To ring in sick when they're so short staffed

[Italiandonna]

I've been in lot of pain with a chronic condition this week but I still attended work. I coped by taking pain relief and regular breaks.
I feel it getting worse and expect I'll be in worse pain by Monday but the department will already be short staffed then and for the 3 weeks after it. Annual leave.
WIBU to be off sick at a time when they will be so stretched?
The condition causing blinding pain, can't sleep and very nauseated.

I would say it’s not your fault they’re short staffed, if your not fit to work or it’s causing you worsening pain, I would call sick personally

Depends how you are on Monday, which presumably you can't judge on Friday

I don't think it would be unreasonable of you to call in sick.
If they are stretched...with kindess it isn't your issue!
Look after yourself! Let them worry about the rotas!!

Do nothing this weekend, be idle. I have chronic pain and sometimes do this. The painkillers worsen my nausea I think. Eat little and often drink water and rest.

If on Monday you're no better phone in sick.

Ye gods, of course you call in sick if you’re in blinding pain! This is your health FFS. And seek medical attention. Hope you feel better soon 💐

THIS! I have migraines that literally blind me, I'm neither use nor ornament when I have one.

Call in sick and rest! Short staffing is NOT your problem.

I'll never forget a former manager of mine in a call centre. We were short staffed due to norovirus. She guilted someone into coming in, even though she could barely stand up.

The whole call centre went down with norovirus as a result, which was obviously delightful!

I read somewhere recently that if you are off due to a known disorder work must take reasonable adjustments for this and it shouldn’t be counted in a sickness stage. I have Rheumatoid arthritis and it sounds to me like a flare up of your condition. It really isn’t your problem your health comes first

If you're sick, you're sick. Their staffing problems aren't your responsibility.

I'm really interested in this, do you have any more information?

Well you don't sound well enough to be working. Should you be working at all?

Don’t be a martyr you sound sick

Agree with everyone else, if you’re not fit to work then you’re not fit to work, it can’t be helped, take the time you need. Staffing isn’t your problem.

Here’s some nuts and bolts info from Acas’ website. https://www.acas.org.uk/supporting-disabled-people/disability-related-absence

Employers are under a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled employees. One of the most common examples where this arises is, as Crispynoodle had read about, adjusting the management of sickness absence e.g. adjusting the trigger points for formal action when an employee is absent due to sickness or not counting some or all of the employee’s absences towards their formal absence management process.

Employers can be taking an avoidable risk not erring on the side of caution and making adjustments for absence management for employees who have long term health conditions. There was a recent tribunal case - Kitching v University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust - where an NHS trust lost after it dismissed a disabled employee (a cleaner) because of her sickness absences and hadn’t made reasonable adjustments including to the absence management process. The tribunal found almost 85% of the employee’s absences were because of her disability and came to the conclusion the employer had denied the employee was disabled.
The compensation awarded was almost £50,000.

OP, the answer is no. You’ve continued soldiering on in pain and your condition has not improved. It sounds like it’s worsened and you’re having problems sleeping.
You should listen to your body. I am sure other colleagues wouldn’t be giving this any thought if they were in a similar situation. You won’t get medals for not putting your health first.

This is really helpful, thank you so much.