AIBU for continuing to work while a coworker was having a seizure?

[keepnonworkn]

Earlier today while I was at work a coworker collapsed and started having a seizure. Several other coworkers (who were closer to her than I was) rushed over to help. I being farther away looked up to see what was going on. There was a group of 7 or so people surrounding her by that point and moving things out of the way. Someone was already calling for an ambulance. To me it seems like everything was being handed and since we had some tight deadlines to meet for our clients I went back to working while this was going on. After she was taken away in the ambulance one of my other coworkers approached me. She said what I did was wrong and I should have stopped working and tried to help her since there was a crisis. I don't see how me crowding around with all the others would have been any help though. I don't have any medical training and wouldn't have known what else to do except call an ambulance, which someone else was already doing.

This isn’t correct. Please check the epilepsy society website for further guidance.

Stopping working isn’t genuinely caring. You can genuinely care and stop work and be helpful, or genuinely care and stop work and be useless, or genuinely care and keep working if there is nothing you can actually do to help.

The only position that would definitely not be caring would be to not provide help that you were capable of and was actually needed.

Precisely. A worrying number of posters on this thread seem to think being seen to be concerned is what matters here. Even the supposedly practical suggestions don’t really make sense (“Wait for the ambulance”… and then do what?).

How many people do you actually think it takes to guide the ambulance and paramedics to the patient? The OP said there were 7 or so colleagues already “helping”! I’m sure that some of those could have went to guide the ambulance and paramedics to the colleague having the seizure, rather than just stand around doing nothing? The colleague should have been given as much privacy as possible, not been gawked at by their co-workers!

It was a bit rich that the colleague who said to the OP that “what I did was wrong and I should have stopped working and tried to help her since there was a crisis” was one of the ones who just stood and watched. If there was nothing for her to do other than be nosey stand watching the colleague (in a situation that I’m sure she will actually feel acutely embarrassed about), what did she think the OP could do?

Another epileptic here and I’ve had seizures at work before. Definitely prefer it if people do what you did OP - just get on with other things. Two people helping is plenty. If the onlookers don’t want to just keep working because they’re a bit freaked out then that’s understandable, but it would be better if they’d go get a coffee or something than just stand there staring or interfering.

It’s actually a really frightening disorientating experience to wake up from a seizure and try and work out what’s going on. So the fewer people I have to deal with in that moment, the better.

My son hates the thought of people crowding round ‘for a look’ when he’s having a seizure. You did absolutely the right and respectful thing, because you knew your colleague was being looked after. It didn’t take 6/7 people to do that either, so some were just getting in some drama. I’m sure, had you been on your own with your colleague, you’d have helped.

YABU

You could have at least shown some basic concern

The optics of your behaviour really don't look good in this situation.

My coworker had a seizure in the office today, this sounds extremely familiar. I hope she's OK....

PS Where do you work?

Even the supposedly practical suggestions don’t really make sense (“Wait for the ambulance”… and then do what?).

Tell them where to go??

There’s nothing worse than knowing the address but having no clue where the person is or what doors lead to there etc.

Surely this is what most people do.

You did the right thing op.

I used to work as a bingo caller many, many years ago. An elderly lady suffered a heart attack during a game and slumped over in her chair. Her friends carried right on playing and only raised the alarm once the game was over. THAT was cold hearted.

I keep envisioning my own office setting with someone having a seizure and me just carrying on like nothing was happening. I don't think you were unreasonable but it sure doesn't look as though you give a fig about the person.

@Worried234 I would rather not say for privacy reasons.

How exactly is everyone in the room crowding the individual having a seizure going to help in any way or panicking or gawping or doing whatever else your fool of a colleague suggest you should have been doing?

You were right to check that medical attention had been called for and to stay back and just carry on with what you were doing.

Crowding around would just have made things more difficult for the individual and the paramedics when they eventually arrived.

There was nothing more you could have done.

I understand your reasoning- but it does seem cold and off to just carry on with your work.

Did you show any concern at all?

As a rule, call an ambulance only if:

1. The seizure lasts more than 5 minutes without stopping.
2. The person stops seizing then starts again without regaining consciousness in between.
3. The person injures themselves to an extent that needs an ambulance in any other circumstances.

If you don’t know whether the person is epileptic I can see why you’d call an ambulance. But you do know they are epileptic and none of the above apply, don’t call an ambulance.

YANBU, if you’re not helping stay clear, it creates confusion in an emergency situation. Things were being handled appropriately by the way you describe things.

Not much you can do for a seizure other than what was done until paramedics are on scene.

Your colleague was probably running on adrenaline and during that time people behave differently, maybe approach her about it in future.

YANBU, you did the right thing.

How close are you with the coworker?
I would have stopped what I was doing, looked over to see if all was ok, potentially asked if I could help/if everything was ok (not i too many cooks).

I'd check in with her when she gets back.

Apart from keeping the poor woman alive... The next most important thing is ensuring the paramedics knew where they were going /get thru security /

Thinking logically, there was nothing you could have done that wasn't already being handled, but I do think it probably looks odd or cold to just carry on working as usual while someone's having a medical emergency in the same room or area. The one thing that I can say for certain is that the colleague who confronted you over it is a bit of a shit-stirrer! They accomplished nothing positive.

With any luck, you won't face another such scenario in the workplace.

In the assorted most dramatic first aid incidents I've handled, the very last thing I needed was ten people mithering around to be seen to be involved. You would have been my favourite person in the room because I wouldn't have had to pay you the slightest heed, as you were out of my way, not demanding my attention or, even worst, interfering and increasing the stress levels of the situation.

YANBU. Its not like you stood there howling laughing while this person was having a seizure. The situation was already covered.
However You were in what's called a no win or a damned if you do damned if you don't situation.
If you had have abandoned your post and your clients you'd have been wrong that way, but You stayed working and you were "wrong" for doing that. No doubt the same colleague (Mr. or MS. too much to say) would have said "We've got it covered here". They sound like a bit of a house brick to be honest.
I hope your other colleague (who had the seizure is doing okay)

Currently a very telling 77% think your coldness is not unreasonable...

YANBU
I (senior team leader on shift at the time) once had a team member collapse and have a seizure during a shift, there were 3 other staff on shift as well and I told them to keep the shift running (large store of a chain coffee shop) while I dealt with the guy in question. Them keeping the flow of customers going meant he didn't have a constant audience and I was able to help him the best I could without other people I the way until the ambulance arrived. He later said that that's how he wished everyone would react (he was prone to seizures so happened frequently) as coming round with a mob of people around him was confusing, embarrassing and just generally unpleasant.

I'd have gone and put the kettle on. You can never go wrong with making the tea in a crisis situation.