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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Staff member 'running a temperature'

52 replies

DerelictWreck · 13/01/2021 15:02

I have a team member who has had a LOT of time off sick in the last few months, partly with C-19, partly with other issues.

Each time he feels the need to keep me unnecessarily informed of his ailments . Fine, you want to prove to me your ill and I'm not about to rush anyone back to work (even virtually) at the moment.

But my gripe (lighthearted) is that he keeps telling me has a fever and then listing it. But they're never fevers!! Today's is 37.5, so naturally he needs today off.... I understand that that might be a bit warm for some people (it would be for me) but AIBU to think it's not a fever?!

YABU = 37.5C is clearly a raging fever
YANBU = 37.5C is barely warm

OP posts:

Hopingforthebest54 · 13/01/2021 16:16

I believe the temperature to be considered a Covid temperature is 37.8.

bluecheesefan · 13/01/2021 16:36

@Plussizejumpsuit

She probably keeping you up to date on ailments as you sound really judgemental of her sickness. Has she actually had covid? You say you don't want to rush her back but don't sound very sympathetic.

It's a he not a she.

There comes a point where sympathetic bosses start to realise that perhaps their staff member is taking the piss.

ToadsThePeanutButterSnob · 13/01/2021 16:42

Surely if you have a fever you don't need a thermometer to tell you that because you feel lousy anyway?

ikeepseeingit · 13/01/2021 16:59

Honestly, he probably does feel like crap and doesn't know how to describe it. It sounds like long COVID might be a possibility? I had M.E after glandular fever and it took me 2 years to recover, the first 6 months were the worst, these kinds of illnesses can really knock you out. I was unable to walk past my front door ( literally) for those 6 months and couldn't walk to my bathroom in one go. I was still supposed to be going into college and no one understood when I said I COULDN'T as in I was physically unable to do that. Sometimes it's easier to say you're running a high temp when actually you just feel like a pile of shite and can't move right now. It might be worth suggesting he lowers his hours temporarily to keep his energy up? something like 9:30-4 might work better as he won't be taking as much time off work and can sleep in a little. I would also suggest he gets his GP to refer him for long covid, there's much more help available than when I was sick.

GlobeUs · 13/01/2021 17:00

*I believe the temperature to be considered a Covid temperature is 37.8.

You don't always have a temperature with Covid - any temperature can be a "covid temperature".

Original poster

DerelictWreck · 13/01/2021 17:02

@grassisjeweled

Maybe he's got awful dioreahea and doesn't want to say?

But he doesn't need to say - that's my point! He can just say 'sorry Derelict, ill again today, should be back tomorrow/Friday'. Sometimes I get whole lists of what's wrong, none of which are work preventing in themselves. I've just checked and I have an old one telling me his temp is over 37C!

It's not a cautious thing - we are all wfh so no site restrictions or anything. And it pre-dates me, so it's not him picking up on my contemptuous nature as a pp said. Like I said he's had a lot of sickness in recent months and I've never given him anything other than support, including taking on all his work.

OP posts:

SmeleanorSmellstrop · 13/01/2021 17:02

Also depends on whether it is high FOR HIM i.e he knows that his usual tempersture is much lower. My friend is a doctor and knew his usual temperature was around 36 so when his was 37.5 he had a covid test and tested positive (living abroad where no restrictions about who can have a test and everyone is encouraged to if they have any concerns even without symtoms). I have my temperature taken every day (another precaution here) and my temperature is never higher than 36.6. 37.5 would be considered by me to be 'a temperature' too, as for me, it is significantly higher than my normal temperature.

GlobeUs · 13/01/2021 17:04

Bitching about him on an internet forum without raising with him is not being supportive...

unbotheredbutbewildered · 13/01/2021 17:05

He sounds like a bit of a chancer who is using COVID as an excuse to just take time off and lounge about all day being lazy.

If it's just one day here and there then he is clearly not ill. If it was weeks at a time I'd be slightly more inclined to believe him. The oversharing of the exact temperature is a clear indication he feels like he needs to 'prove' he's sick.

Original poster

DerelictWreck · 13/01/2021 17:08

@GlobeUs

Bitching about him on an internet forum without raising with him is not being supportive...

How am I bitching about him? MY AIBU was asking other posters if 37.5C would be a fever and wondering if it was odd to tell your manager something which isn't relevant.

i.e you wouldn't email to say 'can't work today, my blood pressure is high'. But you might say headache/fatigue etc as those are effects of high blood pressure

OP posts:

IliveonCoffee · 13/01/2021 17:09

It's probably a mix of his own experiences as to why he tells you. Even if you're genuinely believing he's ill.

Previous workplaces might not have been so understanding and demanded to know why, so to 'catch out' the liars.

He might also be keenly aware he's been off sick, and feels that he has to justify it, and explain he does have a temperature! Sounds like this might be backfiring in that his abnormal temperature still falls in normal range.

1FootInTheRave · 13/01/2021 17:12

Sounds like a piss taker to me.

ikeepseeingit · 13/01/2021 17:12

@unbotheredbutbewildered

He sounds like a bit of a chancer who is using COVID as an excuse to just take time off and lounge about all day being lazy.

Okay but what if he feels like shit all the time but runs out of energy because he's used it all up. I understand you don't believe him, but perhaps he feels better some days and awful on others? Pneumonia and covid is no joke, and it's cruel to say that he's lying and being lazy when he might actually be sick.

This guy needs a doctor, not some randomer saying he's not sick because he's in work on other days?? He feels he needs to prove it because of people like you.

SantiagoSky · 13/01/2021 17:19

We are all WFH now, but before that in my office the general rule was not to come in with a temperature higher than 37C.

maddening · 13/01/2021 17:20

Reply "no way! My temp is 37.5 too! Spooky 👻 we must be temperature twins"

Redwinestillfine · 13/01/2021 17:22

Under 38 is fine, and even at 38 it's low grade

GlobeUs · 13/01/2021 17:22

@DerelictWreck well if you wanted to know the answer to your temperature question you should have just left it at that, but you didn't, you brought him into it.

whatswithtodaytoday · 13/01/2021 17:23

37.5 would be high for me, I'd be feeling rubbish though not ill enough to be in bed. Definitely shivery and odd though. My temp is around 36.4 to 36.7 usually.

A symptom of long Covid is frequently spiking temperatures - it's most likely that causing it. Certainly if that's what I had in February, my temperature went up to around 37.5 every evening for a couple of weeks after I was recovered from the actual virus and I felt rough.

Porcupineintherough · 13/01/2021 17:23

If it's just one day here and there then he's clearly not ill

And you are clearly not a doctor as this is a very common recovery pattern with COVID/long covid/post viral fatigue. Except he's lucky that it's only occasional days.

LenaBlack · 13/01/2021 17:26

Normal temp. is 36.6
37.5 is elevated and he is probably feeling unwell. Proper fever is from 38

Undies1990 · 13/01/2021 17:28

My employer won't accept someone just saying "I'm ill and can't work" as the actual reason for the illness MUST be recorded on the HR system. Maybe his previous employer has a similar procedure and therefore it's just automatic to him that he states what the problem is. No big deal in my view.

The issue over whether 37.5 is a fever is debatable!

grey12 · 13/01/2021 17:29

Depends. 37C I feel uncomfortable as I have quite a low body temperature.

Anyways I wouldn't be telling my employer or colleagues the actual number

Beautifulbonnie · 13/01/2021 17:36

My daughters temp used to go to 41.5.

She saw a specialist fever dr. He said that was give. But any higher time it got over 41. I’d have to get her checked at a and e. Yet my gp told me she’d be near dead.

So we deal with high temps a lot. On the plus side she’s never unwell for more than 2 days. This has been proved because they’ve done tests just to check. She also won’t take medication. So we never get it down. Again the fever dr said this was ok. Fevers are a good thing

But it makes me laugh when people say about temps of 38. Or 37.7. Abnormal temp runs up to 37.5....so it’s not even a temp!

Beautifulbonnie · 13/01/2021 17:36

He said that was good. Not give

bumblingbovine49 · 13/01/2021 17:37

@DerelictWreck

It's not so much I think he's pulling a fast one - he really struggled to recover from C19 and had already had pneumonia before that - I think he genuinely thinks he's ill.

It's more that he doesn't say 'I'm ill and need a day off' he says 'I have a fever of random normal temp and need to be off. But WHY - what is the impact of this?! It's just such a random way of saying you're sick!

Can you not see that he is trying to go give you evidence that he is genuinely ill?.

I imagine that he feels very ill and is struggling to work ( many people with long Covid have this) but as time goes on he knows people will have less sympathy, as evidenced by people posting that this man has ' man flu'

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