Page 2 | Taking day off work due to morning sickness

luckilysane · 2023-11-30T21:11:17+00:00

If you were pregnant and had been sick once in the morning, would you take the day off work? It's not me but a colleague. She doesn't think it's a sickness bug, pretty sure it's morning sickness, but took the day off work yesterday because she was sick. It's her first pregnancy, first trimester. YABU- she was correct to take the day off work. YANBU- she should have come to work

DisforDarkChocolate · 30/11/2023 22:06

It's none of your business. I had 5 weeks off work with 'morning sickness', I'd rather have been at work.

returnofthecats · 30/11/2023 22:08

You're absolutely despicable for this post. Get a life!

IDontLoveTheWayYouLie · 30/11/2023 22:11

luckilysane · 30/11/2023 21:31

She sent me a text this morning to say she'd been sick once but was taking the rest of the day off, then shared some photos of her going out to the local Christmas markets this afternoon.

I had to cover her work today- not possible just to leave it until she's next in, so had to work extra hours (unpaid) to do her tasks as well as mine. When people are away for illness, the managers normally share out tasks, but one manager has Covid and two others out of our team of six have flu/covid too.

You would have had to cover work whether it was her that went off or anyone else in the team. It's not her fault you had to do it unpaid or that other managers were ill. She wasn't well and let you know she wasn't coming to work.

Actually444 · 30/11/2023 22:14

Disgusting post. I took 3 weeks off for nausea. It's debilitating. Don't judge your colleague for taking time off sick. She's prioritising her health and her pregnancy over work, and that's a good thing! Going to a Christmas Market is a lot different than working an 8 hour work day. Just because she's pregnant and in the first trimester doesn't mean she doesn't deserve to take time off when she's poorly. The first trimester is the absolute pits. The worst time ever.

Thedm · 30/11/2023 22:16

Why did you do it unpaid? Just leave. No one can make you stay.

Codlingmoths · 30/11/2023 22:16

luckilysane · 30/11/2023 21:31

She sent me a text this morning to say she'd been sick once but was taking the rest of the day off, then shared some photos of her going out to the local Christmas markets this afternoon.

I had to cover her work today- not possible just to leave it until she's next in, so had to work extra hours (unpaid) to do her tasks as well as mine. When people are away for illness, the managers normally share out tasks, but one manager has Covid and two others out of our team of six have flu/covid too.

I think that’s a bit crappy. I was miserably unwell in pregnancy and wouldn’t have done that, I did take sick leave but that was for not being able to work. Everyone else in your team is ill too, it sounds like, if you need a sick day to recover from carrying them in a week or two I’d take it!

Thedm · 30/11/2023 22:17

Actually444 · 30/11/2023 22:14

Disgusting post. I took 3 weeks off for nausea. It's debilitating. Don't judge your colleague for taking time off sick. She's prioritising her health and her pregnancy over work, and that's a good thing! Going to a Christmas Market is a lot different than working an 8 hour work day. Just because she's pregnant and in the first trimester doesn't mean she doesn't deserve to take time off when she's poorly. The first trimester is the absolute pits. The worst time ever.

But if you can walk around town and have a nice afternoon out then you’re not actually suffering from nausea and debilitating sickness. She was able to get up and go. So you go to work.

DrinkFeckArseBrick · 30/11/2023 22:21

She is not being unreasonable to take the day off due to being sick once.

She is being unreasonable to take the day off due to being sick once, then post on social media about enjoying Xmas markets. Clearly she could have gone into work

HamBone · 30/11/2023 23:05

luckilysane · 30/11/2023 21:31

She sent me a text this morning to say she'd been sick once but was taking the rest of the day off, then shared some photos of her going out to the local Christmas markets this afternoon.

I had to cover her work today- not possible just to leave it until she's next in, so had to work extra hours (unpaid) to do her tasks as well as mine. When people are away for illness, the managers normally share out tasks, but one manager has Covid and two others out of our team of six have flu/covid too.

Initially I thought you were being v. unreasonable but your update does put a different spin on the situation.

If she was well enough to go to a Christmas market, she was probably well enough to go to work. It sounds as if she didn’t want to take annual leave so she took a sick day instead, perhaps?

It was pretty daft to post photos of her afternoon out on SM, tbh!**

VulcanVause · 30/11/2023 23:10

I was going to say it’s nothing to do with you until I read that she’d gone out in the afternoon and you had to work extra unpaid hours to do her work. I actually think she’s quite stupid for letting you know she went out.
at my worst, I was being sick up to 10 times a day including at work. With hindsight, I could have done with a couple of weeks off at its worst.

sandragreen · 01/12/2023 08:12

Of course, the thread doesn’t go OPs way so we get a massive drip feed which clearly would have gone in the opening post…

It is your managers responsibility to ensure work is covered, not yours. If you don’t want to work unpaid overtime then don’t.

TwoShades1 · 01/12/2023 08:24

Pregnancy nausea can be soul destroying! I pretty much didn’t leave my bed for 10 weeks. I still remember the first day I felt well enough to just sit in the living room and my daughter is now 4! I had nausea until about 25 weeks, medication unfortunately didn’t help much, I rarely vomited but thats probably because I wasn’t eating or drinking.

WandaWonder · 01/12/2023 08:25

If you are their manager it is odd you are posting this if you aren't it is none of your business

Luxell934 · 01/12/2023 08:32

How about you let your colleague decide herself if she’s well enough to be in work. Pregnancy sickness isn’t just being sick once in the morning and then you’re fine all day, it’s not like that at all for most women who suffer with it.

CrispsandCheeseSandwich · 01/12/2023 09:02

But if you can walk around town and have a nice afternoon out then you’re not actually suffering from nausea and debilitating sickness. She was able to get up and go. So you go to work.

But we don't know anything beyond the fact she was there and took a picture. She may have been feeling awful, she may have been dragged out by a well meaning friend/relative who said that some fresh air would help with the nausea. She may have walked through the Christmas market on the way back from the pharmacy to pick up a prescription for anti sickness tablets, and stopped to take a picture.

I had three months off for pregnancy sickness in my pregnancies with both my DDs) (and a few weeks off in my first pregnancy until I miscarried at 8 weeks). But I managed a walk at times, sometimes to the pharmacy, sometimes just a stroll to get some fresh air and stretch my legs. It doesn't mean I wasn't also really unwell - I felt like shit and have thrown up in many public bins. But someone could feasibly have seen me and written a post like OP has "she said she was too ill to work but I saw her in the park enjoying the sunshine!!"

Yes, this woman may be taking the piss. Just like anyone who calls in sick, they might be lying. But that's for management to deal with. If OP has an issue with how work is distributed when people are off, this is also something to take up with the managers.

aintnospringchicken · 01/12/2023 10:18

Morning sickness can be really debilitating for some women.I suffered from morning,noon and night sickness during my first pregnancy.Fortunately it didn't leave me feeling unable to carry on my normal day.I'd get a sudden urge to be sick,run to the toilet then resume whatever it was I was doing.I could be eating my evening meal,have to rush from the table then come back and finish eating.Weird I know .

Zanatdy · 01/12/2023 10:23

I’d have been off sick all the while the first 20wks if I did that. I had to commute to london too - 30mins plus each way often no seat

Thedm · 01/12/2023 11:26

TwoShades1 · 01/12/2023 08:24

Pregnancy nausea can be soul destroying! I pretty much didn’t leave my bed for 10 weeks. I still remember the first day I felt well enough to just sit in the living room and my daughter is now 4! I had nausea until about 25 weeks, medication unfortunately didn’t help much, I rarely vomited but thats probably because I wasn’t eating or drinking.

That is awful, and I was the same. It was debilitating. But this woman the OP is talking about doesn’t have that. She was sick once and then felt fine, and took herself off for a day out instead of going to work.
Thats not OK and behaviour like that brings all women down because it’s why some employers still don’t want women of child bearing years in important positions.

Ohthisisimpossible · 01/12/2023 13:16

oh please. Your question has changed from ‘is it unreasonable to take time off with morning sickness’ to. ‘Is it unreasonable to feign illness to get off work’

i think you can work the answer out for yourself, poppet