Work sickness

[Stuckinthemiddle1990]

Last week I, and 10 of my colleagues were place on support plans due to unacceptable levels of sickness. Mine is 7 days in a rolling 12 months. Unfortunately 3 of those were in the past 3 months.

Others in the department vary. From 4 days but 4 separate periods to people with long term health issues.

Yesterday morning my DH nearly called an ambulance for me as I couldn't breathe. Had a cough all the night and started to choke on my own phlegm. All ended up well but I was shivering and aching but I got in contact with my boss to say I would WFH, as I didn't want to spread what I had to others in the office considering their plans.

Woken up this morning, logged on and I ache even more than I did yesterday. Moving the mouse even hurts (DH is typing this)

My support plan says no sick for 3 months otherwise I go on formal. I feel so rubbish I'm sitting here in tears. I started the job just before Christmas and don't want them to think I'm useless. I'm normally quire healthy but the last few months I've literally been hit by everything.

WWYD? AIBU to call in sick?

Did you take sick days for childcare, it's not clear?

I had 16 days off with covid let alone anything else!

Go off sick. Have the formal. You're unwell. They won't fire you for not being able to breathe IME it's for days here and there which add up and looks suspicious (Mondays/Fridays)

''MyPurpleHeart · Today 08:33
Oh please covid is long over. The guidance doesn't even say to isolate anymore. I'm talking about current times. Not 2020!''

Staggering ignorance.

I work for a homeless shelter and we had two Covid outbreaks in the past 3 months. And several members of staff off with the virus. I had it in December.

It probably has a lot to do with people like you who go around, although they know they have the virus, and contaminate others rather than stay at home for a few days and avoid making other people sick...

I'm confused about people saying 7 days isn't much.

In the last 6 years, i've had 2 days off ill. It would be probably 5-6 in that time if I couldn't work from home when I'm ill because although I felt terrible at my laptop, I couldn't have coped with my 90 min commute each way. Even then though, I did have to work rather than pretend to.

If it's 4 days and 3 days, I can understand that as bad luck. If it's 7 separate single days then unless for a specific illness I think that's a lot.

But that's all irrelevant really if the OP is ill.

OP - how are you?

Google Bradford score tables, some employers use them.

You'll see 7 x1 days sickness gives a much higher score than 1 × 12 days for example.

I had 2 weeks off for post op recovery but a colleague takes a day at a time with every minor ailment, her score looks much worse

If I had asked my DH to type a post out on here for me, he would look at me like I'd grown two heads and tell me he has better things to do with his time.

Your DH is typing this for you...? Sure 🙄

Also, if you want legitimate advice and this isn't all BS you need to state clearly how much sickness you've had in what timescales. 7 individual days are much worse than being off once or twice for the total of 7 days.

And how do you know what 10 other colleagues are going through individually?!

In our company 7 separate sick days in a rolling 12 months triggers HR involvement. There is (or at least was) a bit of flexibility if any of those are covid related.

How long have you been in company for overall?

Is it 7 separate days, or 7 times off sick with varying days?

Have any of these had a sick line?

You are saying your very unwell, Have you called your GP to see whats wrong as if you thought you needed to call an ambulance it seems you might need an antibiotic?
You can also ask you GP for a sick line.

Also, can you just take it as an emergency holiday instead of a sick day if your worried about your record?

If you’ve been there a number of years and generally have a good record and they can see you’ve been genuinely ill and have just be clobbered recently, I wouldn’t worry too much.

Is your days sick actually you being ill or kids/childcare being ill? If the latter it shouldn't be noted as sick?

This. ^ it's such a horrible workplace practice, and makes the workplace such a horrible place to be when you know you cannot have more than three days off sick in three months, lest you get some kind of warning, (written warning even!)

I have been ill three times since the beginning of November and I've been kicked off my feet for between 3/4 days, and 10 days each time. Hadn't been ill/had a day off sick since 2017 before that, but still.. THIS time around, it was 3 sicknesses in 3 months. I'm very fortunate that I work from home and I arrange all my own workload, and am very independent. And I have to get certain amounts of work in by the end of any given month, so we have a very, very, very flexible work situation, as I can catch up quite quickly.

DH has been at his workplace for 20 years. He has a fairly flexible workplace too. Very kind and considerate manager and three or four colleagues who are more than happy to cover for the extra money - and it's just as well because he's had one thing after another for the last three or four years and he has had quite a lot of time off. He is nearly 60 and has had more time off sick since 2018 than he had in the previous 15 years!

We will both be glad when we retire... (in a couple of years,) to be honest with you. So we can just chill, lie in bed till 11:00 AM, go for walks, go for pub lunches, go out on daytrips, visit family and friends, and basically do fuck all if we want.

I think the workplace these days is much more stressful than when I started work in the early 1980s... You have to meet goals, you have to meet targets, you have to keep 'improving' and bettering yourself with stupid training courses that teach you what you already fucking know! And you can't have more than five or six days off in a year, or you're a 'skiver,' and 'everyone's had to pick up the slack,' and you get a scolding! As if you WANT to be fucking ill. FFS!!!

I swear to God, it never used to be like this when I started work 40 years ago. And there didn't seem to be the massive levels of stress then. I mean that causes people to be off/to have time off... The stress work puts on you (in many work places, not all,) is going to make you feel mentally run down, which will make physically ill. To be honest with you, I start looking for another job, maybe something with more flexible hours. Take care @Stuckinthemiddle1990

Wanted to add, my DH has had 2 hospital procedures since 2018 too, with 4-6 weeks off each time. (Not just sick time off for the sake of it.)

Your husband is typing this!? Bollocks

Sounds a bit dramatic calling an ambulance for a cough and some phlegm when “all was well”. How many instances of sickness were the 7 days and over how long? At my work place (NHS) we trigger at four separate instances over 12 months, so 7 days for one illness fine, 7 separate days off for short term illnesses not fine.

These policies are inhumane and martyrs who drag themselves in when they're sick make it worse for everyone.

Sorry they're being so inflexible OP. Hope you feel better soon.

Hmm..YWNBU to call in sick if you are genuinely that ill, but your employer is NBU to try to manage excessive sickness levels either.

I have had 1 day off in 5 years (for a colonoscopy) and I am far from unusual. As a manager I'd be looking at what I could do about your absence and discouraging you from taking any more unless absolutely necessary.

You do sound a tad over-dramatic (ambulance for a cough, husband typing, etc) which is giving me "woman-up" vibes, sorry.

@MyPurpleHeart I’m currently sat in bed with covid after getting it off my very ill mum. She thought it was bad flu for a few days but the symptoms made her test for covid ‘just in case’. I’ve had to had tests done as it impacts another condition I have.

I chair a charity locally with over 300 volunteers many of whom have had covid this last 2 months.

it isn’t long gone or done.

I personally would just go in and let them see how sick I am

Ignore all the arsey comments. Hope you get better soon x

At my company a BFS of 64 is classed as a cause for concern, that's 4 sick days in a 12 month period🙄

Hmm. Impossible to say. It does seem like quite a lot. Were you that ill on each of the 7 days, something you picked up from dc? But then I am never ill and don't take days off. Some people do seem to pick up everything going.

I work when I'm sick (from home) often because my contract specifies I can only have so many days off a year (sick and annual leave combined) for any reason. The max allowed is 35.