To call in sick to work when you’re sick

[Linzdashluna]

Last week, I called in sick on Tuesday and Wednesday as I couldn’t get out of bed. I tried on the Wednesday, got up, had a shower with the intention of at least trying and seeing if I perked up, but had to keep getting into bed after each thing I did, I felt dreadful so called in again.

My colleague has Thursday and Fridays off so I didn’t see her again until yesterday and she was making digs at me for being off. Saying things like “I was so poorly last week, but I came in because you just have to get on with it” and “I never have time off because I don’t think it’s fair to the team” I said if she was so ill she should have also called in. She said “no, my mum always said if you can walk, you can work” I ignored her but this morning she’s saying stuff again. She won’t stop complaining about how ill she feels but I don’t know what to say because she won’t call in sick so if you’re deciding to get on with it, do that then and stop moaning about it. She said “last week was awful when you were off because I was so unwell and had to do your work as well. I just think there’s people out there who have it worse” what kind of a take is this??? Are there other people out there who actually think like this? We have sick days and sick pay for a reason. If you’re not well enough to work, use them. I don’t understand the problem

Tell her to stop moaning or go home.

Tell her that if she can work she's obviously not that ill.

Or just tell her to mind her own business.

She’s a prick

There’s nothing commendable about potentially making other people ill. What if they are immunocompromised or have family at home that are. It’s selfish.

I think it's odd that I haven't been ill enough (my definition) to call in sick in the last 30 years. Others are ill several times a year.

Make note of it. When she says something quote her “If you can walk…. You can work.”; “My mother says….” Etc. She will realise you are keeping notes to potentially take to HR and maybe STFU. If not, then take it all to HR anyway.

If my staff come in and they are ill, then I send them home because I don't want their germs, they are not going to work properly and will, probably, spend more time off sick than they would if they had just stayed home in the first place.

YANBU, and it’s great that you’re taking time for yourself 💜

One thing about me is, if I’m unwell, I am NOT going to work.
Theres nothing cool or commendable about forcing yourself to work when you’re unwell, plus, as others have said, potentially making others unwell too.
“The corporate grindset” has somehow managed to wrongly convincing people that working yourself down to the bone relentlessly in spite of how unwell you feel is the way to go, and I just couldn’t disagree more.

Be gentle with yourself and take all the rest you need x

I worked with someone with this attitude. Claimed he had never needed to call in sick in twenty years, he just came into work sick and spread it round. He was very annoying

Exactly….unless you’re in school where they quite literally reward you for passing your germs on and making others unwell.

Does she think you're lazy in general though? It might not just be this one thing (where you were actually sick)

YANBU, if you're too ill to work then you can't go in, and if you're contagious you definitely shouldn't go in. If she keeps on at you, talk to your manager.
Thank fuck no one has that attitude in my workplace, no one spreading bugs around or complaining if someone is off ill. I can't do my work if I'm ill, not well anyway, and if I do it badly I could make very bad mistakes so its not worth coming in and risking that. Just last week I had to leave after a couple of hours because I had such bad toothache I couldn't think straight. No one had an issue with it.

I generally find when people are genuinely ill and in work they don’t keep complaining about it!! I struggled in one Monday last year after having been in bed all weekend with flu and I didn’t say a word! The deputy head took one look at me and sent me straight home and I was off for another 3 days!!

Oh dear are you one of the ones who comes into the office coughing and sneezing over us all?

Also likes to talk about your strong work ethic?

I'll admit I am a bit like your colleague but there are different degrees of sick.
D&V - absolutely not. Dizziness to the point you can't stand up - likewise (a colleague had an ear infection which caused this and it was awful.
Cold, coughs, etc - man up and go in.

Agree. She needs to stop because she's implying you're workshy for staying off work when you were sick. If she had been as unwell as you were, she wouldn't have gone in either.

In fact, maybe that's the answer: say it doesn't sound as though she was as ill as you were and ask her to please stop going on about it.

Ignore her. I have a co worker whos very similar. Another colleague of ours was literally fresh out of hospital and she was bad mouthing them. Manager ended up getting wind of all the nasty comments.

No, haven't had a cold for years.

What exactly do you think is odd? That you don't ever seem to get unwell? That is indeed pretty unusual (and very lucky).
Or that others seem to be more susceptible? Not unusual.
Do you not believe the people who call in sick more often than you?
It's right that you don't say anything. I'm sure your workplace has a sick leave policy.

What a martyr. Tell her to get down off the cross, we need the wood.

If you are ill, then stay at home. Best and quickest way to recover. Plus you aren't in work spreading your illness around.

You admit to muttering away about how ill you are at work, pointedly implying that those who have taken sick leave are not just 'getting on with it'?
Shame on you.

My dsis previous employer would not let you through the door if you showed signs of any infectious illness. You were told to go home and stay there until you had recovered. If you tried to return still unwell you could find yourself on a disciplinary!! The sickness rates there were relatively low because infection did not spread around the office.

You know your job doesn't care about you and you're just a number.

Of course I don't believe that all sick leave is genuine. I agree that I'm lucky (although I have a healthy lifestyle which plays a part.

Employers would much rather lose 2 x person days when a person is ill and stays home, than 10 x 2 x person days because they’ve come in sick and given it to everyone else. It’s not a good work ethic, it’s performative martyrdom just designed to gain sympathy and make the ill person look ‘good’. A good work ethic considers the needs of the business.