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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Colleague won’t supervise classes

275 replies

ConsuelaHammock · 24/01/2021 19:34

I work in a primary school . One of the teachers won’t come in to supervise key workers’ children. Most of the staff are in one day a week atm with smt being in 2 days .
The teacher in question thinks they had covid last Easter. There is no record of a positive test This colleague has mentioned that their gp has recommended they “work from home if possible”.
as they felt a little tired over the Christmas break . Aibu to think that they are taking the piss?
Colleague has form for taking off with the slightest sniffle .

OP posts:
AccidentallyOnPurpose · 24/01/2021 23:14

@Viviennemary

Only a teacher would get away with this. Anywhere else thry eould face disciplinary action.
I wasn't in school for two months in lockdown 1. Because the head told me not to come or sent me on jobs outside of school like delivering food or homelearning packs. I didn't even asked him to, he made the decisions based on staffing and needs. Why the hell would I face disciplinary action somewhere else for doing exactly what my boss told me to do?
lyralalala · 24/01/2021 23:15

@Viviennemary

Op said in the opening post this person has refused to come into work.
You might want to read the rest of their posts.

The teacher in question comes into work once a week. They just don’t take a class of kids so the Op has assumed they’ve refused and the HT has, for some reason, just allowed this.

Despite the OP having no knowledge of the discussions between the colleague and his boss

chaosrabbitland · 24/01/2021 23:15

@ConsuelaHammock

I’m completely onboard with working from home when possible . It’s just that when it’s not possible then everyone should be pulling their weight . And being scared of covid isn’t a valid excuse imo when everyone is bloody scared of bringing it home !
i really do agree with you , but to be fair i think the bashing your getting on here is by people who no doubt would be pulling the same stunt as your fellow workmate , cos they dont want to catch the virus so they want to work from home , iv seen at least 2 threads on mumsnet from office workers who have been told they have to go in and cant wfh and they are all crying and moaning about how unfair it is and the level of support they get is unreal , its totally pathetic and i expect these same bedwetters looking for excuses not to leave the house manage it very well when they need to
AccidentallyOnPurpose · 24/01/2021 23:19

@chaosrabbitland ODFOD. I'm in all day every day with 16 kids,then go home and do online work and I'm only a TA.I work more than OP does , at least when it comes to days in school.

lyralalala · 24/01/2021 23:21

It’s always amusing when the OP disappears just as an ardent supporter appears on the thread

AccidentallyOnPurpose · 24/01/2021 23:25

@lyralalala

It’s always amusing when the OP disappears just as an ardent supporter appears on the thread
Particularly when said supporter is quite frothy. Maybe they're unraveling?Grin
Heytigertea · 24/01/2021 23:31

I’m not on the rota in my school due to my daughter being CEV. Only the head and my line manager are aware of this as we have chosen not to widely share my daughters illness.

Some colleagues may think I’m shirking 🤷🏻‍♀️ But I’m ok with that. I need to do what is right for my family and right now that isn’t being in a room with 15 kids. My headteacher was in fact the one who emailed saying he’s not expecting to see me on the rota, I don’t need to explain myself to colleagues. I’m pretty confident there will be similar whispering a going on in my school about me not taking on more, but I do not need to justify myself/share details I’m not keen on sharing.

Iminaglasscaseofemotion · 24/01/2021 23:35

i really do agree with you , but to be fair i think the bashing your getting on here is by people who no doubt would be pulling the same stunt as your fellow workmate , cos they dont want to catch the virus so they want to work from home , iv seen at least 2 threads on mumsnet from office workers who have been told they have to go in and cant wfh and they are all crying and moaning about how unfair it is and the level of support they get is unreal , its totally pathetic and i expect these same bedwetters looking for excuses not to leave the house manage it very well when they need to

Hmm, notice how this poster and the OP leave a space before and after punctuation throughout their posts. Coincidence?

HercwasanEnemyofEducation · 24/01/2021 23:35

And when said supporter seems to have the same issues with spaces and punctuation.

Iminaglasscaseofemotion · 24/01/2021 23:37

I’m completely onboard with working from home when possible . It’s just that when it’s not possible then everyone should be pulling their weight . And being scared of covid isn’t a valid excuse imo when everyone is bloody scared of bringing it home

Also, difficult to believe a teacher would begin a sentence with "And".

Watermelon999 · 24/01/2021 23:38

A teacher I know well has refused to go into work since January. They agreed to work from home but refused to go in due to fear of catching it. They have no medical conditions and no shielding household members. Partner is nhs worker.

School wanted them to be on the rota for keyworker kids, but friend refused and requested childcare furlough (private school), kids are 16 and 18! Ended up getting it. Friend now getting near full salary sat at home all day, plenty of time to exercise and sort their house, quite pleased with themself. No thought for colleagues struggling on...

It has annoyed me, as I am an nhs worker, equally terrified of getting it, as I’m sure are friends colleagues. At our work, loads of people suddenly came out of the woodwork who couldn’t come into work for various spurious reasons, many young, fit, healthy.

ConsuelaHammock · 25/01/2021 00:08

I didn’t name change to support my own pov 😂 I have no idea what my punctuation looks like as I’m typing on my phone. I’m sure it’s dreadful. What’s wrong with an ‘and ‘ at the beginning of a sentence on a discussion website . It’s mumsnet ffs!

OP posts:
lyralalala · 25/01/2021 00:10

Funny. Your punctuation is magically fixed now... Hmm

ConsuelaHammock · 25/01/2021 00:17

Someone agrees with me , so it must be ‘me’? The ta up thread who is in school every day and working at home at night . That seems an unfair workload for a TA . What are you doing at home in the evenings ?
The CAs in our school are on the rota 1/2 days a week. They don’t have anything to do at home . Some of them don’t want to come in more than 1 day a week and see lockdown as a holiday.

OP posts:
ConsuelaHammock · 25/01/2021 00:18

Only because I didn’t even realise I left a space .

OP posts:
ConsuelaHammock · 25/01/2021 00:18

I’m a dreadful typist .

OP posts:
ConsuelaHammock · 25/01/2021 00:21

Serious question . Does anyone know any doctors or nurses who don’t go to work because they are afraid of catching covid ? What happens if a nurse doesn’t want to go to work ? These are the actual people facing this every day and yet they just get on with it . If you’re not willing to do your job then I think you should take unpaid leave.

OP posts:
ConsuelaHammock · 25/01/2021 00:22

Also I left because I didn’t think it was compulsory to stay.

OP posts:
lyralalala · 25/01/2021 00:38

@ConsuelaHammock

Serious question . Does anyone know any doctors or nurses who don’t go to work because they are afraid of catching covid ? What happens if a nurse doesn’t want to go to work ? These are the actual people facing this every day and yet they just get on with it . If you’re not willing to do your job then I think you should take unpaid leave.
He is doing his job.

If he wasn’t doing the job his boss wanted him to do then he’d have issues, but he is.

Do you not think people’s circumstances (that you do not know about) should be taken into account? That there’s no need for reasonable adjustments when people have health issues?

echt · 25/01/2021 00:48

Also, difficult to believe a teacher would begin a sentence with "And".

You can begin a sentence with "and".

HercwasanEnemyofEducation · 25/01/2021 04:47

Does anyone know any doctors or nurses who don’t go to work because they are afraid of catching covid ?

How do you know this is his reason?

Even if he said it to your face he may be lying to hide other circumstances.

chaosrabbitland · 25/01/2021 05:13

@HercwasanEnemyofEducation

hopefully she wont get away with it for too long

Nice bit of everyday sexism assuming it's a woman.

forgot the op said it was a bloke , srsly does it matter the sex of the person , rolls eyes
chaosrabbitland · 25/01/2021 05:17

@Iminaglasscaseofemotion

i really do agree with you , but to be fair i think the bashing your getting on here is by people who no doubt would be pulling the same stunt as your fellow workmate , cos they dont want to catch the virus so they want to work from home , iv seen at least 2 threads on mumsnet from office workers who have been told they have to go in and cant wfh and they are all crying and moaning about how unfair it is and the level of support they get is unreal , its totally pathetic and i expect these same bedwetters looking for excuses not to leave the house manage it very well when they need to

Hmm, notice how this poster and the OP leave a space before and after punctuation throughout their posts. Coincidence?

i am not the op , i work in retail and have done since i was 19 years old . you need to stick to your day job and stop playing at armchair detective
thecatfromjapan · 25/01/2021 05:31

What is it with this 'divide and rule' stuff?

The government should be supporting as many workers to work from home as possible.

There should be payments to support workers regularly testing and isolating before test results.

The figures are shocking, we're still in lockdown, because this hasn't happened.

The answer is to take feelings of anger and direct them to where they should be - a government terrified of the ERG/Coronavirus Recovery Group/Libertarian Neo-capitalists and unable/unwilling to act in a way that supports the U.K., it's industry, it's economy and its people.

We shouldn't be dreaming up wholly imaginary scenarios in order to create a scapegoat group that we can project our fears and direct our anger at.

'I want everyone to imagine a wholly imaginary scenario where someone gets to choose what risk they face and call that 'shirking'.'

Firstly, teachers in schools don't get to do this. They have managers, just like everyone else.
The situation OP imagines is a fantasy. If OP's colleague is wfh, it will have been discussed with the manager.

OP has no right to know why.

if this is true, OP is your standard-issue nosy-arse - the sort of person everyone scrambles over themselves not to work with.

You all know her, you've all worked with her: she spreads rumours and speculation about everyone, she has a malicious mind-set, everyone feels dirtier after a 'conversation' with her, everyone dreads to think what she's saying behind their back.
Everyone is praying she fucks up something badly enough that she can be managed out. She's like woodworm in an organisation - undermining morale and teamwork.

Secondly - This kind of bollocks is just crap. What's it supposed to do?
Is it supposed to make you trot off to work - perhaps your own work, in unsafe conditions, and - instead of complaining or organising to change those unsafe conditions - make you comply but seethe instead st 'those teachers' who 'are taking the piss?'

You know, like some sort of sentient turnip?

Or are you supposed to turn against teachers - not the government - because teachers really did have the temerity to point out working conditions weren't safe - indeed, we're a public health issue?

I mean, how are we to take a post like this?

If you stop for five minutes and think, it's evidently preposterous.

So which is it?

The postings of a bitter noseyparker, temporarily thwarted in her desire to nose into everyone's private business in her workplace, reduced to spreading malice on MN because there aren't enough adults in school to have a good whisper-campaign with?

Or is it someone trying to turn us all into biddable turnips: kept in the dark and awaiting our inevitable harvesting - like good little vegetables.

I guess you get to choose. 🤷‍♀️

Neither's pretty.

chaosrabbitland · 25/01/2021 05:36

[quote lyralalala]@chaosrabbitland
thats a dumd comment in itself , how is she taking the piss when shes questioning why her workmate is looking for excuses not to come in and do his job as hes paid to do when needed ? or is this the stunt you would pull so you think its acceptable if others do it ?

Making judgemental assumptions about your colleague’s reasonable adjustments that have been made by his boss after discussions is piss taking.

Speaking to your boss about your personal circumstances and coming to an acceptable agreement is not a stunt. It’s what most adults would do.

He is coming into work. As and when agreed with his boss. His days and responsibilities are fuck all to do with the OP.

Do you expect your boss to share details of your medical history with all of your colleagues?[/quote]
well from what the op had said he has a history of work shirking even before covid and if his refusal to come in is impacting on her and her other colleagues then yes she had got the right to feel annoyed about it , its very possible that its only been agreed by the headteacher under pressure because if he says no to him it will be straight down to the doctor crying to get a sick note so he can sit at home on full pay for the next how many months , iv seen ppl pull this stunt before in my own workplace . and no i wouldnt expect my boss to share my medical history ,but then if i walked into his office and said i didnt want to come in more than one day a week because the doctor had advised me not to , all he would do is ask me to produce a shielding letter , and if i didnt have one i dont think id get a favourable response !

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