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?

Yes, I'd say this also.

I'd do the lemsip option, smile, and perform well regardless of how shit I feel.

Your message hits the right note. Not withstanding what the reply is, option 3 would be the best/most considerate.

Absolutely AMAZED at the number of people saying to go in, when there’s the option to WFH. has the last 2 years taught people nothing?

I know two people who've had the same symptoms as OP in the last month , tested negative for covid, then positive a couple of days later .

Don't call in sick - I'd tell you not to bother coming in ever.

Colds are a perfectly normal part of life and Covid has warped logic on this. If you feel rough, dose up on paracetamol and keep drinking lots of fluids.

I would speak to your line manager and ask what they would prefer you to do.

I've had many stinking head colds over the years and day nurse capsules really do improve the situation massively (don't be tempted to buy shop's own, or the lemsip capsules you can get on a supermarket shelf, they don't have the same drugs in and don't work!)

Dose up on day nurse and If they want you to go in you should be able to manage it. Hopefully they'll be sensible and tell you to keep your germs at home. Still get the day nurse though!

I’m surprised by these responses. It didn’t take long for things to go back to ‘get into the office no matter what you slacker’

I understand first day makes it tricky but it doesn’t change how unimpressed most people will be to have to engage with someone who is ill at work.

It does feel worse than a regular cold. I have had covid and it feels worse than that.

My DC have been ill too with the same symptoms and we have all tested negative.

This.

I’ve been there, it wasn’t fun but there was no way I was ringing in sick on Day 1.

That text is not urgent enough to send on a Sunday! Just leave it until tomorrow morning, use today to rest and you will hopefully feel better tomorrow. If not call or text first thing.

@Badger1970 this does sound like a really heavy cold, borderline flu in some people's mis-use of the word. You know, the kind that means you're in bed all day taking meds and sleeping.

have you never been ill like that, would you really want someone in your office like that?

And fuck those of us with lung / immune system problems? For you, a cold is a few days and makes you feel a bit shit. The last cold I had, lasted a good few weeks. Great when you've already got breathing issues.

I hope all of you criticising those of us who have said to show up really do keep to your work and stay home yourselves this winter, along with keeping your children off school when they have a cold too - though school will be less than impressed.

Even the NHS website says it's fine to continue with a cold for god's sake.

www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/

If it's not covid, go in

D&V would be a no brainer but with a cold sadly you should just soldier on

If you did that to me I'd think I had a lucky escape. I much prefer working for a human.

OP, that message is perfect.

Option 1 if you can. With evidence of your negative Covid test to hand so as not to scare any of your new colleagues.

I wouldn't call in sick on my first day. It would give me anxiety all day. But I guess nowadays people don't want colds near them so it's a tricky one

DH thinks I should just say it's covid then the matter is out of my hands and I can have a few days WFH until I'm better.

Not sure lying is the best way forward though!

It's a bit different though. We all have to try and minimise the chance of things spreading. I can work from home as easily as being in the office so yes, I will stay at home if I have a heavy cold as there's no benefit to going in except putting my bum on the seat.

@Hidingawaytoday see that's sensible - wfh if it's a sensible option. Go in if not, and that, imo includes things like making a good impression on day 1 if you want a day 2.

DH can work from home and if he has a cold, he'd do so - I'm not advocating being silly about it. I'm saying that there is no sensible way of having no one in school with a cold because parents are not going to keep children off because elf their work commitments (and nhs guidance) so inevitably I'm gonna catch a cold - either from my school or from one of DS's bringing it home from school or nursery (Christ, every child in nursery has a snotty Nose!) and I can't just wfh, nor can I ring in sick every time one of us had a cold. Imagine my sick record - I'd be sacked!

I wouldn't do that, because then you'll be in a really sticky situation if you ACTUALLY catch Covid later on. Say for example, you say you have Covid and then catch it for real on your first day back 😬 I think your text is ideal. But as PP said, I'd do another test in the morning anyway in case you have Covid now and just haven't tested positive yet.

More generally, I think it's ok to go in with a cold in most circumstances if you feel well enough to work. However, that depends on your office etiquette and who you work with. So I think it's good manners to ask before you go in, as your work might prefer sick employees to work from home if another staff member is medically vulnerable for example. There are exceptions though, I used to be a teacher and schools wouldn't function in the winter if everyone with a cold stayed off.

Can’t you ask to delay your start date for a few days, so they don’t have to pay you while you’re off sick? That way you don’t have to work while ill, all their staff won’t get sick, and you don’t have to worry about calling in sick on your first day.

I wouldn't say it's covid without having a positive test to back yourself up.

I would personally be very suspicious and think you were lying - it's becoming an 'easy excuse' now that's overused.

Even with a positive test, I would be suspicious tbh - very easy to fake.

But maybe I'm just very cynical!