Off sick right before holiday, WIBU?

[pebblesthemonkey]

I came down with what I assume was either a stomach bug or food poisoning last night. I was up being violently ill all night and still felt like death this morning so did not go into work today.

I still feel rough. I'm no longer running back and forth to the bathroom and have managed to keep some toast down this afternoon, I just feel wiped out. I'm pretty sure I will be able to drag myself into work tomorrow. BUT we go away on Friday. DH booked us a special mini-break for our anniversary, it's been planned for months.

DH thinks I should take tomorrow off to rest and recover fully so I can enjoy our long weekend away. I think that being off sick and then going on holiday the next day looks bad and that if I can go into to work tomorrow I should, even if I'm not feeling 100% because that's what I would usually do.

WIBU?

Not sure if this is relevant but I'm not taking any annual leave, Friday is my day off anyway.

YANBU- I'm right, I should go into work tomorrow as I'm physically able to do so and it would be bad form to go away straight after being off sick.

YABU- DH is right, I should take another day to rest and recover fully so I'm feeling better for our trip.

I don’t think many workplaces would have a 48hr policy. We can work at home so when people are sick they will stay home out of courtesy of not passing on illness, but of course that only works if you’re able to work from home. If I was feeling better I’d go in, so I wasn’t paranoid about anyone knowing I’d gone away and making negative comments as you know what the busy bodies in each office are like.

Another vote for stay at home tomorrow. I wouldn't risk passing it on to your colleagues. Why do people at work need to know you're going away?

I don’t think there’s a ‘correct’ answer here, but please ignore people saying you are selfish to consider going in(?!) In many work places you are aware you’re putting more burden on your colleagues for every day that you are absent, and I think this is where you are coming from.

I agree with the advice to disregard the holiday as a factor in your decision making, and go in if you normally would do with the way you are feeling, stay away if you feel too ill.

For what it’s worth, I think it’s better to stay away a little longer to ensure a full recovery rather than going back when you feel ‘just well enough’, as this can extend recovery time and potentially mean you’re off again because you hadn’t fully recovered.

Can you do any work from home, or is it working at work or nothing at all?

I'd ring my boss and ask them and they'd tell me they didn't want me anywhere near them, I think. But I would want to offer to come in so that they didn't think I was skiving.

Who are you to tell OP to ignore how other people might feel? OP asked a question on a forum, and what makes you think your feelings are the only correct ones?

Utterly bizarre. 😂

OP, listen to your DH. He knows you and can obviously see that you are not well.

Well even if there are stupid policies like that, you can use your own judgement and not affect others. They aren’t going to send some to check if you felt well enough.

You think the burden of being off is worse than giving them a stomach bug??

It's for staff in schools too

Not really, I was just trying to reassure the op and make them feel a bit better as some posts were calling them selfish and I know that can make you feel shit if your intentions are genuinely - if misguidedly - trying to help others 🤷‍♀️ I guess things can get lost in translation on post likes these, both mine and other peoples. I did suggest it’s probably best to stay away from work.

No I was saying that I can understand the pressure you might feel - whether rightly or wrongly - to go in if you are sick, and that it’s not necessarily coming from a selfish place. I also suggested it might be better to stay off work

if i was your co worker I would rather you take tomorrow off (and keep your germs away from me) and go enjoy your break

Very much down to the individual. I've worked with colleagues who think nothing of availing of every opportunity to be off sick. And others who will do everything to be able to come in. That said, in my workplace, u need to be 48 hours symptom free of D and V before you come to work. U sound very conscientious
OP, I hope u feel better soon. Enjoy your weekend away

Its policy for the teachers and nursery staff aswell altho a blind eye is turned if staff are well enough togo in.

So she shouldn't go in and put others in that position then.

Well if it was me I would take the day off. Thing is I am lucky and have hardly ever been ill enough to need time off. People at work even commented, jokingly, that I never get anything. Obviously I do have the occasional cold and once, years ago, I had a few days off with that swine flu. But I have never even caught Covid!

So what I am saying is I know my attendance is very good so I would have no qualms about waiting to make sure I was properly better. Are you in a similar position?

Noone wants your germs.. stay home

Do your colleagues a favour and don't go in. It doesn't matter if you've already spent time with them, you may pass on something to someone and why would you want anyone else to have what you have had?

If you are really unsure, why don't you just ask your line manager - because then it will be on them if they pressure you back into work, get everyone sick and you get to keep your job.

Selfish, my arse 🙄.

Are people really not understanding the different work cultures that people work in? I have never had a job where I have been sent home no matter how sick I have been , rather - they have asked if I can stay until after lunch or until I have finished a certain task or got cover.

Please do not go in and infect everyone else - the national guidance is 48 hours after the last symptom. This is for adults and children.

nhs states:
Diarrhoea and vomiting can spread easily
Stay off school or work until you've not been sick or had diarrhoea for at least 2 days.
If you have a high temperature or do not feel well enough to do your normal activities, try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people until you feel better.

I would be really pissed off if I got this because someone came in not feeling that great!

As long as you aren't doing this all the time, this isn't going to be an issue. Take the time off and get better.

There's nothing heroic about going to work and sharing a bug with your whole workplace

I had this dilemma before. Presumed I had food poisoning, went back to work after 12 hours after I thought I was over it. Turns out it was a stomach bug and the bug rampaged through our small office for the next 48 hours. We were really busy at the time, so I thought I was doing my colleagues a favor by coming back to work...I wasn't!!
I would suggest you take another day off work, rather than potentially ruining some colleagues weekends!!

I had this dilemma before. Presumed I had food poisoning, went back to work after 12 hours after I thought I was over it. Turns out it was a stomach bug and the bug rampaged through our small office for the next 48 hours. We were really busy at the time, so I thought I was doing my colleagues a favor by coming back to work...I wasn't!!
I would suggest you take another day off work, rather than potentially ruining some colleagues weekends!!

I don't understand the issue.

You aren't calling in sick tomorrow and then swanning off for a week's leave (which is actually what I had to do in July - came down with Noro the night before my last working day and was then off on leave the following week! Couldn't be helped)

Stay off, recover, have your weekend away and go in on Monday as usual.

If your I’ll you should take time off to recover doesn’t matter if your going away. I had to call in sick with a wisdom tooth infection (was absolutely horrific) the day before I was flying to Spain for 2 weeks! My manager told me not to work, get my prescription and rest so I could enjoy my time away.

Don’t go to work tomorrow, use the day to fully recover then go on the weekend away without a second thought.