What to do about work :(

[Queenie6655]

Hello all

Just wondering really what to do
Work in a very pressurised job
Usually love it
We are very short staffed and it has been tough going

Well - I got covid 10 weeks ago
Slowly gaining energy
Mornings I tend to feel ok (some of the time)

Work are really short staffed and I said I would try my best to be back on Monday
My brain fog is really quite bad (zero concentration , some blurred vision)
My energy by afternoon is really limited

I feel so bad to let them down
And I worry that I should just be over this by now
So Monday do I
Ring gp and explain all this
Or
Try to get myself back to work and see how it is for a few weeks???

Any advice would be so so much appreciated xxxx

I’m the same as you. I ALWAYS feel so guilty (and my manager and colleagues are really nice and supportive!). My initial virus that led to my ME diagnosis, I was on and off work for 4 weeks pushing myself, then hospitalised and off work fully for 8 weeks, then back phased return for a further 6 weeks and even then people saw me and said I looked awful and said they thought I needed more time off. Since I’ve built back up with the odd 2 - 3 weeks off here and there when I relapse. Last April I was off for 7 weeks. And now I’ve been off since November with another virus and I feel the same as I did when it started. My friend has Fibromyalgia and she was off work for 5 months once. You are not alone. People get sick. For a long long time sometimes.

I know it’s hard, I’m so hard on myself and need to take my own advice. But please don’t go back until you feel ready.

Your manager absolutely should not be contacting you about work when you're off sick, not should she be pushing you to go back. Check your company's sickness policy as she's really overstepped the mark.

Please get signed off for much longer by your GP.

@museumum

Don’t go back!!! Doctors on the bbc horizon programme said the only pattern they could see in those who suffered “long covid” is they tended to have not sufficiently rested.

Yes..I heard that..hence why it’s affecting young people...they think they should just get on with it and push too hard.

Eye opening

Thanks all
Sod them and still fuming they contacted me

Prior to covid I was going over and above doing an extra day and a half most weeks (foolish)
So now they seem to be really up shit creek and not prepared to pay for someone to cover me for a short while
Hence the guilt trip

My sick cert runs out Monday
Is it ok to notify them Monday morning I am still sick and then send the cert later that day?
Sorry for all the qt

I don't think going back to work before you are ready is a good idea.

Take the time you need. your health is the most important thing

I have ME too. Please don’t go back yet. If you try and push through even the tiniest bit before you’re ready you’re risking getting much much worse and being off for waaay longer.

The best prognosis for ME type illnesses is for people who rest the most at the start. Do everything you can to completely shake this off before increasing your activity levels.

goes two ways op,
be fair to them
and they will hopefully be fair to you.

keep them informed. but dont be under pressure. discuss with GP about phased return when you feel ready.

Yes so very true

I will be limping back Monday if I go in
But pleasing the big bad deputy

I just can't
Taken enough shit from them for years now and was just so lucky to have a job
I know this sickness doesn't look good on my record but that's the last thing I should worry about 😢😢😣

I had bad illness returned too early could do a big to begin with then after 4 weeks as my job was full on I ended up being sick again. The second period was frowned on and I got no credit for even trying to be committed. I felt I was being pushed out if my job in the end and I found another. I had done 10 years good service hours of inlsof overtime. Don’t do it don’t go back till 100% you won’t be thanked if you can’t perform to usual standard no matter what they say. I still feel hurt by it all now.

@Purpl
Awful
So sorry !!!

We push and push ourselves sometimes
Why ??

For me I never felt good enough
So always did extra unpaid 😡😡😡

Yes that’s fine. You get sick notes from date to date if you see what I mean.

Also some companies (mine included) don’t count covid on your sick record.

Take it from me, I’ve had to learn the hard way about this the last 2 years so take all my experience (PM me if you like). Most companies cover 28 weeks of sickness absence so you get your full salary every month. Not sure if the company pays for this or the govt do. But the point is that system is there because that’s life, it happens to people.

Please save yourself from feeling like this for years to come, maybe forever. Take care of yourself NOW so you don’t feel like this forever Fuck their pressure and fuck the guilt. I love my job and I’m desperate not to lose it and I’m desperate for people to not think I’m taking the piss. But at the end of the day, if you’re not well you’re not well. There’s other jobs if worst comes to worst.

Lots of people who I work with have had COVID. They all came back too early (like you, guilt cos of short staffed environment) and ended up going off again.

They really were not fit to work, brain fog, forgetting loads of things and in the end it wasn't actually productive for anyone for them to be back!

Is it possible you can do a couple of hours a day from home, something light? But you do really need to rest up longer if you don't feel right

Hello

No longer able to do it remotely
So would be full on after a few days back
Lots of deadlines etc
Been told if I don't make it back others will take my work and they are already overworked 🤯😤😭😭😭😭😭😭

I know you will feel bad but it isn't your problem. I don't think anyone knows until they have it what it's like. Let your line manager know tonight you will be off for another 2 weeks and speak to your GP Monday morning. Honest, you will be no good to no-one going back like you are. I hope you feel better soon

do you have occ health?

speak to your GP

True I will be pretty useless in fairness

Not heard from occupational health yet
It is a local authority I work for

I didn't do any of the work

If you were off sick with a sick note from the doctor then you shouldn’t have been doing ANY work - probably why you haven’t fully recovered yet!

It took me almost a year to recover and I believe it was because I was working throughout (before long Covid was really known).

i think occ health get in touch after 3 months, could be wrong of course.

@Queenie6655

Thanks guys

I didn't do any of the work

They were asking me for it while I was really sick

Get advice from your GP , it will go on the record. and if you can, pay for one hours advice from a solicitor. You may be able to do this for fre or you may be covered by household insurance. They should not have been demanding work from you when you were sick with Covid!!! Do you have a union? join it. They will have a legal rep and can represent you to your employers. You need to get well first and foremost. Your supervisor is NOT a medical professional. So you need to make sure she/your HR is informed about your medical difficulties. Do you have a friend who is well who could help you think clearly about this and help you keep a record? I hope you feel better soon. But please don't let this woman bully you when you are sick

If you aren't in a union join one!!

No so very true
Hassling me for things that could have waited

Thanks all this is so useful
Plus I don't feel as bad anymore as there is nothing I can do about being this ill still after covid

I need to join a u ion ASAP !!

I hear that long Covid's biggest contributing factor is people trying to do too much when they aren't ready. I would absolutely call the doctor and not work. Could be worse in the long run.