Work situation, AIBU?

[Twoweeksinaugust]

I can't decide if I am.

We are small team of 4. A few weeks ago a colleague went off sick, no idea why, none of my business. Since being off sick she's been to a festival with our manager, pics all over social media. She's now messaged in to book up the leave she saved whilst being off sick, with a cheery "I'll probably be back in a few weeks".

Part of me thinks it's none of my business and if she's got a sick note from her GP then she must be ill. The other part is raging that we're all working like dogs in this heat whilst she's off swanning around at bloody festivals.

Would this bother you?

Well thanks for all the responses, interesting to see that most people wouldn't mind at all.

I'll adress it with my manager. There is no one to cover as we are a team of niche clinicians. It's a shame that patients are having their appointments cancelled but that ultimately isn't my problem, it sits with senior management.

On such a small team I would make an agreement with my colleagues to slow down and allow the work to pile up rather than covering for "off sick" person. Its up to management to arrange cover and not for you and your colleagues to do her work as well as your own. Certainly dont do any unpaid overtime.

I completely understand and have been in a similar position myself being one of the few left to cover when colleagues go off sick for long lengths of time and seem to be doing lots of lovely things.

I don’t know why they’re off sick of course but it is really annoying when you’re left working and can’t take any leave because of short staffing and start to get exhausted
yourself.

The people saying they aren’t in the slightest bothered by it must be far nicer than most of us.

It would be annoying but really you don't know why she is off sick. There are plenty of reasons she can't work but can go to a music festival.
But I've been both side of that line.

I agree and IRL yes this would piss people off. I'm guessing this is NHS from the updates.

you're not confined to barracks just because your off sick.

As long as you aren't expected to pick up all the work and have to cover for no extra pay, then you have to let it be.

I work with someone who has had loads of time off (months at a time) sick with fatigue, although she seems to manage to go to many social events when off sick. What irritates me is that the rest of our small department (teachers) last year had to cover all her classes once Y11/Y13 had left so lost all our gain time*, so if I come back tomorrow and find she has gone off sick again I'm not going to be impressed!

*for those who don't work in secondary schools, if you teach GCSE and A Level classes, then there is a HUGE amount of extra work compared to KS3, so you then get your time back at the end of Y11/Y13 once they have left for exams.

I had a colleague a while back who did stuff like this, and it did piss me off because he was a lazy git and a bit of a system player, who moped arpund doing fuck all, while the rest of the team picked up the slack.

So I guess it depends on what she's like usually and whether she has been signed off.

But ultimately, it's for the seniors to manage if it's having an effect on the wider team.

That’s on your employer, not your colleague.

No, it wouldn't bother me. I know that if someone is experiencing stress or poor mental health they should be doing things to improve their wellbeing, for some people that will be a festival. It's not your place to decide if someone is well enough for work or not.

If she is off for stress for example, she may have ben told by her GP to have a few nice days out. Tone deaf to post it on social media though.

It's tough but a lot of people do get signed off for a few weeks when they lose a close relative for example. They're not exactly sick but they're certainly not in a place to do their job. An acquaintance recently lost his mum to murder... these things do happen. I mean if it were something like a loss you presumably wouldn't begrudge her either some time off or still attending her planned trips/ holidays if she's up to them? Unless she's a nightmare I'd be inclined to the generous interpretation.

Depends on the illness. I would be reluctant to do any favours for someone like that though.

I'd expect that a clinician would understand the importance of someone being fit to carry out their role and the factors that could prevent them from being fit to practice safely. What exactly do you do? I can't think of anything off the top of my head that would need less capability than it takes to go to a festival.

No, I would mind my own business..

Your unprofessional manager is rubbing salt into your wounds. She's not given a single thought to how this looks to the rest of her team.

It would annoy me especially in such a small team

Being off sick is - not fit to work, not- not fit to live.

It wouldn’t bother me. If she has MH issues then part of recovery may be getting out and about again. It seems strange but A/L still accrues when you are off sick.

Was the festival related in some way to work? A book festival with authors who publish relevant to your field? A wellness festival where 'niche clinicians' can network or brainstorm?

People who are ill do not have to shut themselves in an attic and lie flat on an iron bed. There are lots of iĺlnesses that make regular work unwise or impossible. That does not mean the person has to be an 'invalid' or shutaway.