Panicking about sickness abscence

[haveifuckeditup]

I’m in a probation period at work (26 weeks) as a newly qualified employee.

I work in health and social care so the rules around sickness are very stringent ie you can’t come in with contagious things. (I’m not a nurse).

I had to isolate per policy in June for covid19 (4 working days). I also asked to work one day from home in September as I was full of the cold and couldn’t stop coughing - I worked a 12 hour shift from home completing online training and admin tasks.

I’ve had to call in sick this morning with norovirus, following my colleague coming in yesterday with same symptoms I’ve now got (abdo pain, fever and vomiting). Someone else did the same at the weekend (came in with noro symptoms).

My lovely manager sent me a nice email but said ‘sorry you’re unwell again’ which has panicked the hell out of me, what if that’s meant to be a warning?

My work’s policy is they can fire you in probation with one week notice and no pay.

I’m beyond panicking. I do my absolute best at work, I get nothing but positive feedback but I couldn’t go in vomiting, and I don’t know what to do for the best. AIBU to panic? I can’t lose this role, I’m almost wishing I’d just gone in but I know that’s not the right thing to do either.

Nothing you can do I'm afraid. You're sick, you don't want to spread it, you have to stay home.

If anything bad does come from this with work, you really should point out the reason you were sick in the first place was because a colleague came in unwell.

Then ask them to clarify whether they expect sick and contagious employees to still attend.

It’s impossible to figure out. I worked from home the last time and have records of the work I did that day (12 hour shift, I’m only contracted for 8) so can prove I didn’t do nothing. I don’t know. It’s not NHS so they have different guidelines.

My divisional lead hasn’t said anything, although my manager said I didn’t need to inform her so I don’t know.

But yes, if people didn’t take their illnesses in with them life would be easier to say the least.

I can't imagine they'll fail your probation for a 3rd instance if you are otherwise a good employee.

At my work we are sacking someone on probation next week. We'll be using amount of sickness as one of the reasons. But there are many others. If it was just the sickness she'd probably get through tbh.

It sounds fine to me, especially as they are aware this is doing the rounds? You had a valid reason each time. I wouldn't worry.

As a manager, I certainly wouldn't raise issues with someone's sickness absence while they are off.

Our system flags 3 episodes in 6 months, but usually if they are genuine sickness absences and I have no reason to believe anything is amiss (including hiding stress etc as something else). It would be nothing more than a conversation about just making them aware the system had flagged the sickness, is there anything we can do to support. And leave it there. People get ill. It can't be helped.

If they are particularly strict on absence I would hope they would start an absence management plan first rather than sacking you.

I think you’re overthinking it!

I think with kindness you are overthinking this.

Asking to work from home and doing so when you’ve a cold and don’t want to spread it shows you’re not work shy and you care.

Having to be off for Covid to protect your service users is sensible

You absolutely cannot go to work with norovirus, and the fact they know your colleague has it shows that there is an issue and it is spreading at work and it is not you just being absent in isolation

Technically 2 absences not 3

Yes they may discuss absence with you at your probation, but they will want to assess if it is likely going to keep occurring and if it is for something that needs further support/adjustments. It is very unlikely if you are doing everything else well that you would be dismissed for these absences. But they may want to discuss them at your probation review.

They will have put sorry you are unwell again as it is stating a fact and if they didn’t acknowledge it at all or say they were sorry you were ill they would come across pretty uncaring

Please stop panicking and try and rest