'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!!

@Miffycat14 you're right. I'm just very scared.

This is interesting on the bike issue - loads of doctors and nurses cycle to work (for health and other reasons) yet people seem not to realise a lot of people cycle.

If most people cycled in the UK and had a healthy weight coronavirus deaths would be fewer actually so now is a good time to cycle every day.

I'm guessing the thinking with bikes is because a lot of places are reducing public transport and are likely to keep doing so which will make it tricky for keyworkers to get around. It's coming in to better weather too, so I'd expect a lot to try cycling either out of necessity or to avoid infection.

We've had a few obstructive staff this week.

It won't be hard to choose who is out when the inevitable recession hits after this crisis.

Bike repairs are important - lots of people need to cycle to get to work. If public transport shuts down (or they don't want to use it, which is probably wise if your only option is the Tube) then more people will need bikes to get to work.

OP most business owners know which of their employees are the sort to call in sick - expect it to effect your position at work going forward .

You purposely missed the point of my earlier post . In any event It is perfectly possible that someone could die riding a defective bike .

@JaneEyre7 obstructive as in value their health over going to work?

I doubt you really know the finances of these businesses.

Small businesses usually have a hand to mouth existence.

YABVU

@Springbubble912 I don't quite understand the point you were making then?

@tttigress have mentioned a few times now we are both privy to that information, just not expanding as I don't wish to out myself.

@ulele nah just don't fancy dying if coronavirus, what about you?

@StatisticallyChallenged that's actually a good point re cycling to avoid infection present in crowds, hadn't thought of that. We're not in a big city so there aren't loads of cycle commuters (compared to London) but I think quite a lot of leisure cyclists.

Loads of Drs and nurses cycle to work in central london. Friend runs a bike repairs and it's really busy (linked to a cafe but the cafe is rightly closed)

You and your children are young - the risk is low. Just do your job.

If we all wanted to avoid risk there would be no one to look after the sick. Dont play devils advocate here. I dont want to work each day but I have no choice.

Same JaneEyre7, we have had numerous staff being very difficult and it's become much worse since the furlough scheme was announced. We were trying to keep the business partially open (we're allowed to do so under certain conditions) but actually part of the reason we're having to give up on this is due to so many people coming up with excuses not to work. This means we're not providing a service to frontline keyworkers.

The non essential gourmet sweet supplier could take unpaid leave and the other continue working ?

@Springbubble912 yes that's an option. Wife earns much more than me anyway haha. I guess we could decontaminate her after work, change clothes, shower etc.

Also the more people that do this, the more hours they force their co workers to do to pick up the slack (if they want to keep the business going that pays their wages).

Bike shops are not just about buying bikes - they usually have a ‘garage’ where you can get your bike fixed.

@Thatnovembernight that's true. It's easy to think selfishly when it's potentially a life or death situation though.

I think your work is essential, not in the sense of actively saving lives, but in the sense of keeping society functional. The more people who can buy gourmet food online the less demand there is on the more affordable options which is definitely essential right now.
The more people who have working bikes the less pressure there is on public transport, again pretty essential right now.
I don’t blame you for being scared though but I think you just have to get through it.

Wow, what a decision to have to make, bikes and gourmet food - not essential to me.

All I can suggest is hang for the three weeks and then see what the government decide- they well close other businesses at this time.

I understand your fear, good luck and in the end make the decision you can live with.

Incidentally, are many bikes being sold?

I feel for you OP, it’s a very scary time. I’ve never felt so grateful to be in a position for both DH and I to be at home with the dc’s. I have family who work in the nhs and supermarkets and I just want them to give up their jobs and stay home - fuck the consequences! But they are made of stronger stuff than me.

I don’t know what I’d do in your situation, but I don’t see how taking the 2 weeks off would make much difference if you have to go back anyway - this could go on for months.

If everyone in your workplace cried off, would you even have jobs to go back to? I’d be really worried about not being able to find another job after all this is over - jobs in the food/bike industries sound like ones you probably want to do everything you can to keep hold of atm.

@Casualbride yes that's a positive way of looking at it, thank you