To call in sick for my first day of work?

[SicklyWorker]

Starting a new job tomorrow but I have an awful cold. It's not Covid.

Nose streaming, sore throat, sinuses hurting, headache, feel dizzy and sick.

I'm meant to be going to the office for 9am tomorrow.

I do already have my laptop here as it was couriered to me.

Options are:

1. Dose up on Lemsip and hope for the best

1. Call in sick

1. See if I can can WFH on my first day and try and do the inductions over Teams

None of these options seem like a great first impression.

WWYD?

This is a different scenario. You can't power through a broken leg. Longer recovery time too. Your employee accepted a later start date so they wouldn't have received sick pay other than SSP.

Wear a mask, dose up, and go in for half a day (if you can make it that far). Tell them you're sick with a cold and go home.
Before you do that, though, call your new boss and explain the situation. Maybe they'll be merciful. After all, they may not want a sick employee to show up for work, but don't count on that. Some companies are pretty heartless about that.

How badly do you need this job?

As a manager I would have been very annoyed with someone coming into work ill first day or not, making others ill too. Of course you call in first and ask. Only in the UK would people think this is reasonable..

It could still be covid, I had a cold, bit like you felt bad, I did a covid test, it was negative.
I wore a mask to the supermarket and bus, to not risk spreading my germs.
A couple of days later, I felt a bit better, but my partner was feeling off it, he had a hairdressers appointment, so decided ti do a covid test to be safe (he is a key worker) he was positive, so I thought I better test to be safe, yes this time I was positive, but felt a bit better than when I had tested negative. So if you do go in, maybe play it safe and wear a mask. I know I will get stick, for suggesting it. But I am glad, I did spread my covid, on a bus and supermarket, whist I didnt know I had covid.

Under normal circumstances I’d say call in sick but as it’s your first day I’d try to work from home if you think you may be contagious or go in if not.

This ⬆️
You will not endear yourself to your new colleagues by giving them your cold.

2M from everyone all day on day 1 of a new job??!

Oh come on don’t be a drama llama.

A cold. A cold! The new employer has probably lined up a day of training for her and to not go in because of a Cold would be pathetic

Didn’t know Chuck Norris was on mumsnet! 🤩

I would ring and explain you have a cold and say you’re worried about passing it on to others. They may prefer you to work from home. If you do have to go in, a combination of Day Nurse and Ibuprofen always helps me cope with a cold.

Ring in and explain you are sick. Most bosses hate having a sick person drag themselves into work, possibly infecting others. It may sound keen but it is bloody inconsiderate.

It was yesterday. It’s already sorted!

Thanks everyone but this was yesterday. I'm much better now (and just left work after day 2)

Well, that was a quick recovery! 😂

Yay! Glad you're feeling better.