To be shocked at how much time off sick some people have?

[Enfys1982]

I work in a school and since I started in the sector it’s been a bit of eye opener to me how much sick time some people seem to take, and it always seems to be the same people. Days here and there, sometimes weeks on end then they come back for a bit go off again. As I said always the same people.

The last time I was off was last year when I had Covid, and I was only off because then you still legally had to isolate if positive. I actually felt well enough to go in. Before that I genuinely can’t remember when I was off sick. If I feel bad I just dose myself up and get on with it.

AIBU to think it displays a lack of resilience?

I think that some people are genuinely poorly and need our help and sympathy but there are too many who swing a loose leg. Anecdotally, many people are sick at the moment and it’s sunny. Is there a link? You bet there is🥴

You're very naive if you think that every person who goes off sick is actually ill.

I'm referring to OP accussing sick people of not having resilience.

People swing the lead is a different issue. They are taking advantage.

Those two issues are not the same thing other than employees taking sick leave.

Such ignorance. I was off work for about 8 months over a 4 year period with ME. However I recovered (thankfully) and my current job apart for 2 weeks with COVID I haven't had a day off in over 4 years. That last bit was luck not resilience.

As someone who rarely took a day sick ever, but as recently had pretty much the last three weeks off sick with morning sickness all I can say is you don’t know what other people are feeling or going through.

Why is there an assumption that these people have health conditions?
Why are you assuming there isn’t? It’s an ableist way of thinking tbh and something we all need to reframe.

Those of you mentioning cancer and broken bones are being absolutely ridiculous btw because that’s clearly not what I meant 🙄
Oh we all know what you meant, and yea, obviously there will be people that take the piss. But how do you weed them out from people genuinely ill? Genuinely going through stuff you haven’t the foggiest about? Your anger should be directed at management if it’s affecting workload, other than that, get another hobby.

I’m inclined to agree with you OP. We have people ringing in sick for the most spurious of reasons sometimes.

I’ve been in my current post for eight years. I had a week off last year with Covid (although there was only one day when I felt unwell enough to not go in) and before that I had one Friday off with a stomach bug.

Only last week we had someone ring and say they couldn’t come in because a neighbours party had kept them awake until 2am! I think a lack of resilience is exactly right.

Because people like getting all high and mighty and jumping on the wrong band wagon.

It is very clear you are not talking about those with long term illnesses or conditions!

Some people just don't have resilience, and others just like taking the p*ss.

One guy I worked with in an engineering office used to like sniffing on Wednesday, coughing on Thursday and then off sick Friday!

I work with a teacher who is always taking days off. He went out to a concert one night, didn't get in until 2am then called in sick.

I think a lot of it is pre-determined by the parents and their attitude towards illness. My best friend at school was always having days off. If she had a sniffle it was a cold, when she had a cold she said she had flu, and the one time she actually had flu, she was telling everyone she had a "touch of pneumonia", which obviously it wasn't. It was just flu and a few days off school!

Personally I just get on with it and go to work and teach, unless obviously I was vomiting or diarrhoea.

I have had one day off this academic year due to a migraine and blurred vision with it so I couldn't drive.

When we have assessment week at school, I can predict which kids will suddenly be off ill.

If less people “pushed through it” and “dosed themselves up” and came in then maybe less people with chronic respiratory and immune conditions would end up being off sick all the time.

of course some people take the piss - and management should deal with it, but if you’ve got a streaming cold please don’t bring it to work and make me sick as well thanks

I saw my Dr recently who said a lot of people have been unusually and often ill at the moment. She said they are now finding they covid has a serious affect on your immune system, and even wipes out immunity you’d built up previously to colds, flus and sickness bugs and it was normal to catch more illness in the six - eight months post a covid bout. Even if you weren’t very ill with covid. She was saying that this, coupled with the very cold winter, the energy crisis and the natural rise in bugs following normal social mixing post lockdowns was making the perfect storm for people to really struggle with staying well.

Yep, there are skivers in every workplace. We all know who they are but people get away with it.

Yes, some people do lack resilience and do take the piss.

Some people are genuinely ill. Those people have lots of time off.

I imagine most people have some idea which people are which!

My DD, 25 is really wiped out by flu. I'm immune compromised and haven't been as affected by Covid, viruses etc as she has. The strange thing is that she wasn't a sickly child. She gets really annoyed because if you are genuinely ill it's a waste of time. I should imagine that the lack of doctor appointments and flexibility in prescribing is adding to time off work.

Here's your medal 🏅

YANBU.

There are of course people with serious acute or chronic health issues who need time off. And we all get sick from time to time.

But some people just take the piss and go off work for a sniffle, a minor headache or a sprained finger. It’s always the same people.

I work in school leadership and I used to feel much the same way. Then life taught me some humility.

For years, decades in fact, I was one of those people who goes in with a cold, has maybe a couple of days off when really really sick, every few years, goes back early etc etc.

Then DH got seriously ill and died. Initially I was adamant I wanted to keep busy, when what I should have done was take some time, which resulted in my taking several months off. What was more difficult, workwise, was that even after I was much better and perfectly fit to be at work most of the time, my resilience both mentally and physically was shot to pieces. I was fine while I was 100% well physically, but the slightest ailment would genuinely put me in a place where I just couldn't function. I had a couple of years when my sickness record was appalling.

I tested positive for Covid one year ago today, so had some time off then, but haven't had another day off since.

So, what I'm saying is, illness and the way people cope with it is different for different people and at different times of life. Of three people with the same cold, one might be loving life and barely notice it, one might be struggling to cope on a good day and this means they genuinely can't manage today and another might hate the job and their colleagues and just want an excuse to stay at home.

Do you want a medal or something? 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

Some people are sick more than others. Sometimes I have a cold and it floors me.
I have terrible headaches needing a day off.
Also where I work you have to be careful not to pass things on as vulnerable people.
Nothing to do with resilience

My DD was told the same. Until her first bout of Covid, she'd never needed antibiotics to shift a chest infection. Younger, well, people are also needing greater monitoring and hospital stays after surgery, if they've had Covid,even if they were well with it.

I used to be a teacher. I hadn’t had a single day off ill since I was a primary school pupil. I suffered horrendous pregnancy sickness and went in everyday even though I was on my knees. After 20 years of being in the job I burned out for working 80 hour weeks. If I could go back then I would have been off sick when I was pregnant and on numerous other occasions when I dragged myself in unwell. I think teaching is one of those jobs where you do get ill lots. If you’re genuinely ill then you’re ill and need to be off. I’d let those having time off worry as they will be the ones getting written warnings.

My husband is a teacher in his department they have all taken it in turns to go off sick due to burnout/breakdowns etc. My husband hadn't visited the doctors since 2002 until this year, he's barely had a day off (apart from when forced to when he had covid and a couple of vomiting bugs that have been rife) then a few months ago he had a breakdown due to the workload/pressure. To see a normally happy, healthy person a shell of the former self is quite shocking. I've never worked anywhere with so much long term sick (1 month plus). There's been maybe 1 person who struggles out of a large number of people in any workplace but to have each person taking it in turns there has to be something else going on related to the workload rather than the people. I don't think it's lack of resilience generally, of course people take the piss in any workplace, but from people who I know personally who work in education they are taking days off because they are genuinely struggling or they have a vomiting bug they caught from the kids they teach!

"Why is there an assumption that these people have health conditions? I’m sure some do, but there are others who absolutely do swing the lead. Those of you mentioning cancer and broken bones are being absolutely ridiculous btw because that’s clearly not what I meant 🙄"

Oh, so it's OK if you have one of those physical illnesses that's pretty visible.

What about those that have cancer treatment but still battle through and don't want the world to know and don't think they owe an explanation to idiots that think they just "lack resilience"?

Or chronically ill - maybe autoimmune with flare ups.
mental health
Recurring UTI's
Endometriosis
I could go on.......

And quite frankly, is it any of your business? No-one owes the judgemental busy-body an explanation.

I read that the government needs to find an extra 19 billion a year to pay benefits of the long term sick now . A staggering amount of money .
Lazy / sick note Britain and I'm sure we all know people who milk the system.

I have asthma and usually take about 2 weeks spread over the year when I get chest infections and end up on steroids (they make me too fuzzy headed to work). I also had an extra week off this year when I needed an iron infusion. I'll get working on the old resilience though. That'll stop my lungs from packing up.

in the public sector or jobs where people get more generous sick pay entitlement absence is often very significant. There will be a mix of genuinely ill people, malingerers, and probably poor management as well.