AIBU that colleague is taking the p*** re sick leave?

[bluebellsandcustard]

Colleague broke his leg. No complications, but operated and played.

But nine weeks he's still off sick, with no word of coming back anytime soon.

We work in an office, worked remotely all through covid, there's no need for him to drive.

I just can't believe he's genuinely unable to work at a computer for at least part of the day.

It's putting the rest of the team under immense strain.

so ask your boss for support with the increased work load - you have no idea why he has been signed off sick for 9 weeks - you are just making assumptions

It's up to his manager to deal with.
He might be in a lot of pain who knows, how do you know there haven't been any complications?

Perhaps he’s no longer off with a broken leg but the powers that be haven’t updated the rest of the office with the details of his sick note?

Your manager is putting the rest of the team under stress. If the colleague was in a coma the work would still need doing and whatever the cause it’s for the boss to sort resourcing. No point at all thinking he’s swinging the lead.

It’s rubbish if you’re struggling with staffing issues but there might be more going on than you’re aware of. The break might be worse than you know or he might have other sickness. It’s up to your managers to address the shortages, your frustration should fall on them for not finding a solution that isn’t everyone working harder to make it up.

stop being so beaky
hes sick.

Depends which part of his leg is broken too - if it's his thigh bone than 12 weeks is not unusual.

You're pissed off with the wrong person.

His medical issues are none of your business.

If you're under pressure it's because your boss has failed you, not your colleague.

Nosey nosey, cheeky cheeky, keep that out

Leave the poor guy alone. You have no clue what is going on.

I agree it’s your boss you’ve got the problem with not colleague.

They should have arranged cover for your colleague if he can’t work, not just expected everyone else to pick up the slack. It’s your boss you need to have a word with.

🙄 Hope you dont have any aspirations for management yourself

Aren't you lovely? And medically trained to diagnose someone psychically? Your colleague is on sick leave, diagnosed and authorised by a medically trainer doctor. Your workload issues are your managers responsibility, not your colleagues. God forbid you might be off sick sometime, but let's hope your colleagues show some humanity?

Mind your bloody business. There’s so much after care and so many complications that can arise and a lot of pain involved. It’s your employers fault if you are understaffed, no one else’s.

There could be more going on, but at the end of the day even if it is 'just' a broken leg it's not any of your business. The bit that's affecting you is that your workplace has terrible contingency plans and capabilites in place. I broke my leg once and not only did it affect me mentally as the accident was awful, but the tablets I was on made me feel disgusting and I had check ups fairly regularly. I also couldn't sit comfortably at a desk and had a fair few weeks off with zero guilt.

YABVU unless this colleague also lives with you, you have absolutely no idea what's going on.

I had to have 12 weeks off when I broke my leg. I had three operations and the recovery was grueling. Aside from anything else the painkillers were knocking me sideways and abstaining from them had me in mind numbing agony. I can assure you, I'm not remotely workshy but there's no way I could have returned to work earlier...even if working from home was an option.

If your colleague's absence is causing a problem that's because whoever manages your workflow is doing a bad job. Raise it with them, your department either needs to pay for cover or adjust operational expectations.

YABU.

Anyone off for that period of time will be providing sick notes to their manager.

The reason for their absence is non of your business. If you are struggling with workload, address that with your boss.

(By the way, needing surgery is an indicator that this was not a simple broken leg!)

A colleague of mine 'only' broke her leg in accident a few years ago. She's had numerous surgeries is in a lot of pain even now & needs crutches to walk. Its left her permanently disabled but initially it was just a broken leg.

You have no idea of what could potentially be going on with him

Stop being a bloody martyr… you don’t need to be under stress you do the job your paid to do and if there isn’t enough resource it’s your managers issue

Well!! I stand completely corrected in that case!

Thanks everyone!

Oh well done for taking it on the chin!

I managed someone who broke his arm in a motorcycle accident. He needed surgery but could type with the other arm. He ended up unable to work for almost 3 months because of the pain, the sleepless nights due to pain, then the withdrawal process he had to go through to come off the very strong painkillers and sleeping tablets he'd been prescribed. It was all very genuine and unfortunate. No other colleague had the right to know, not were they informed that some of his absence was due to addiction and prescription drug dependency.

As other PPs have said, this is a management problem not a sick colleague problem, direct your frustration there.

My partner recently broke his ankle and needed almost 18weeks out due to surgery, recovery and then further surgery to remove some of the hardware.
That amount of time sat home doing nothing was also ridiculously hard on his mental health, especially post lockdown.

Keep your nose out.

A gracious response. Have a chat with the manager. They need to step up or the team will continue to suffer.

I thought I was being heroic going back swiftly after a leg operation in my twenties. Like your us said, my job was sedentary so I figured I surely didn't need much time off. ...

But the pain meant I had to take a lot of painkillers to cope

And as a result i developed a horrible duodenal ulcer.

So yabu.