Colleague started coughing and sniffling halfway through the day but just sat there

[JesusIsAnyNameFree]

This isn't a guy who has allergies or anything, it just came on all of a sudden.
I legged it after an hour or two of his random coughs and sniffles. AIBU here or should he have buggered off to WFH after the 3rd or 4th cough? Fun, the wait begins!

@HarrietsChariot

Some of the replies here are utterly ridiculous. If it had turned out to "just" be a cold, so what? It's still a nasty infectious illness that can rapidly spread. There should be zero tolerance for people who go into the workplace when ill like this when they can easily work from home instead.

Going into the office (or staying there) when you have a cold doesn't show you are a "dedicated worker" it just shows you are a selfish wanker who doesn't care about making others ill. What might be a "mild" cold to you could put someone else in bed for a week.

The selfish wanker didn't get ill until half way through the day.

Get help with health anxiety! Cold = nasty?

I have zero tolerance with people taking to their beds for a week with a cold!

Offmyfence no one is talking about taking to your bed for a week just picking up your laptop and heading home to work!

@TeamRick

Offmyfence no one is talking about taking to your bed for a week just picking up your laptop and heading home to work!

@TeamRick I think you'll find that the post I quoted mentioned someone having a week In bed for a cold?

That's why o quoted it and that's why I said I've no time for people having a week in bed for a cold!

HTH

Ah yes I'm sorry it did! Apologies!

All this ‘persistent cough’ malarkey….out of 11 people I know who had positive test results, ZERO had a persistent cough as a symptom.

OP, he should have left to be tested IMO.

@TeamRick

Ah yes I'm sorry it did! Apologies!

No worries

The people I know that have tested +ve for the 'rona recently have all had 'just a cold' without a high temperature and 'persistent' cough.

I think you are getting a hard time here OP. The governments' messaging on covid symptoms are out of date. I would be twitchy too.

@VanillaAndOrange

Who TF wears a mask in an office?!

Someone who works in an office with more than one person in it?

Yes, or in an office where that's the rule. I have to wear one when walking around my office.

@Dnaltocs

This thread is truly worrisome. Colds in offices are a threat. The government’s experts have been advising for 2 years about being safe. Why are Mums not getting this. If Mums don’t understand they can’t help support or guide their precious children. I thought the population (mainly educated) understood this need to protect themselves and others. I’ve been to too many funerals, and will not be in the company of cough or sniffers. Please Mums listen to the greatly growing figures and advise our children to keep well masked and safe.

Well that's all well and good until you work for somewhere that has a zero tolerance policy for sick leave. Unless I am too ill to get out of bed then I go to the office, it isn't worth the grief.

What were his PCR results op?

I have zero tolerance with people taking to their beds for a week with a cold

You are unbelievable. People with asthma (among other things) can end up in hospital with a cold. What is just a bit of a sniffle and feeling a bit tired for you can be horrific for another. Try to imagine being in someone else's shoes perhaps.

@Moonshine11

What were his PCR results op?

Positive.

I agree with OP he should have gone home, PCR test anf worked from home until results.
Hope you havemt been exposed OP

Positive Jesus...see this is how it spreads!

Hope you are ok OP

"That's why o quoted it and that's why I said I've no time for people having a week in bed for a cold!"

Who the hell are you to decide whether someone should stay in bed with a cold. Colds vary in degrees and the boundry between cold and flu is not always so obvious. I've never had a whole week in bed with a cold, but I've had a few days of bad fatigue so I can imagine it happening.

@Gwenhwyfar

"That's why o quoted it and that's why I said I've no time for people having a week in bed for a cold!"

Who the hell are you to decide whether someone should stay in bed with a cold. Colds vary in degrees and the boundry between cold and flu is not always so obvious. I've never had a whole week in bed with a cold, but I've had a few days of bad fatigue so I can imagine it happening.

Colds and flu are entirely different!

Are you one of those. I've sneezed twice, I've got flu?

You've clearly never had flu if you think it isn't obvious it's not a cold.

"Colds and flu are entirely different!

Are you one of those. I've sneezed twice, I've got flu?

You've clearly never had flu if you think it isn't obvious it's not a cold."

That's not true actually. It's a myth that you can't get out of bed at all if you have flu. You wouldn't actually necessarily know whether you've got a cold or flue without a test. You can get very serious flu with hallucinations and needing to go to hospital or it can be mild. A cold can include pains all over your body. The line is not as clear cut as you make out.
And, like I said, if someone needs to stay in bed with the fatigue from a heavy cold, it's not for you to say they're wrong.

YANBU - if he can WFH then he should take his germs out of office (colds included).

You could have suggested he didn’t sound well and should maybe take himself off? Or put your mask on and used hand sanitiser while making eye contact with him 😂

@ChatterMonkey

Ffs.... No someone does not need to go home from work after coughing 4 times and sniffling... 🙃

They actually really do right now.

@CocaColaTruck1

I clearly know I'm not being unreasonable in the slightest

So what's the point in this thread?

This!

OP why have you posted on AIBU? This forum is to ask whether you’re being unreasonable or not, maybe if you are of the opinion you’re not being unreasonable you just post this in chat, otherwise I don’t get it.