To wonder why doctor would be certify someone as unfit for any work with just a sprained ankle?

[Trevorsarse]

Someone my dh works with has been off with a sprained ankle for three weeks. Happened on the last day of his holiday. He has just sent in his fit note (very late) and it says he is not fit for work. He does the same job as my dh, some work on their feet but everyone does plenty of desk work too. So, he could easily just do all the desk bits and other people do all the walking/standing bits. Apparently the boss would be happy to have him do shorter/less hours and take longer breaks too but the guy has said he's not capable as he needs to rest.
It's really effecting their work because there are other people off on holiday on their small team so its putting them under loads of pressure.
I'm just wondering why the doctor signed off as completely unable to work on the grounds of a sprained ankle because surely there is work that he can do? When I sprained mine (and it was bad as I ended up needing an operation on it) I just had 4 days off and then went back to work on my crutches with my colleagues helping me out fetching stuff etc. Never thought to get signed off for over 3 weeks! Am I the mug here?

NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS 🤥
You and DH think of something else to discuss and stop gossiping.

You really need to get a life, OP.

Your stalking and judging is utterly pathetic.

@Trevorsarse

Update The guy has posted pics of himself on his Facebook. He was out Saturday night with a group of friends. Looks like they had a really great time, pints and a curry. Even got a full length pic of him, no sign of any bandage or strapping (wearing shorts so would be very obvious) and did not appear to be even in the slightest pain, laughing and raising his pint (definitely not his leg). Maybe of course, he was using crutches kept out of pics, but it doesn’t seem like he is in a particularly serious condition. Still, he’s signed off unable to do any work even from home for at least several more days.

Yep he's taking the piss and as we can see by all the dramatic outrage on here many would support him and enable his blatant skiving.

a full length pic of him, no sign of any bandage or strapping

Did you read the caption to the picture? He couldn't have been sharing a memory from a previous year?

Have none of you ever worked with anyone who did take the mick? In their work ethics generally?

Loads of people do. Some people work hard and are just natural grafters. Others just don't, and do the bare minimum.

Many many companies have loads of people off sick all the time. Many of them you really do have to question. I have to try and placate MD's and get good HR advice often, but it can be infuriating when someone is off sick. If it was your business you'd be bothered.

@Oblomov21

Have none of you ever worked with anyone who did take the mick? In their work ethics generally?

Loads of people do. Some people work hard and are just natural grafters. Others just don't, and do the bare minimum.

Many many companies have loads of people off sick all the time. Many of them you really do have to question. I have to try and placate MD's and get good HR advice often, but it can be infuriating when someone is off sick. If it was your business you'd be bothered.

Exactly!

For example anecdotally currently many people off sick with 'long covid' or on their 8th 10 day isolation holiday are the same ones with poor attendance in normal times. It's ok to call this stuff out.

I wonder how may of the outraged 'how very dare you question this' are sicknote collectors themselves..

Where I work, there was a lot of workplace kvetching about me having time off after what they'd assumed was an appendix removal, because they heard someone else say abdominal surgery, and I was very early 30s so clearly it couldn't be serious.

It was a full hysterectomy and suspected ovarian/uterine cancer. Thankfully negative, but I went out for a meal to celebrate during my time off, and that sent the gossip mill into overdrive.

When I came back to work to all of this, I put it right on my first day back and I've never seen a person go that shade of white before. Don't fucking judge.

(And no, I'm not a collector of sick notes. I've had 4 days off in 6 years other than this period.)

'Where I work, there was a lot of workplace kvetching about me having time off after what they'd assumed was an appendix removal'

It is wrong to gossip about people's health but if you have someone off for 3 weeks with a 'sprain' and they are on sm clearly not at home immobile with it elevated people will judge. Your situation is completely different and if you posted 'i was off following surgery people are judging my socialising' I'd have said they should mind their own business. However skivers and shirkers are everywhere, your good attendance clearly means you aren't one of them. .

@Trevorsarse

Gosh sorry yes. I’m sure whenever he’s not out having a great night with his mates, he’s in absolutely excruciating pain. Poor lamb. I’m actually going to start a fundraiser for the inevitable intensive physio and probably alterations to his home to make it accessible for him. I’ll get right onto it now.

Are you ok OP? You sound over invested If my partner told me his colleague was on sick leave for a broken ankle I would have forgotten about it by now....think you need to move on

If my partner told me his colleague was on sick leave for a broken ankle I would have forgotten about it by now
Strong silent type, is he? It doesn't seem improbable that someone who is overstretched at work covering for a colleague's absence and who suspects that colleague of malingering would never bloody shut up about it at home.

It might be a bad sprain needing regular reviews by doctors, strong painkillers, physio input. A sprained ankle could include a ligament tear or injury that means he shouldn’t weight bare at all, so going to work and struggling around on crutches could delay healing. It’s hard to work on some painkillers and just as hard to concentrate if you’re in pain!

Or perhaps the doctor signed him off for something else too (eg depression or stress) and he doesn’t feel like mentioning that. The only person who sees the fit note is his manager. Or could have an underlying condition that caused the fall, again it’s confidential and he can share bits of it with who he likes.

Very judgemental to say he should be working IMO, you have no idea what else he’s going through.

When I had surgery I was signed off for 3 months due to complications. I didn’t have to explain the complications to anyone apart from my manager. It’s nobody else’s business if your recovery isn’t as smooth as hoped, or if you’re struggling with other aspects, or have pain, fever or symptoms that make working from home impossible.