those lines).

We have two young children who aren't in nursery/school as we don't want them to be in contact with others if we can help it.

We're currently splitting our days and doing 3 each for our employers (one of us works on Saturday). We both work for small independent businesses with no cash flow issues, who realistically could shut up shop for a couple of months and get through fairly unscathed. Both our bosses want to keep making money which I understand but I really don't think it's fair for them to value cash over the health of their workers?

Would we be unreasonable to happen to come down with symptoms that require us to self-isolate? We could get a mortgage holiday and juuust scrape by on SSP. What would you do? I just don't feel it's right to put ourselves at risk like this. I wish our bosses would just close and take the government grant. I just feels so unfair.

Sorry if this should be in the coronavirus topic... I couldn't find it!!

For context my wife has asthma and one of our children has been in hospital with a chest infection this year.

@Lllot5 it's not about a holiday. We both enjoy our work. We want to try and stay healthy.

Second thread on here about thinking it's fine to commit fraud because you don't want to go to work. Fucking hell.

I think it's very short sighted. How much risk are you actually in? Wash hands in the office/factory/before getting in the van. Online so no crowds of people. Can't imagine the bike shop is rammed.

If you don’t have any underlying health conditions YABU.

@Walkacrossthesand I see your point. Trying to keep distance but difficult due to what we're doing and the spaces in which we're working. Why should we put our health at risk and go our bit when other people don't have to? Well be paying the impending taxes regardless.

Yes, there's always an excuse. Funny that. Everyone who gets pulled up committing fraud always has an excuse why it's justified. Imagine if all the NHS workers decided they were just going to down tools and commit fraud, fuck everyone else, or supermarket employees, care home workers, etc.

There's NO excuse to lie and commit fraud!

My child is a frontline doctor. They are terrified. Their partner is immuno compromised. They have three small children. One has asthma. They would like nothing better than to self isolate with their family until all this is over.

And today and tomorrow they will put aside their fears and go and help others, for the foreseeable future.

It has been said that construction workers cannot work 2m apart realistically and many have ceased work. And yet, many essential workers are working behind closed doors (ie not even in the open air) in extremely close proximity. No masks. Bosses who haven't put anything in place. You have my absolute sympathy OP.

Yeah, why should anyone put their health at risk? Fuck everyone else. All those nearly 200,000 who volunteered for the NHS, they should just let everyone else go to the wall.

Thank you to everyone for responding so far, reading and taking on board. Please try not to get angry, this is simply about staying healthy

To me, faking illness when other people are seriously ill is not acceptable at all.

I'd like anyone reading this post to put themselves in our shoes and ask yourself honestly what you'd do.

I'm a teacher still voluntarily going into school to provide childcare.

@Artus so much respect for them too. But we are not saving lives. We are selling bikes and gourmet food.

@WyfOfBathe yes it's a pretty horrible thing to consider doing. I just want us to be safe. We are not providing essentials or medical help. We are selling bikes and gourmet food. I don't want to risk the health of my family for this.

Why should we put our health at risk and go our bit when other people don't have to?

I get your point. And sympathise with your situation. But i lose respect when you're prepared to make your employer bear the cost because you can't afford to go on SSP.

Maybe my child should fake illness and call in sick. Of course that would be one less doctor to treat you when you get ill.

@Gazelda yes I see your point! I thought that SSP was to be covered by the government during the crisis?

@Artus stop being so sanctimonious. We are selling bikes and gourmet food we we not essential. Why should we risk our health? I have so much respect for our drs and nurses and teachers and everyone keeping the country running during this difficult time. But we are not in that category.

YABU.

What @Whalette said

@Artus so much respect for them too. But we are not saving lives. We are selling bikes and gourmet food.

Yes, your life is definitely more valuable than theirs that it's okay to bloody fake like your sick and rip us all off .

Yes, the employer has to claim the SSP back. And it's not instant. Especially not.

At any rate, when you commit fraud like this, you rob all of us. Newsflash: everyone pays taxes in one way or another.

Can't believe people are doing this. Disgusting behaviour.

Smaller employers are in theory going to be able to recover SSP (which a good while back they always used to be able to do by the way) but that might take a while to come through but you would have to be sick or required to self isolate - I think there is a Govenrment form you have to complete to get a certificate for it. Some employers might want to take your temperature however. My son (delivers groceries) has to have his taken every day before starting work.

No don't lie and deceive people. Just get on with work. I think you both may be entitled to a free school place and nursery place actually too given the nature of your work and that both of you are in these kinds of service areas.

Op if you do not want to go to work due to the current situation but your employer is deemed essential then the only option you have is to quit your jobs. Yes, that's extreme but it's unacceptable to fake an illness that is currently killing people in large numbers. You are being selfish and need to either make the sacrifice of a stable job or go to work.

If your wife has asthma should she not be self isolating for 12 weeks? I know it's on the list but not sure on severity.

@TheArchSorcererofContwaraburg I'm not doing it, I was asking for opinions.

If you dont want to do the job then you quit the job. You dont fake an illness to falsly claim pay. I know its hard, everyone IS making equally hard decisions. But we all have to do our best to keep our country running directly relating to fighting the spread of the virus and in keeping our economy somewhat revivable.

Explain to your employers you dont want to work, would appreciate being furloughed or put on unpaid leave.