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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Should you work with a cold?

75 replies

autienotnaughty · 18/12/2023 07:08

I have been so ill this year. In seven weeks I have been ill give of them. This is my third cold. Symptoms have ranged from sickness, dizziness, nausea, headache, face pain, sneezing, blocked nose , lethargy, coughing, tiredness, ear ache. I work part time and so far I've managed to only take two days off. By resting on non working days. (Around kids obviously)

Work policy is we should not come in if ill it equally there is a sickness process if you take too much time off. So basically don't get ill.

I work with customers so no work from home option.

If you are sneezing, coughing, weak etc. but could technically go to work. do you go?

OP posts:

AhBiscuits · 18/12/2023 07:10

Yes, life carries on as normal if any of us have a cold.

Friarclose · 18/12/2023 07:12

Yes, I carry on with a cold, just try to have some early nights and hot baths, bit more self care than usual.

Covid on the other hand floored me, you said you have pain in your face, this was a covid symptom for me. If you feel that rough, maybe its Covid?

TooTender · 18/12/2023 07:13

I don’t go into the office with a cold and it really irritates me when my colleagues do, but we can all work from home so it’s not the same situation .
I totally understand why you feel you can’t be off work five weeks out of seven with a cold. I think if you’re well enough to work (albeit not on top form) you have to, but I would be doing all I could to minimise spread of illness (masks, hand sanitiser, not sitting close to people while coughing and sneezing).

FuckinghellthatsUnbelievable · 18/12/2023 07:16

I’d go in with a cold. It’s tricky when kids are young. They have a series of colds from October to March and share them with you. If I took time off for every cold I’d expect to be sacked tbh.

Iskpugkk · 18/12/2023 07:17

It depends if I feel up to it; I’ve had colds where I’ve felt horrific and barely able to get dressed but I’ve had ones where I’ve dosed myself up and felt ok, not brilliant but manageable

Hbh17 · 18/12/2023 07:18

Yes! Dear Lord, the economy would completely grind to a halt if everyone stayed at home every time they have a cold.

Ambi · 18/12/2023 07:24

Depends on how I feel. I have bad sinuses so they do usually hit me hard, I can't sleep due to blocked nose which means it takes longer for me to recover. I will stay home if I need to, I can usually recover quicker if I sleep for the first bad day or two.

I have had to go in when quite ill due to assisting finalising sale of the company's major asset. As the head of finance I had to confirm all the figures before the sale could be completed. I was so ill though and forced my way through. I was so happy it completed at lunch I could go home.

twoforwardandtwoback · 18/12/2023 07:27

I wish people would stay at home with a cold

tamade · 18/12/2023 07:34

Generally I would go in, blocked nose, runny nose, cough sore throat, mild aches would not stop me. But headache, fever, fatigue/tiredness I would probably stay away.
It is just that with some symptoms I can still operate but with the others I just couldn't work so it would be a waste of time going in

banjocat · 18/12/2023 07:35

As a customer, I wouldn't want the person at the checkout to be sneezing and coughing all over the place.

I can understand people needing to work if they are getting close to trigger points for absence or if their managers are not understanding.

But if you're still under trigger points for sickness, I would stay home, for the sake of both your colleagues and customers. No one wants to catch a cold/ virus for Christmas.

banjocat · 18/12/2023 07:37

Hbh17 · 18/12/2023 07:18

Yes! Dear Lord, the economy would completely grind to a halt if everyone stayed at home every time they have a cold.

It would also grind to a halt if everyone went into work with something nasty and passed it around making everyone ill.

Each person has to judge for themselves how ill they are, but OP's sounds pretty unpleasant and not something I would want to catch or be passing onto others.

ItsMyPartyParty · 18/12/2023 07:37

Depends on how ill I feel. But I do have the privilege to be able to work from home if I ever need to - so if I feel able to work but I’m coughing and spluttering, or can’t face the drive, I can still work. I’m lucky not to get very ill very often (though mildly ill quite often), so I don’t have to worry about my sickness levels - if I don’t feel able to work I won’t drag myself to it.

Honestly though I’ll always say “something flu-like”. Because people hear “a cold” and hear “mild sniffles” when actually even a cold can flatten you for a day or two.

margotrose · 18/12/2023 07:38

I carry on as normal unless I physically can't.

But I'm self-employed and work alone and outside so the risks of passing anything on are minimal, and I don't get paid if I don't work.

If I was working indoors with lots of people and I got paid, I'd be staying home a lot more often!

limefrog · 18/12/2023 07:39

People who say they'll soldier on into work however they feel are often the same ones who will then blame colleagues for giving them a cold.

I would stay home if I had enough sick days.

Calamitousness · 18/12/2023 07:39

Yes, I have always worked with a cold and I would expect employees to work. Take basic precautions such as using disposable hankies and sanitising hands, if coughing/sneezing do so into hanky etc. and dispose of immediately. Sanitise again etc.

banjocat · 18/12/2023 07:40

Calamitousness · 18/12/2023 07:39

That's fine but you do know these viruses are airbourne, right? Sanitising your hands doesn't really do anything. They are passed on by people standing near each other and breathing the same air. If you go to work with a cold then you will pass it on even if you sneeze into a tissue and sanitize your hands.

neverbeenskiing · 18/12/2023 07:44

I work in a school. If my colleagues and I all stayed at home every time we had a cold the school would be shut all winter.

Wolfpa · 18/12/2023 07:45

if you are infectious you shouldn’t be going in making other people ill. If the infectious part has gone and you are left with a seemingly never ending cough you should be in.

PermanentTemporary · 18/12/2023 07:47

I've got a cold i think and will be wearing a mask for work today.

I have a teacher friend who swears by First Defence nasal spray, might be worth a try in the future.

If I have a temperature after paracetamol or can't stand up then I don't work. But I never have a temperature even with Covid.

FloweryName · 18/12/2023 07:48

Yes, if I’m functioning I go to work. We are already understaffed and everyone knows the impact it has on the rest of the team when one of us is off. It’s not ideal but it’s very common because there’s not much choice. The alternative would be that parents and the education system have to get used to classes regularly being closed and children having to stay at home.

Original poster

autienotnaughty · 18/12/2023 07:48

Friarclose · 18/12/2023 07:12

Yes, I carry on with a cold, just try to have some early nights and hot baths, bit more self care than usual.

Covid on the other hand floored me, you said you have pain in your face, this was a covid symptom for me. If you feel that rough, maybe its Covid?

I think the middle illness was covid tbf

OP posts:

Original poster

autienotnaughty · 18/12/2023 07:52

banjocat · 18/12/2023 07:35

As a customer, I wouldn't want the person at the checkout to be sneezing and coughing all over the place.

I can understand people needing to work if they are getting close to trigger points for absence or if their managers are not understanding.

But if you're still under trigger points for sickness, I would stay home, for the sake of both your colleagues and customers. No one wants to catch a cold/ virus for Christmas.

I'm stage two as I had 6 weeks off due to a significant loss. One day off triggers a meeting. This does make me more inclined to go in I just feel bad sneezing my head off. Mine and my colleagues desks are attached (customer service) so I can't sit away.

OP posts:

Original poster

autienotnaughty · 18/12/2023 07:57

PermanentTemporary · 18/12/2023 07:47

I've got a cold i think and will be wearing a mask for work today.

I have a teacher friend who swears by First Defence nasal spray, might be worth a try in the future.

If I have a temperature after paracetamol or can't stand up then I don't work. But I never have a temperature even with Covid.

I have Vicks defence , echinacea, Vit c and d, zinc and a multivitamin.

I worked with children for twenty years and have 3 kids (youngest is 8)

I should have the immunity of a ox.

OP posts:

shivawn · 18/12/2023 07:58

I find this really hard too OP. I work with immunocompromised patients so I do my best to avoid going in to them with anything, including a cold. At the same time, we're always short staffed so there's guilt associated with taking time off. I recently had back to back colds for around 6 weeks but thankfully I was on maternity leave for it, I'm not sure what I would have done otherwise.

Original poster

autienotnaughty · 18/12/2023 07:58

You are all basically having the debate that's in my head 😂

OP posts:

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