To take time off sick when I work in payroll

[Feelingpoorly2025]

I feel I can never be off sick and just have to work from home instead when I’m unwell. Had covid last week and took the week off, however I’m now suffering really badly with sinusitis. I logged into work today but just cannot concentrate I have really bad head pain and fatigue. It’s the payroll deadline Friday and there is no one else in the company that can operate the payroll, I feel so stressed. I tried to push though yesterday and today but just can’t do it. More and more payroll issues keep coming through on email and I don’t have the energy to work through them.

If you’re sick you’re sick, say you’re too unwell to do any work and direct your manager to the written instructions and they can figure it out/speak to finance/whatever. Totally on them if there’s only one person who can do it, what if you were hit by a bus?

They could just pay basic pay but overtime payments are huge where I work so people would miss them and then when I go back I’ll have to do all the overtime and extra payments plus the Christmas payroll which has to be submitted early. And I’m only part time. Total nightmare. I think the overwhelm is making me feel even more unwell to be honest.

Sounds like they are going to have to pay you to work some overtime then when you feel better? I can’t see any other way for you if you are too ill to get it done this week? Basic pay only is better than no pay on payday surely? Let the management explain to employees

I work school hours so won’t be available for overtime. Everything just feels so unsustainable. I’m going to go to sleep now and hope by a miracle that I feel a bit better in the morning

I hope you do. Personally I’d do some work from home at night and the weekend but that may not be an option if you have to be in the office

My company's accountant firm will do payroll in an emergency. Your company should have something set up. I hope you feel better soon.

This is a ridiculous situation. So if you got into a car accident tomorrow, no one would get paid until you recover?

As others have said this is appalling business practice and not your problem at all. I would put it back on the company that they need to sort out a backup plan as you have been working while not fit for work, and they are storing up future problems for themselves.

Bless you OP. I have a job that involves spreadsheets and finance sometimes and its a fucking nightmare when I have a migraine. I get regular sinusitis due to an immune suppressant.

Some things that may help. If you can go to a chemist in the morning

1. menthol crystals inhaled - they come in a small pot at the chemist and are super cheap. You need like one or two crystals only or it blows your head off! Doesn't last forever but really helps clear the brain fog.

2. a sinus spray - saline is best like NeilMed nasal rinse but see what they have. If not then a warm cloth on your face.

3. an OTC decongestant like Sudofed. The active ingredient is pseudoephedrine hydrochloride and I think you can buy plain unbranded tablets just of this if you don't want the caffeine that Sudofed has. Really helps sinusitis pressure headache.

4. 4Head stick

5. Dimming the PC or laptop screen can help a bit, working in lower lighting to reduce the stress.

This. I work somewhere like this. Our payroll colleague is heavily relied upon. We had 2 chap who ended up retiring and then a new lady. But it’s one person, why isn’t there someone else trained?

Let’s start with the basics. Will staff be paid their basic wages (without adjustments) when they expect them?

This issue needs to be escalated, if not.

Go off sick; it’ll be a good time for your company to put contingency plans in place.

I had a payroll manager who signed off sick the day after monthly payroll, for 4 weeks. I immediately brought in a payroll administrator, and between her, me (Finance Director) and external software provider, we got the pay for the circa 500 staff (400 variable) done.

It loosened the iron grip of the Payroll Manager on the payroll process, and she left soon afterwards. I now know how to run payroll 😊😊😊

If I could go back in time 3 1/2 years ago and give myself one piece of advice when trying to recover from a covid infection, it would be “do not try to push through - in fact, do less than you think you can”. Many of us with long covid learnt this the hard way. It’s not your fault the company is set up like this. Your boss/someone else will have to do a fast learning curve. Hope you feel better soon.

It is a failing of the business for there to be only one person that can run such a critical
process, especially when your payroll includes a lot of variable payments.
Staff will be reliant on their overtime payments, especially in November.

I work for a small company. Every process is documented so that someone can pick up any task if necessary, and we have practice runs occasionally!

I hope you feel better soon and that something can be put in place to avoid you feeling under so much pressure if you’re unwell in the future.