Do you ever call in sick when you are not?

[DriedFig]

Just a thought really. I'm sometimes tempted to call in sick, but would feel too guilty. Is an occasional sickie acceptable?

I've never called in sick when I was perfectly fine.

When in my early twenties I definitely called in sick a couple of times with headache/nausea/upset stomach which may or may not have been related to the amount of alcohol drunk the night before. Not great but I wasn't in a fit state to work.

I also had several days off sick when I was having a mental crisis. I literally couldn't get out of bed for more than a minute. Nothing physically wrong with me but my mind was numb. Vacant. Awake but not really there.

Generally my motto has been go into work even if I have a cold/flu or otherwise feel really ropey, the logic being if I can do 50% of my normal work it's more than if I didn't turn up. I've always worked in places that have the Bradford factor though, so I can't afford more than two absences a year. Most years I have no sick days and have definitely gone over five years without one.

A few times when I was much younger. Not as a teacher because of the cover hassle it would create for others.

As some PPs have said, I really hope this pandemic stops the attitude of forcing yourself into work when you’re ill.

What may be “just a cold” to you could be massively disruptive when passed onto your single mum of 3 children colleague, who then catches it and passes it onto her children, resulting in several days of them missing school so she has to stay home and care for them, as well as herself.

Or your other colleague who cares for a very elderly or unwell family member, who could pass your illness onto them and result in serious illness or hospitalisation.

I would much rather cover a sick colleague’s work for a day or two than be infected with their bug, pass it onto my family and deal with the resulting disruption this would cause.

I can’t believe after the year we have all had, some people still view it as a badge of honour and pride to drag themselves into work with an infectious illness. Shame on you, so unutterably selfish.