AIBU by pre corona work colleagues with colds/blowing noses at work?

[Ihatecoldsgrrrr]

I’ve recently found this website so apologies for the topic.

However when we were in the office I was so annoyed by colleagues blowing their nose loudly in the office, or sniffing up snot.

If people don’t want to take full pay sick leave (our department isn’t busy) than fair enough. However your big noisy nose blowing is disgusting. So is sniffing up snot.

I’m sure people will have a different opinion to colds this season, but it’s always annoyed me.

Hay fever isn’t contagious.

Covid is only deadly for some people, most have mild symptoms, vast majority make a full recovery.

Flu is the same, just the nhs is overwhelmed.

Yeah but your OP was complaining about people sniffing or blowing noses....both can be as a result of hay fever.

@Pootles34

You think people ought to go on sick leave because they have a cold? Honestly? That's ridiculous.

I do agree on the sniffing thing - just blow your bloody nose! Can't stand a sniffer.

We may change our attitudes in future. Germans take an average of 4x the sick leave we do.

How do you judge if someone has hay fever or a common cold? On days with a high pollen count I'll be blowing my nose every couple of minutes... just like when I have a cold.

If everyone phoned in sick each time they had a cold, we'd all soon rack up enough absence to end up on disciplinary measures, even possibly getting the sack.
Blowing your nose is natural. YABU and intolerant.

Wiping a nose is okay but they could go into the toilet to blow their nose.
(I'm tickle-stomached ).

@Ihatecoldsgrrrr

I’ve recently found this website so apologies for the topic.

However when we were in the office I was so annoyed by colleagues blowing their nose loudly in the office, or sniffing up snot.

If people don’t want to take full pay sick leave (our department isn’t busy) than fair enough. However your big noisy nose blowing is disgusting. So is sniffing up snot.

I’m sure people will have a different opinion to colds this season, but it’s always annoyed me.

I have hayfever, should I only be able to work for seven months of the year?

No one really likes working with a cold, do they? I’ve had many colds where I’ve felt horrific for up to a week. However businesses sick leave policies do not support people staying at home when they have a cold, so people go to work.
I’d obviously rather lie in bed eating chocolate and reading a book, but I’d soon be facing disciplinary action. So I go to work.

You sound very paranoid OP, do you have anxiety? People shouldn't need to be seperated or stay home for just the common cold. What you had for 2 months was clearly not just a cold.

The social distancing in place for coronavirus is temporary, it is sustainable as a way to live forever.

YABU. People can't stay home every time they get a cold. It's probably not great for your immune system to not e exposed to such things either. I'm snotty for 3 months every year due to hayfever too...

Flu symptoms and cold symptoms are quite different IMO.

Sometimes people’s noses run. It’s hay fever season. Of course people can blow their noses. I would wash my hands after doing this. Coming into work full of a cold/man flu. My stupid supervisor does this every time he’s ill. He says he might as well be ill at work as at home. This is so selfish and thoughtless. He just spreads his germs over us all.

I think in a post-Corona world it's going to be viewed as more and more unreasonable for people to come to work when visibly ill.
And if they do they'll probably have to be more considerate with germs (not coughing everywhere for example) to avoid upsetting colleagues.

My husband and I both have the worst hayfever we have had for several years. We are both sneezing constantly and nose-blowing - can't help it! Are you suggesting we take 2 months off for that so other people won't think we have the virus??

YABVU. Propel cannot take time off every time they have a cold. It’s called the common cold for a reason.

And not just that, they may not even have a cold. I have all year round hay fever, so I’m sniffling and blowing my nose throughout the year. People may assume I have a cold; they would be wrong.

On days with a high pollen count I'll be blowing my nose every couple of minutes... just curious, are you washing your hands every couple of minutes too?

You can’t be getting much work done even though you are present.

You can’t be getting much work done even though you are present.

Are you suggesting people with hayfever take time off sick?

You can’t be getting much work done even though you are present

Probably not but what’s the alternative? Stay off work from May to September?

The year before I had an awful two month cold and I ended up going home on Friday and not going back to work for two weeks.

Surely you should have been off of work for 2 months then?

I’m am constantly blowing my nose at this time of year because I suffer from hay fever. If you wanted me to take time of work for each day I suffer from hay fever, I would not be in work for a 2-3 month period. That’s ridiculous.

OP you are funny.

So everyone with hayfever or other rhinitis not caused by the common cold shouldn't be in work for months?

Get a grip.

You were sick for 2 months but only off work for 2 weeks, so you were in work for at least 6 weeks with a cold - this is a bit hypocritical.

Your issue is therefore with your employer - either they encourage people to take time sick by removing sanctions around sickness and paying wages in full or provide you or the sick people with workspaces that are isolated etc, the way that employment is currently structured in a way that means it is not feasible for people to take time off sick when they are physically fine to work and just have a cold which other than being unpleasant for the person is not Preventative of doing their work. The potential infection of colleagues is not ideal but possibly unavoidable beyond usual hygiene measures.

I am lucky as I can wfh and do with a cold.

I blow my nose most days - I am fucked if I am being told I can't by some ill-informed panic monger.

It's not practical for people to take time off work with every sniffle, but one thing I hope will come from this pandemic, is that people will be more considerate of others and make an effort to keep their germs to themselves. Like not coughing or sneezing into their hand, then touching surfaces. This has been a salutary lesson/reminder as to how germs spread.

It annoys me when the checkout person coughs into their hand, then immediately resumes scanning my shopping, or someone sneezes into their hand, then hands me a pen/cup of tea or whatever. Worse still, are people who just cough and sneeze at will into the air.

I wouldn’t take sick leave for a basic cold

Bully for you! but you know what? Someone coming in to work with a basic cold puts me in danger of getting a "basic cold" which affects me so badly I may need to spend at least 3 days in bed & a week off work, if I don't get a debilitating lung infection (bronchitis, pluerisy, take your pick).

A 'basic cold' usually makes me quite ill for about 2 weeks in all.