Colleagues came into work poorly and now I’m getting sick, and I’m due to go away this weekend.

[iwasonlyeighteen]

My colleagues have had stinking colds this week. I’ve been saying all week to stay away from me as I’m away this weekend but they’ve not listened and now I’m starting to get poorly.

Snuffly nose, sore throat, headache, I’m exhausted.

My issue is I’m meant to be going away tomorrow, I’m flying on a long weekend to Denmark.

AIBU to dose up and still go? There’s no way I would get a doctor to say I can’t travel, I feel crappy but can probably muster for the weekend.

It's a cold. If they can work through it, you'll be able to holiday through it. Load up on lemsip.
But if you're really bothered by people spreading germs, you shouldn't be on a plane spreading yours.

Buy some first defence and start snorting it like your life depends on it.

I've managed to stop colds taking hold with it before. I have asthma and colds usually mean I get secondary infections and end up sick for weeks needing steroids and antibiotics so I fight getting them as hard as I can.

Ha ha - was going to post the same. Egregious for her colleagues to come into the office with a cold, but fine to dose up and infect a plane load of passenger.

YABU. If people took time off work every time they got a cold they would vey soon loose their jobs. Sick leave is for when you are incapacitated and unable to work, not because you have a cold.

How have you come to that conclusion?

I'd guess that statistically it's probably a cold, what's making you think COVID?

I think you’re getting a hard time, OP. If any form of wfh is possible at your job and your colleague came in infectious, they are selfish. I’d maybe speak to work about expectations around this. If staff get any wfh privileges, it’s not unreasonable to expect they use them to avoid spreading viruses.

I second buying Vicks First defence for future. I also second testing for covid and wearing a mask whilst flying (assuming its not covid).

I really hope you can enjoy your special weekend - or at least can claim the money back.

Yeah. Do this OP. Managers love when people moan about colleagues having a work ethic.

It’s just a cold. Go and enjoy your break and don’t even think about it.

This. Stopped my last cold in its tracks

For those saying it’s just a cold, if OP has the one I have, it’s a stinker. I have tested negative for Covid I should add. I’ve not succumbed to it, been away, swam in the sea, done all my work and chores at home but I’ve felt wiped out. It’s been two and a half weeks now and I’m left with laryngitis and fatigue. Prior to that I’ve had the works: fever, shivers, muscle aches, coughing fits and more. So, yes, a cold but just warning folks! It started quite benignly with a few days of sniffles and sore throat so I didn’t bother taking anything. Elsewhere on here I have heard “First Defence” is worth a go in early stages.

This isnt true. Coming into work sick when you can work effectively from home is not having a work ethic. It’s being a martyr and performing work rather than doing it.

All that happens is sickness runs through a team, impacting productivity significantly. Whereas (assuming an office job) someone with a cold can work just as productively at home. If they cant, then they shouldnt be wfh at all.

And if someone genuinely cant wfh, they should be allowed to take a sick day for anything infectious.

Spot on!

Ok then. OP should definitely complain that someone at work might have given her a cold.

And highlight her hypocrisy in spreading it even more widely.

I have a cold at the moment and feel pretty shit. I rarely get colds, in fact I don’t think I’ve been ill since I had Covid. It’s getting on my chest a bit. At least I’m retired so I’m not going into work spreading it around.

She probably wont need to - her bosses will likely have caught it too.

But i really do question anyone who goes into an office contagious and thinks they are impressing their boss with their “work ethic” whilst snottering over paperwork.

I think if someone is ill enough that it would be unprofessional to go out and meet clients face-to-face, they shouldnt be in the office.

But I work from home so maybe I’m
out of touch!

Well yeah. Because its a cold in the autumn. Most people get one. If not from work, from their personal lives. And the rest of the office will work through it too.

Take FIRST DEFENCE - it helps stop or delay a cold.

yes it's annoying your work colleagues cams I'm sick however you need to complain about your work policy. I have just come to the end of that cold that's going around and yes I got it in work. yes we have hybrid working system but we have a mandatory quota of days each week to do physically in office every month the kpis are sent around and you are pulled up by your manager if you haven't done your days on site so for anyone who is sick they don't get an extra allowance to work from home so everyone goes in to ensure we meet the quota for days on site. yes we have sick pay but if you take that you are also penalised and brought up on hr if take too many. so we really can't win can we. you would have thought covid would have make companies more understanding that humans are not robots but no it's actually worse

That’s funny @Dublassieas I too am Irish and find the word poorly a bit of a strange one. It’s a very genteel way of saying you’re sick or unwell or just feeling sh*te😀

It does depend on your office - if WFH is fine when needed, then infectious ill people should WFH. Because if you bring it in to the office it will spread and you’ll have more team members ill! False economy and misplaced presenteeism all round. Surely this is a benefit of the WFH culture we now have??

I think ‘just a cold’ is also a bit misplaced. Colds can be miserable and exhausting. And there’s some nasty ones going round - they can lead to chest infections.

It will impact OP’s trip away. Obviously she should still go but illness could have been avoided if colleagues worked from home. We need to change this ‘drag yourself to work and snot on everyone’ culture.

Especially as we are bit all dealing with repeat Covid Infections which may present like a cold and can be mild but each infection increases your change of long Covid at any age. So we should really be trying to avoid this. Plus repeated infections damage the immune system.

I with we took infection control more seriously in this country. Nobody need to miss out on anything just don’t spread germs.

OP - get some First Defence straight away and try and have some early nights and rest before you go.

I don’t like the use of the word sick to describe being unwell. I think it’s come over from the US. I say I’m ill.

Just because cases have rocketed in the last couple of weeks with an 80% increase in hospital admissions. There’s a virulent strain going around. Maybe it’s Covid maybe it’s a cold. To be honest these days I consider Covid a bad cold. Doesn’t really matter what she has. She’s either well enough to go or she isn’t. If she does go wearing a mask on the plane would be nice regardless

I was in work last week with quite a bad cold. Started feeling unwell on the Thursday and I had actually almost completely lost my voice on the Saturday. The next week I was still quite bad but felt I had to go in as I'm an (adult) teacher and if I miss this time of year it's almost impossible to catch up. Tbh if it was later in the academic year I might have taken a day to recover my voice a bit. I did feel guilty about spreading it but at the end of the day if you don't get it from me you'll likely just get it from someone else in another week, it's hoe viruses work.

Ok, ok - you win! My kids are older and I wfh so I accept I’m likely out of touch with grim reality. I havent been sick in years. OP’s situation would be a big deal to me and I would be testing for covid and thinking about rescheduling to avoid infecting someone elderly on the plane.

OP - Vick’s first defence is good though. Im sure it’s helped me avoid a lot of colds even when ive been around people literally coughing in my face