Do you go into work poorly?

[C1239]

When your under the weather - bad headache, body chills, aches etc do you push on through and go into work dosing up or stay off if you can?

With a cold, I would go in. If I had a temperature and full-on flu-style body aches, then no. I'm a teacher. At any given point there are umpteen kids in your classes with colds and all sorts, so you're not really going to avoid the lurgy just because a few colleagues stay off rather than come in. And obviously I can't work from home.

A headache, yes I would.
Something contagious I’d work from home

Nope.

My health is more important than anything else (I am disabled) so I would not work if I am poorly.

Also I believe it is not acceptable to go to work with something potentially contagious and infect everyone else...

I would be off sick if I had body aches, temperature, headache etc.
The only place I've known people to battle on through those sorts of symptoms have been teachers, during my brief stint . One woman had a hacking cough for weeks whereas if she'd taken a week off she would have probably recovered back to full strength much more quickly.

Go in if at all possible. I’m a teacher and setting cover work is a pita. It’s easier to just go in and teach. Supply is also really expensive and school can’t afford it.

I don’t need to anymore, I can just tell them I’m working from home. I used to though, I’ve always been badly paid and never got sick pay 👎

We are explicitly forbidden from entering the office building with any symptoms of contagious illness, even a cold. We can work from home if we feel able.

as a person with a severely immune compromised household member, it is a policy that makes me truly appreciate my employer. Even a cold can be a very big deal for some people.

I'd always go in.

Usually I'll go in, the odd days I've used holiday to cover my ill day, but usually it's only really if I'm infectious to the team that I try to be more considerate/balance my commitments to the company.

No! And I’m furious with people who do. I know someone that got extremely sick just before an expensive holiday all because the office Poorly Pauline came in and coughed and sniffed her way through the day. It wouldn’t be so bad if Poorly Pauline did any work but she was about as much use as a chocolate dildo.

Wherever possible, I dose up and go in.

To be honest, it's easier to go in than stay off by the time I have sorted cover for my classes and extra curricular (can't just cancel as they are part of the school day).

I would also return to additional work that still needs doing as a HoD.

No. But post covid my employer very much has a “keep your nasty germs away if you’re ill” policy. Most of us are at home most days anyway.

Usually yes (unless it's something contagious) as by the time I've adapted my lesson plans to be delivered by a non specialist I might as well just go in and suffer through. Usually have to re-teach what the supply teacher has taught anyway. I teach Law so it's quite niche for most supply staff to pick up.

@PumpkinPie2016 I’m also HoD and know exactly what you mean and you often need to redo the work you left too. Being off is usually more hassle than it’s worth. Classrooms are filled with germs anyway.

Next time s/he tries it on like that you simply email back a one sentence reply. "Thankyou for your concern." Don't respond to any more details such as specific tasks s/he wants you to do, just the reply "thankyou for your concern."

It heavily gets your point across but s/he couldn't accuse you of being rude or not responding to emails. Keep a record. It's unreasonable behaviour.

There is only so far I'd go. I work in a primary school so everyone goes in sick all the time as we're too stretched for staff as it is. Primary schools are a germ fest anyway so you'd never have people in if you stayed off with every sickness you got. So we only stay off if we seriously need to, and we all know that colleagues must be feeling bloody terrible if they're not in as none of us like to leave the rest of us in the lurch, or the kids for that mattter.

If I have vomited or feel I'm about to, I stay off. If I just have the start of a stomach bug and have stomach pains and feel off/no appetite, I go in till (if) it gets to the "feel bloody awful" stage. If I'm just feeling a bit shit with a heavy cold and/or sore throat and a mild high temp, I dose up on Anadin Extra and go in. I've had COVID a few times now and the bad times were very bad and I stayed off. If I have a migraine (not often anymore but used to) where I feel nauseous, can't think or see straight, I stay off.

Basically if I can dose up and manage to do the job, I go in. If I can't manage to do the job, what's the point in me going in, so I don't.

Lol, I practically RAN to work if I had a cold. A few hours by the lovely steamy dishwasher would sort me out till evening.

In theory I think it's better to take time off and recover properly, in practice I only seem to get properly ill when I have a big deadline/important meetings. So I tend to WFH.

Absolutely not. Have you tested for Covid?

In my 20s working in a super competitive/pressured environment, yes I went into work when ill as there was absolutely no tolerance for calling in sick.
So wrong, so damaging, such a bad way to manage people.
I remember one time I went into work the day after passing out with a really nasty stomach bug, as I was terrified of my boss.
These days, late 40s, I WFH but definitely wouldn't go into an office when ill. Thankfully things seem to have changed and being off sick isn't seen as a negative.

No, not with chills as that suggests properly ill. A bit of a headache, yes, or a mild cold (but if properly sniffly or coughing I’d work from home so as not to spread germs etc)

I WFH so I usually try and power through. But If I have too, I definitely will take time off if unwell even if it’s a bad headache. My boss/company are fantastic though. Feel very valued and looked after x

These threads always serve to highlight the difference between job types, and the options available for the people who do them.
The pandemic showed us that many jobs could be done from home, and that culture has carried on - rightly so IMO.
Others, however, can never be done from home - often the lowest paid ones.

I would love nothing more than to have the ability to WFH when I'm feeling poorly - or, even better, to go off sick.
In reality though, I'm an agency care worker. I earn minimum wage on a zero hours contract. Can't work from home, don't get paid if I'm off sick and, if I take time off, I won't get my full quota of hours the following week either.

It's nice to hear that so many people think I'm selfish, or a martyr. I just like to be able to pay my bills and put a roof over my kids' head. I'm doing the best that I can, in a job that I absolutely adore, but one where so few people understand the pay and conditions.

If you're berating me, then I really hope you weren't clapping for me on Thursday nights mid pandemic.

Cold symptoms/headache/under the weather yes, although I now have option of working from home so would do that.

Aches and temp then no but if I have those symptoms then I usually am properly unwell and not really up to working.

Depends. I’ve just taken two days off due to a nasty stomach bug. I could have worked from home but I felt really grotty. If it’s just a cold or something I work from home. I’ll be going into the office tomorrow as I have some important face to face stuff, I’m still not 100% but confident enough that I don’t have anything contagious. And I think my boss is getting a little impatient with me being off for two days.

Yes, but it's just an office job. My work won't get done if I don't go in, and also I pride myself in not going off at the drop of a hat. I haven't had a day off sick for 12 years.