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

I'm not sure not paying sick pay is the flex you seem to think it is.

Ultimately most people don't take the piss and you quickly spot the ones that do.

OP your collegue is playing the martyr, and it's is just pathetic from adult. Either she's well enough to work and should STFU or she should go home.

I assume you don't work in public facing role where you catch loads of their germs through proximity. My job isn't one where I can hide away and continue to work if unwell. Noone wants to see me all sneezy and snotty let alone worse or catch my bugs.

No, but I work in an open plan office, travel to work on public transport, fly several times a month and use crowded showers/changing rooms after races.

Don't ignore her as others are saying. Have a firm word. She'll be huffy for a while but it'll surely be shorter lived than her incessant moaning and digs. If she continues report on to your line manager or even HR if they don't act - she's bullying you, albeit low level, and it's not on.

Oh heck no, I don’t say any of that out loud. Live and let live. But I would probably be the one getting myself there with a leg hanging off 🤣 just how I am.

Has it not crossed your mind that some people have underlying conditions that mean they will struggle more with illness than you do?

And what about it you get ill with something contagious? Do you think it's heroic to spread it around?

A cough /cold often lands me in hospital though. I am working from home today with a chest infection but no way would I go in and spread my cough to others or risk my own health

Of course some people have long term illnesses.
I can't remember the last time I had anything contagious.

That’s sad for you. Glad you aren’t too bad this time round.
Afraid I wouldn’t adjust the way I do things on the off chance someone else may react badly to something most just bat off. And I doubt you would expect them to. My job doesn’t adapt to WFH anyway. It’s in or out.

Sorry not RTFT. Public sector by any chance?

Because we can work from home every very much is expected to work from home if they have something contagious. It's seen as unprofessional not to switch to WFH. That's senior management led and was in place before I even joined the organisation

Lots of people are on immune suppression so do pick up every bug going. That's not a sign they are lesser as employees or in any other respect

Good for you. Glad you have that set up.
Not everyone does. Not every job can be done from home and not everyone has such a generous sick policy.

Hm depends.

We can all work from home, where I work. My colleague took a week off with a cold recently. I have no time for that. She hovers just above the sickness absence limits because she knows all her entitlements and sees it as additional annual leave.

Working from home has meant I literally never call in sick. I haven’t been poorly enough that I haven’t been able to switch on my laptop. But maybe that’s not a good thing.

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.

I'd be tempted to say exactly this to her, OP! (though awkward when you have you have to work with someone, I realise.)

She's being ridiculous. Of course you should call in sick if you're ill. The 'I was ill but I still came in' types are insufferable, and they're often the ones that end up causing even more people to go off sick when they come in with something catching, so they're not the saints they imagine themselves to be. Hope you're feeling better now.

yup I used to kick people out of work if they were unwell (NHS manager) I mean we have ACTUAL RULES about people coming into work with norwalk like symptoms and still they bloody did it

here's a big medal

Lots of us also have a healthy lifestyle but are still chronically ill, just saying.

You did the right thing. She sounds so annoying. I'd find it hard not to be short with her if she brought it up again.

I can't stand the people who come into work with something contagious. I even had someone admit they were putting people at risk but they just needed to come into the office. It's ridiculous. If someone is coughing around me I just move.

Yes, it's also true that some people call in sick when they don't need to.

Isn't there a doctor's saying: "If you think you have the flu, then you have a cold. If you think you're dying, you have the flu."

If you are ill you are ill. Why would you go into work and spread it around just to look like a hero?

As far as I am concerned I am not paid anywhere near enough to go into work when I am sick.

Please ignore the “I’ve never taken a sick day” biohazard freaks. Every work place has them and they would definitely come into work if they had been bitten by a zombie, causing the fall of the workplace.

When I was 16 I worked with this bloody woman who came into work with a broken leg… that wasn’t fair on the team but she wanted the bragging rights of never being off sick. She just got in the way and hobbled about, and the worst part is it wasn’t a money thing.. her husband was loaded and she had a good pension. I think she just came into to terrorise us and feed off our youth. She was a total vampire.

“If you have serious complaints about having to do my work while I was ill, I suggest you take them to our manager. I will come with you if you like. Hang on. I’ll just grab my doctor’s certificates”

OP turn it around. Say "well if I'm ill I prefer ro be thoughtful enough not to come into work and pass it onto my colleagues"