To be debating not calling in sick?

[PurpleAndPink4]

I currently have a double ear infection. I have been on antibiotics and ear spray for 3 days now but I still have one completely blocked ear. I am completely blocked up, I’m constantly blowing my nose and I have a chesty cough as well. I generally feel rough but can still do things.

Issue is, I work in healthcare and have a client facing job. I have 3 appointments tomorrow that I genuinely feel guilty about if I call in sick, because I’ll have to rearrange their appointment for July and they’re losing out. I hate calling in sick because I end up getting a backlog of appointments I have to make up. Plus I feel bad - one of my clients desperately needs this appointment.

So, should I just suck it up?

Well would it benefit your clients to catch the infection from you not to mention colleagues? In my experience people who come into work when ill not only risk infecting others but drag out their own illness ensuring they are not working effectively for several weeks. Take the time out to recover, come back into work when you are 100 percent. Sorry if this sounds harsh but it is a real bug bear of mine. Hope you feel better soon.

Even if you're feeling semi human at home, once you go out and it's noisy and people are talking to you you won't.

Hmm tricky. If I were your client I actually wouldn’t mind this, I’d rather not have my appointment cancelled if it meant a delay. You can’t actually catch an ear infection from someone. But you’re coughing and snottery so I guess it’s hard to drop it into the conversation that it’s actually your ears.Im probably in the minority though. Any way you can contact them first to advise ?

Assuming you don't have anything contagious and you can get through, I would.

Not sure what sort of appointments they are, but often with the NHS you need to get through some sort of assessment appointment before you can get treated. So not being available for the appointment might mean months without treatment for the patient. That said it would obviously be better if NHS resources were spent in such a way that there were more frontline staff.

You’re not responsible for other peoples feelings. Take the day week off.