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

Ring GP and get a fit note.

Do not return before you feel 100%. I am in long Covid (since October) and I feel just like you. I've kept making noises to work - who have been very sympathetic - about "hopefully I'll be back in a couple of weeks" but realistically that is not going to happen. I have been referred to long Covid clinic and it's probably going to be months before I'm actually fit to return.

@Disillusioned4now paints a very sad but realistic picture of how you could end up.

That's exactly what I feared

Thanks so so much for pointing this out also

There has been a lot of
Well let's see how you fair in a few weeks
It won't be as bad then

When in actual fact I just feel exhausted and like I can barely function most days

Awful !!!

And to those in the same position I'm so very sorry to hear that xxxx

@Queenie6655

Just rest.

I asked my GP if I should start to try and do a bit more each day and they said Absolutely not. With any kind of post viral fatigue the most important thing to do is rest. Do not try and push yourself. You just have to be patient. Like you I have brain fog and utter exhaustion.

And OH have just told me I'll be looking at a phased return in several months time if I'm fit enough. But it won't be just come back to work and see how you get on....

Absolutely
So true and thanks all

At least now I am clear about what to do and not to push myself to please others who don't even respect their staff xx

Id go and see how you get on. Anxiety will be playing a large part here as well xx

Don't feel well enough

Yes I'm anxious about everything at the minute

No energy and awful brain fog so not sure how I can push myself in :(

Either get signed off or very gradual phased return. I had long covid for months and my recovery was extended by going back to work far too soon.

Definitely don't go. If you do, you'll push yourself too hard and end up doing something badly. Much better taking the time you need to be truly well.

Guess it depends on what you can afford to do at the end of the day. Jobs aren't kept open indefinitely is the sad reality of today's times. If they are an awful employer then maybe you're wanting to move on anyway when you're better.

Another M.E. sufferer here.
Please do not underestimate the damage returning to work can do if your body isn't ready.
It can seriously set you back so far that you might not be able to recover.

Even when you feel you could manage, add another couple of weeks to your fit note to ensure you are at maximum power and also go back on a phased return.

Phased returns do help but you have to be 100% strict with yourself and not feel guilty. Keep strictly to the guidance of your GP. This is your health and that has to be your #1 focus.

My phased return was initially over 8 weeks. I did 2 hrs a day for the 1st week and then worked up in increments I could manage.
After 8 weeks I asked to extend the phased return another 4 weeks because I was struggling to get to 8hrs work a day.
Get assessed by Occupational Health too.

Don't be bullied into a return before you are ready.

I hope it works out for you.

@TiddleTaddleTat my gosh yes
Sorry to hear this

That is my FEAR

So grateful for the wise words here
Pushing myself to get in and try to cope is madness

Honestly get signed off for a few more MONTHS.

When you feel ready to go back on a phased return the GP can sign you "fit to work on a part time basis" or similar.

Having a sick note for a few months takes the pressure of you and having to get an appointment plus it lets work know you are not coming back soon and to stop hassling you.

I knew you worked for a LA before you said you did.
Take another two weeks minimum. Tell work you will back once your doctor is happy that you are well enough.

As for pestering me while I'm out with covid stil fuming about this
They know I was hospitalised at one point some managers are fucking awful aeeren't they. I'm a manager anď my directors phoned me whilst I was in labour (which they knew as I was induced). They then phoned me 5 days after my baby was born to hound me about when I would be back to work.

Is covid absence recorded differently at work?? It totally depends on your employer. I wouldn't back down with mine and as the manager I made it clear anyone with a positive test wouldn't rely on sick pay which isn't manageable.

I've been thinking of you OP. You need to get your GP to sign you off for longer.

You're not going to be alone sadly, long covid is going to be a real problem for the UK - up to a million expected now by the NHS, and not in the 'had a cough for six weeks' category

Have a very honest discussion with your GP and get another fit note. Your manager is entitled to keep in contact as a welfare check but should not be harassing you or asking you to work while you are signed off. Don't risk your health and in any case a phased return will be appropriate when you are ready. How work is distributed is not your problem. Hopefully OH will contact you soon.

Have you got a HR department?

I'm horrified that management are hassling you to go back before you're ready, OP. There's been enough in the news about long Covid for them to realise that you could be unwell for quite some time.

Contacting you about work while you're off sick is really bad practice, too.

Take all the time you need, and when you're ready to go back, ask for a phased return.

As an employer, if I was expecting a member of staff back from sick leave on a specific day and then the actual day they were due back they called in to extend, I would be a bit stressed out because it doesn't leave me enough time to find cover. I would expect them to have given me a heads up at the end of the previous week.

However I would organise cover, which it doesn't sound like your employer is able/willing to fund in addition to your sick pay (a pp asked who pays for that - the business does, it's a risk we take when hiring any employees).

Don't feel guilty about taking the sick leave, but perhaps try and give them a bit more notice where possible. I appreciate it's hard when they are pressuring you when you're already feeling so rough.

It's not my fault

The only reason I would push myself back is to take the pressure off and to help them out
Not well enough to

So useful to hear from you guys also
I appreciate that !!!!!

So many of us suffering the after effects of covid

I work in a high pressure, emotionally hard, short staffed team. There is a high rate of long term sickness.

If people are off sick we ask them not to return until they are well and use a phased return. We know it's just papering over the cracks and they will end up off sick again very quickly.

If suggest seeing your Gp to extend your sick note and laying out to your manager exactly what you can do at the moment e.g. 1 hour of emails/ 1 hour walking etc to give a realistic view of what you can manage if you were to return to work. Factor in how you feel after that e.g. wiped out after or the day after.

Without that you are being set up to fail.

Colleagues who have had long covid have been off for 6 weeks at least and taken a long phased return.

I think you need to talk to HR about the pressure and being asked about missing work while signed off. I'd also ask about an occupational health referral- so it looks like you are being proactive.

All the best op.

@ChameleonClara

Take sick leave. No one will give you a medal for making your illness last longer by over working.

Don't be a martyr. Long covid is nasty.

Good luck

This 100%

Yes so so true !!

No thanks for killing my self

Stay off until you’re better OP, my husband has long Covid (hospitalised on intensive care in January) and is still suffering. A couple of weeks ago he was doing much better but this last week he has taken a massive step back, probably because he did a bit much last week. Take the time you need.