AIBU to be fed up with colleagues repeatedly off sick?

[IngridsLittleToe]

I'm going to get my arse handed to me and I don't care. Sick staff....I'm so over feeling sympathetic. I'm not talking really sick staff...I'm talking repeated back ache/gynae problems/migraine/back ache/sore throat/cold/depression/back ache/sinusitis/cold/sore big toe....

They have been on repeated sickness absence management and pull it back from the brink each time. Only to start all over again. Years and years of this. The rest of the team have to pick up the pieces, cancel their jobs to cover someone else's and the sickie doesn't have any loyalty at all.

The whole time they are sick they manage to socialise and do a voluntary role. Any attempt to manage the sickness is met with claims of bullying and then they go sick with anxiety.

All on full pay.

AIBU to think they are shamelessly playing the system and should be sacked

Obviously none of us are omniscient. But that doesn't mean we're wholly stupid either.

For example, the first couple of times a colleague rings in sick with D&V on a Sunday morning, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. But when he slips up a month later and shows me pictures of the gig he was at that Saturday night, do I really have to keep pretending on an anonymous forum that I believe him?

DH had one of these - in the end he took advantage of a departmental restructure and made her redundant. Stuck in his craw that she got a payout, but he has 5 years of this and it was cheaper long term to get shot.

I was repeatedly off sick (NHS). I did attempt to live on half pay for a while, so I was not one of those people who magically recover when their pay is cut.

If someone is repeatedly off sick, and you think they are taking the piss then I think the work culture and management is the problem. People are going off sick to escape it.

BTW, you can be of sick and still socialise. You are signed off from work, not life.

All I will say is that with purse strings being massively tightened across the public sector, there will be increased pressure to actually do something about these ones. For those who are genuinely ill shouldn’t worry as management are pretty good at spotting those gaming the system.

I work for a university and there always a shit load of people on sick/long term sick (on full pay of course) Bloody ridiculous.

No, clearly not. If someone is medically incapable of doing their job that has a big negative impact on other people.

Noooo nooo gigs, holidays and socialising are essential when off sick remember!!

I love how you found a scenario not even remotely like that described in the original OP, to use as your argument. I repeat, 🤣🤣🤣

Dude I get migraines, what exactly do you expect me to do? Would you rather people simply didn't work?

You're wrong on so many levels, and bitter too. Get a life

I hear you OP and its always, but always, the same people over and over.

Ringing in with a headache. Take some paracetamol and get to work 😵‍💫

Well the rest of the team must enjoy the"toxic, bully like" place because we keep staff for years. The normal exit route is retirement.

What everyone says, is they enjoy a committed team, a team that wants to deliver an excellent service, we are slick, efficient and organised. That isn't for everyone.

I love my team (all bar one) and we are a team. We share each others stresses, joys and know a lot about each other because we work together for years. Newcomers have a good induction, they get mentored until confident. We really have a great team. All bar one.

Re self certifying sickness. It's quite incredible how one person needs so much time off for illnesses that never need a formal diagnosis. The pattern is so distinct from other people with the same illness. I genuinely don't know if they are deliberately making up ill health or have a psychological issue. I think most people recognise that physical and mental health are closely linked. So I do have sympathy but frankly workplaces can't cope with the enormous loss of time.

I had a colleague who was off sick for ages after breaking his leg. He still went on holiday and to the pub. But he could not do his job.

I knew a Paramedic that played to the book. Was off sick for most of the year went back with days to spare and lo and behold would soon be off sick again. This went on for years on end. She used to laugh saying the NHS will never sack me for being off with stress. In the time she was off sick she went on holiday to Florida numerous times, went on a cruise, done private security work.She was laughing at the system and in the end i just couldn't be friends with her.

He totally was not calling in sick the next day for a hangover. Absolutely was a virus.

Absolutely.

The numerous posts on here show people recognise the patterns. We are not talking genuine sickness.

Migraines are shit. Used to get them and fortunately don't now. I'm sure threads like this are challenging in case you think your workmates feel the same. Honestly our team is so supportive to everyone with health challenges and life challenges.

The shirkers are different.

I hope you were gentle and sympathetic

@IngridsLittleToehow do you know who is 'shirking' and who is struggling?

I have a friend who's relative has worked for a council for quite a number of years and she's recently been allocated some one above her who she's not getting on with. Relative has had quite a few periods of sick over the years due to stress and anxiety (she was previously an alcoholic) so she's told my friend she's going to go off for as long as she can on sick, telling them this person is stressing her out and then she's going to retire and take an early pension once her sickness period has run out. so now my friend has organised for her to help her with jobs she needs to get done all on her full pay from the council. Absolutely fantastic... And yet our council tax is going up to pay for the wages of people like this!!!

Same. Yes I’m sorry I’ve been off sick once a week for the past 4 months but management know why and no it’s not just period pain
although a manager once asked if I had tried paracetamol and a hot water bottle before I went off sick and I was fairly restrained in not replying to that
i was clinging onto my job by a thread while pushing gynae to operate as soon as they could

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c20lew24kngo?app-referrer=deep-link

It's completely clinically planned. Real sickness is inconvenient for the person sick. Fake sickness is ALWAYS convenient for them.

Also someone mentioned that their state pensions would be affected in some way? How is that?

I mean it would be great if these lazy twats got some comeuppance further down the line.

and obviously yes there are some people who are genuine. But there are a LOT of piss takers as demonstrated by this thread

Yep. A relative of mine plays the system brilliantly (NHS). It seems so easy to abuse the sickness policy and so difficult to get rid of lead-swingers (or they're very reluctant to, not sure that's any better).

Some people will just put their chin up and get on with it, even if they're a bit ill or in pain or whatever. Obviously there's a spectrum of how ill one person has to be before they call in sick, and those on the extreme ends aren't great role models!

But of course some people take the piss and call in sick when theyre perfectly well, either for an odd day or for months. Why wouldn't colleagues be fed up of either picking up extra work or giving an inferior result due to someone taking the piss out of them?

Given the recent news on how few GP's will ever refuse a FIT note it doesn't make a difference if it's self-certified or not!

Er, no. That's not what I mean at all and I think that's a completely unreasonable and unfounded response.