To go into the office with a cough?

[Aquarelles]

I'm conscious that people are trying not to catch any germs at this time of year but unfortunately I have some, and I'm in the office.

Had a cold over the weekend, took the Monday off, came back in yesterday and have developed this annoying tickly cough. Yesterday, my cough was pretty bad - I sat in my office with the door closed all day. Today I've got my door propped open but also window open behind me and my cough isn't nearly as bad as it was. Any major coughing fits I do need to have, I go to the bathroom.

The guy two offices down from me is clearly getting pissed off. He makes a comment every time he passes my door on the way to the kitchen and latest trip he asked if I've done a Covid test (I have). He doesn't work here - he's a paid consultant.

AIBU to think well tough, this is my job and I'm feeling well enough to do it so I'm here. If he's not happy, he can shut his own door or move upstairs to another office. Or am I being really irresponsible?

You can work from home tomorrow.

People with coughs may not spread them, but the possibility and the noise are not popular.

Our office policy is wfh if have illness symptoms. Coming in with a serious cough is really inconsiderate.

coming in and leaving your door open when you have the option to close it is just rude. You could also be wearing a mask in common areas.

I'm surprised how many people can just call in sick or work from home for every little cough or sniffle.
I have had a mild cold/tickly cough for about 2 weeks now, as has the colleague I caught it off In our little office of four people.
There is probably someone coughing/with a cold in the building somewhere at all times.
If I tried to call in sick or wfh for over 2 weeks I wouldn't have my job for very long.

Unfortunately the world does not stop turning for a cough. I work in hospitality, no sick pay, no working from home, have to be cautious how many sick days I take because I can't afford too many and I have kids who might be sick and need me to take the day off. Employer is great and understanding but there is a line.

I've had an on/off cough for weeks and I go in as normal and I've not had sarky comment from anyone. Wearing a mask isn't possible because a lot of our customers are older with hearing loss and we need to communicate. Nobody has ever suggested we wear one, all of our regulars are still fighting fit and all of the staff have had ailments recently.

I think most people understand that life has to go on and people with vulnerabilities who don't want to catch anything will make their decision to stay at home or risk catching something. It's not even winter related, the minute any of us set foot out of the door we could get killed by anything but it's a risk we take for living in the present. The future is never guaranteed for any of us, we take our own precautions but we put our lives in people's hands every single day and we hope we return home at the end of it.

If you can work from home/have a sympathetic boss then that's great and you can stay at home but for the majority of us that just isn't possible and I would rather put food on my table than not give someone else a virus that they may or may not catch.

I was at work yesterday, and most of the staff and patients were coughing. Some have been coughing for weeks. No one has dropped down dead yet and as far as I am aware no one has called in sick - because no one feels unwell. Good job too otherwise the patients would have to take care of themselves.

Must say I'm surprised how many people would phone in sick with a cough. I did keep my door closed for the rest of the day.

It's not a serious cough. One or two coughs and/or throat clearing every half hour or so. I wasn't spluttering constantly all over my keyboard. I appreciate the noise is annoying though.

Thank you all for your opinions. I'll know for next time

Oh, FFS, if we all took time off whenever we get a cough the whole country would completely grind to a halt. Just go to work, and stop looking for excuses to bunk off.

Everyone has been coughing in my office. DD had a cough and was determined to go to school but she got sent home Monday morning with it. I went in with sore throat today

And two people in my office have persistent coughs anyway. A man on the other side of the office was coughing really violently today. I think the guy who asked you if you'd done a test was a dick and I've have told him to F off

Working in schools everyone is coughing and snotty and impossible to avoid walking down corridors with hundreds of kids, also in classrooms with windows which open an inch and they complain about being cold! Guess the office environment is different so more noticeable if one person is coughing but windows can be opened, contact restricted? Reality, people get colds and germs, he can put on a little fan, not breathe the same air of you. Ffs get a grip, some people are just total snowflakes ❄️

Exactly, if your colleague goes to a shop or restaurant etc same tickle coughs. X

The consultant guy sounds like a right nob tbh. In your circumstances I’d be in the office getting on with my work.

I cough all summer with allergies. Just as it was going I started coughing again, a dry tickly cough, and it's lingered for weeks. I now have a cold and throaty cough. I've worked from home with the cold but went in when I was just coughing. I had 10 weeks working from home with a broken foot so work would have thought I was trying it on it I had another 4 weeks at home with just a cough!

All the people saying the Op is being unreasonable: bollocks!
I've had three colds in less that two months. The latter two are embarrassing with the cough and quite anti-social, but I'd be seriously letting the department down (major crime) if I stayed off for mild colds.
I'd probably have to be put on an absence/attendance plan as well.
The op is in her own office. I don't see what the problem is.
Fair play, OP. Plenty of water, cold and flu daytime pills with decongest will suppress nasal drip that is irritating your upper respiratory tract and making you cough. Also boiled sweets. For the night time, if the cough is bothering you, co-codamol. Codiene is a cough suppressant . If you don't have to get up for work/kids/anything, Night Nurse will knock you out and stop you coughing. All hail the knackered, coughing workers.

Same here. How on earth do people think they'll ever build up immunity to bugs if they think everyone should shut themselves away?

Of course you're not being unreasonable. If you're well enough to go to work then go to work! Honestly you can catch germs from anywhere at any time - I'm astonished at the amount of people on this thread who think it's still 2020

You ANBU. We just have to wear face masks if we have a cough or cold, though if it's a temp and we feel too unwell to work we are asked to stay home

I'm not a germophobe, have kids at nursery so am probably more of a liability to catch and pass illnesses on. Tickly coughs seem to always hit me hard though, I have them for ages and it ends up in almost constant coughing all night. If someone was hacking away all day, I'd also rather they worked from home/took sick leave until it eased off to avoid spreading it and having to listen to the constant coughing while trying to work.

Yanbu OP. I'd put money on him not avoiding other situations where he's highly like to pick up germs (public transport, pub, supermarket, at home if he has kids). He's being a knob.

OP, I work in a school and have been ill for the last fortnight. I have gone in, with the worst cold I've ever had in my very long life, and just had to get on with it, as we're very, very short staffed. Obviously I know to cough into my elbow, wash my hands after blowing my nose etc, so hopefully they've not caught it from me.

However, I probably got it from one of the little darlings in the first place, and have spent most of the past three days asking certain children to go and blow their noses and wash their hands. These children are Covid kids, and should know to do this without any prompting, but it's still Mrs AuntyM being a killjoy and asking them to do this.

It's going around, and won't be got rid of soon.

Get a grip for ffs. Those masks to bugger all! Where do you think the air you breathe out actually goes?!

Everyone I know and I mean everyone has a cough or a cold! They are all at work, at school, at social events. Life goes on. If we all isolated and didn’t work… who would perform operations, deliver your food shop, kids presents for Xmas (cause it isn’t Santa!), deliver the petrol to the gas stations, drive the trains etc etc! Life can’t go on hold for a cough so stop worrying about people who make you feel guilty!

Why don't you keep your door shut, window open, and wear a mask if going out of your own room? Seems a bit unreasonable to prop your door open, even if only because everyone then has to hear you coughing

PS consultants in my hospital are ALLOWED to work and perform ops if COVID positive if they feel well!

a few of us have cough/colds at the moment if you work in close proximity to many people (mh unit) it’s rare that no one hasn’t got some mild virus

only those that are desperately wanting covid again are testing they are missing being able to take the piss and have so much time off