To consider going off sick over Xmas and New year?

[Rachjxx]

NHS admin worker here. Have worked in same team for nearly 5 years and every year, just before Xmas, the same colleague goes off sick for an extended period. Not sure of the specific reason, only that it's around the same lengthy period each year. Last year she went of a bit earlier than usual, was early November I think. Then back towards start of Feb.
Meanwhile I struggled on at work with a chronic health condition, even making sure my GP appointments weren't during work time. I've always been very conscious of being reliable at work and have an excellent attendance record .
This is why it grates that the same lady has the same pattern of sickness every year around Christmas. I know she has young children at home and a disabled partner, as well as an elderly parent to care for.. but surely everyone has committments!
I have a well known health condition that entails lengthy flare-ups and I'm genuinely thinking of going off sick myself this year over the festive period. My sister is getting married at Christmas and we also have relatives coming over from Australia, so I'm minded to 'have a flare up' around that time. It's a real struggle to get any festive time off work through the normal holiday request process at Christmas and new year (especially when I don't have young children).
My health is very genuine and I have regular consultations with GP about it and pain management. I don't see he'd struggle to issue me a sick note for a few weeks to buy me some time off.
Wwyd?

It is true though, that you pretty much know who is going to go off sick at Christmas, just like you could have put a sizeable bet on which of your colleagues would come down with potential covid 'symptoms' repeatedly, before LFT's were introduced, and without it being counted on their sickness record. There were definitely some people who utilised this period for some additional R&R.

I worked in a completely different industry prior to retraining and working in the NHS and I saw a similar pattern there, especially around cover over Bank holidays and the Christmas holidays. This is not a public sector issue.

Isn't that what the Tories are trying to do with the NHS? And posts like OPs certainly aren't helping.

To be fair, I'm not sure I trust Labour with it much either. Two cheeks of the same arse if you ask me.

This is a common occurrence in the NHS. As a result @Rachjxx of grifters like your colleague genuinely ill staff are habitually looked upon with suspicion. It's not surprising that you're erring towards the 'if you can't beat them, join them' mindset.

For those saying that NHS staff have overly generous terms and conditions, they are also incredibly overworked and underpaid. Swings and roundabouts.

All things considered OP I'd say yes, take the sick leave.

Sorry if I’m being ignorant here, but as someone who works for the NHS, is this not something you could discuss with your line manager? That there is a pattern whereby you notice a Co worker is often sick at that time of year and it means you aren’t able to have leave over Christmas? Couldn’t they get bank cover? I feel like there must be a way to communicate and solve it rather than sinking to your colleague’s level.

All of them overworked and underpaid? Really?

Neither the OP nor the other NHS workers defending her shameful attitude are not covering the service in glory.

Just another example of the many efficiencies and wastes of money that drain resources that could be put to better use.

I work in the public sector (not NHS) and yes we get good sick pay. It's a difficult and emotionally challenging job and colleagues are often off sick for several weeks with stress, anxiety and other physical and mental health problems that are likely exacerbated by the work we do. But this isn't "No questions asked" there are consequences such as staged warnings and improvement plans when this gors beyond a relatively short period and people are managed out of the job if they can't be present enough to do it properly over a period of time. Your colleague's sickness record will be noted and responded to. Its not just extra holiday.

The people frothing at the mouth at an obvious windup post aren't exactly looking great either....

In the main, yes.

It's also a myth that the NHS is overrun with admin staff.

Efficiency saving directives have saw the lower banded admin jobs dwindle, leaving registered clinical staff with their own admin responsibility. A situation that, conversely, costs the service more money! Instead of someone on 20 grand a year typing letters, you have a specialist on 70 grand a year typing their own letters (rendering clinicians far less time to see patients!).

if the bone idle colleagues got away with it then the management was NOT fine

This is so true! We had a mass exodus of admin staff last year, and we hired back about 2 people for the 12 who left. They were replaced by very inexperienced people who were not well trained, and we were asked to do way more admin work. So I am doing a lot of admin alongside my clinical work and have had to try and get up to speed with admin processes in the nonexistent spare time between actually seeing patients!

You are out of order and you know it. Trying to justify your plan by holding your colleague up as an example of worse behaviour is pathetic.

Your colleague’s line management should be addressing this - I’ve seen a pattern of “sickness” like this before over Christmas/New Year period, admittedly never quite as long as this - maybe week in between/couple of days before max. Everyone knows its bullshit, and is always due to the person not being on the rota for the coveted annual leave week between the public holidays. Most decent workplaces rotate this so every employee gets a chance for this year to year but there’s always a greedy bastard who thinks they are special.

As far as you not getting annual leave granted -seniority, children, childcare and old relatives etc. are not and should not be s priority when allocating leave within s team especially at times of year when there is high demand like Christmas. Similarly sick absence in the team is irrelevant to you, it’s your manager’s problem and shouldn’t affect your annual leave. If it’s the case that as an NHS worker you are expected to cover this time of year with no concessions - well, you know that before starting.

But ultimately, I do think this post is a wind up. Surely no-kne could be this tone deaf?

I never take time off but I don't work my arse off anymore. Too many piss takers in our place.

Management hands are tied. We get the usual come in saying they have diarrhoea and vomiting then going home thinking they get their mark for that day. Not on my shift you don't. You go down as sick.

@Ladylaylayday I knew a few staff like that too. Although to be fair, I actually did test positive for covid in those early days...and did sit out in my garden! My main symptom was extreme fatigue so I remember snoozing out in the sun! I'm a clinic nurse and I was about to be redeployed to the newly opened covid ward ...I hadn't worked on the wards for some time so I was really worried but willing to do my bit. Then realised I had lost my sense of smell and taste!

Probably not. I used to work in the NHS and worked with plenty of lazy buggers that go off sick when they don't want to "waste" their annual leave.

The belief that the NHS is entirely staffed by dedicated workhorses, working their poor fingers to the bone is completely wrong. There are plenty of good staff, of course, but it's the (joint) worst place I have ever worked for people taking the piss. (A local council tied for first place).

Many of them regarded the two weeks in six months they could go off sick without an absence warning as leave they were entitled to, whether they were sick or not.

Unfortunately, it doesn't surprise me that the OP - as an NHS employee - would consider doing this.

Yes you are being unreasonable.

You are being unreasonable, and you are costing the tax payer, me.

Why would you think it’s a plant?! I know a NHS piss taker right now who is gaming the system and personally I don’t think the heroes narrative is helpful for the NHS at all. This individual will shortly reach the maximum of time off on full pay (she has cheerfully admitted she is off sick to take her turn) and is allowed to do a phased return on full pay so is doing that.

What do you mean? Is everyone who tells the truth about the NHS a "plant"? I am a regular contributor to Mumsnet, who do you think "planted" me?

I suggest you know absolutely nothing about what really goes on in the NHS, or you are one of the lazy piss-takers working there.

I've worked in the nhs for 20 years now and have worked with several people who have been off work for the full six months of full pay and then return the day it would have changed to half pay. There was no doubt they were not well when they first went sick but to miraculously get better exactly when the 6 months full pay ended to the day makes me smell a rat.

Yes, exactly this. Have a grown up conversation with your manager about how important this particular holiday season is to you, and in that conversation you can mention how you have covered for your other colleague who has been "sick" at this time for many years. Don't diss her sickness - just state calmly and clearly that you have done more than your bit to cover and support absences from other staff members, and that this year you would appreciate the same consideration.