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.

I don't think there's anything worse than a cold, some people suffer more than others & it's so easy to pass it on - I get really ill when I get a cold. Recently I had to cancel a dentist appointment I felt that bad & they made me feel guilty - "we'll still see you with a cold" - all I could think about was giving it to them.

I don't think there's anything worse than a cold, some people suffer more than others & it's so easy to pass it on - I get really ill when I get a cold. Recently I had to cancel a dentist appointment I felt that bad & they made me feel guilty - "we'll still see you with a cold" - all I could think about was giving it to them.

Our management in the U.K. now say we have to make up our time in the office if we are off sick. So it just encourages people to drag themselves in and sit at their desks passing their germs onto other people. I have a bad cold at the moment and will be booking a desk next to the head of our department (who chases us all up on our office attendance constantly and who could make concessions to us when we are unwell but chooses not to).

Mask Up!

Definitely on public transport;
At the GP Surgery (your GP should be masked, bet they're not),
If you have to attend hospital
Anywhere that's more "fuggy" than is healthy.

Make sure YOUR mask is FFP2/N95.
Especially if you have any immune deficiencies; health vulnerabilities.

That’s so annoying. It’s the exact reason I always WFH for at least two weeks before going on holiday. I only go in once a fortnight but I just skip my one day and work from home so it sounds worse than it is. People can hate me all they want but my holiday is my time to relax and I’m not having other people’s germs ruining it. It happened to me once in the US and it was miserable, never again.

Hope you feel better soon OP.

People with colds are expected to carry on coming into work/ school though? Unfortunate but one of those things

A bit late for you, but we swear by Kaloba tablets. They’re a German herbal medication and they knock cold or flu symptoms on the head really quickly. I had really bad Covid last year, unable to get out of bed. I took a megadose of these and was on my feet the next afternoon and feeling fine and symptomless the next day.

This.

Jesus christ.

You dont think theres anything worse than a cold? Really?

It’s just a cold, but you can’t really moan about your colleagues and then get on a flight can you?

I agree 💯.
I literally typed out the suggestion that people due to go on holiday should themselves either WFH or call in sick prior - but I deleted it because I thought it sounded snarky.
But my point was your own health and wellbeing is primarily your responsibility and you really cannot expect other people to stay home at their own detriment. In a ideal world yes, but in reality, no.

No because you think people with colds should isolate themselves so you would be unreasonable to travel on a plane with one

No legally registered UK company cannot allow sick leave.
Sick leave isn't a concession, it should be a legal right.

You have a selfish coworker, didn't Covid teach them anything?! If you have to fly, then do the right thing and use a ffp2/3 mask, not a blue surgical one or worse, homemade.

Take a decogestant cough mixture like Actifed tonight. It'll dry you up and stop the streaming part of your cold.

but can't do that in a company that requires set days a week in office. where your days in office are monitored every month and have to have a chat with your manager why you didn't do your days on site each week ? they don't care you got the work done no you didn't hit your set days on site so now you will be reprimanded and it's on your record
take a sick day no pay - take more sick days again pulled up and reprimanded
not every one is lucky to have a company like yours that allows it

3, yes, 3 of my colleagues came to work with covid (not all at the same time). They were bloody useless as they were really not firing on all cylinders & had no concerns about infecting our many frail elderly customers - or ME their colleague. I made a thing of keeping away from them & disinfecting all the surfaces that they touched. I hate it when people rock up somewhere coughing & snottering without a care in the world, no mask - eugh!

Amen. It just sounds so twee and makes me think of ineffectual dinner ladies from my school in the 80s.

Why did they test for Covid if they had no intention of distancing from others?

I could have written your post last year when I was going to the Christmas market. Spent a week with a colleague spluttering everywhere - she was told she could work from home but she refused. I woke up in the hotel early on the morning of flight to Copenhagen feeling like absolute crap. I felt awful the whole time, despite loading up at the airport with every cold remedy. I needed an afternoon nap each day as I was so exhausted so it curtailed a lot of our planned activities. When I got home I was off work for 2 weeks with a chest infection it took weeks to feel properly better. It ruined my daughter's 18th birthday trip. I'm still bitter almost a year later. Hope your trip turns out better than mine!

I wish people would think about the implications of coughing and spluttering everywhere- especially if they’ve been told they can work from home!

It’s awful when holidays are ruined.

Personally I would absolutely go but tbh you’re being a bit of a hypocrite if you would’ve expected your colleagues to stay off for a cold but you’re happy to get on a plane full of travellers and poss ruin some of their plans.

Take an anti histamine tablet to reduce the swelling in your nose . Works for me .

It's a cold, a very normal feature of life at this time of year. Your colleagues passed it to you, you will pass it to people on your flight, etc. etc. Take some paracetamol and get on with it.

Cancer is probably a bit worse.