Work colleague off sick but on holiday

[Toomanyfecks]

We have a work colleague in our small team that goes of sick (fully paid) with mental health or physical health prior to going on annual leave to lovely places.Its happened 4 times now at least. When they are in work they are mostly great, if a little intense but the pattern of absence has been noticed by all our colleagues but not management it seems. Am I being unreasonable to be at my wits end with what appears to be someone taking the mick??

Yabu to be at " your wits end" about it.
It's your managers problem.
Frankly I'd roll my eyes and move on.
Are you saying they seem to be extending their booked annual leave by going off sick either side to get extra days? or go off sick whilst on holiday to get annual leave credited back to them? or off long term sick but then go on holiday?
If they are signed off by GP then a holiday may be needed and even recommended.
Being sick before, after or during a holiday can happen but shouldn't happen every time.
If they self certify and phone in sick for a week then post on Fb holiday snaps showing them having a fabulous time and fit and well then they are on shaky ground.

It is if OP is having to cover their work

We have someone who does this. Not MH but always some illness just before leave. It’s so obvious.

My dd managed a woman who for years ( pre my dd taking over) took a very long weekend close to her birthday which always involved some excuse about illness. She was very miffed when my dd spotted the pattern and pointed it out. Some people just take the piss and get away with it.

Yes. Because your problem is management not your colleague. Her absences are really nothing to do with you, they're between her and your employer. What is your business is if your workload is inpacted because managers have failed to manage the affect of the absence.
You need to speak to your line manager about your work and the pressure you're under without going off on a tangent about your colleagues holidays and sickness. If you make it about your colleague you will be told they can't discuss her with you (by rights) and you will be fobbed off. Be clear about your job and what you're struggling to cover and ask them to manage your situation.

Wrong.

Thats the managers job to delegate the work when someone is on leave/sick or whatever.

The reason for the absence is fuck all to do with the OP, who is NOT their manager. 🙄🤦‍♂️

What? 😂

Not your problem to manage their sickness and holidays.
What you can do if necessary is highlight to your manager that covering sickness absence is causing problems for the team - if it is - and have evidence of this.

Other than that, concentrate on your own performance.

Unless you know for certain she’s fraudulently claiming to be sick to extend her annual leave, then it’s nothing to do with you. If she’s covered by a fit note, then a holiday may well be recommended to help her wellbeing.

OP it’s f*king annoying and I completely get it. The pattern, the bare faced cheek can be galling.
Irritatingly the protection methods for those who need them are often used for those who don’t.

Sadly there is little that you can do, hopefully management are aware.

Why are you ‘at your wits end’? Is this having an impact on your workload? If so, speak to your manager. If not, butt out.

Good god no wonder the work place is falling apart with attitudes like this!

Consistent patterns of sickness whilst on holiday is not ok.

Leaving everyone else to pick up the slack. Not acceptable.

It would not be tolerated in my work place a d you'd be out the door. If you can holiday then you can work. And if you can't do the job you're in then find something else you can do!

What's confusing you?

I had several long spells of sick leave in one job, all stress-related, and went on holiday during some of them. My doctor was fully supportive of this, felt it would help my recovery and there was not a thing they could do about it.

(I was diagnosed autistic a little while ago, and now suspect that I was having autistic burnout.)

Mind your own business

Min your own business; which includes making your manager aware of the workload you’re dealing with and any issues you’re having.

I don’t blame you for being pissed off but it’s for management to deal with. If I were managing him I’d be getting occupational health to get some input about the pattern of this

You can go on a holiday while you are off sick especially if it is a pre booked holiday. In my work it goes down as annual leave while sick and it comes of their annual leave entitlement. Are you all pissed off because you think if she feels good enough to go on leave she shouldn't be off work? If it is a pattern that she is going off sick leading up to her annual leave that is for your manager and HR to discuss with her.

Management can’t stop gossip. All they can do is stop people telling them the gossip.

How's the holiday going?

Swimmingly.

Urgh we have one of those. They book holiday then they are 'sick' say before holiday starts then they use sick leave for holiday so they still have more leave to use