To expect people ill with Covid stay home?

[LakelandHiker]

This week, my manager and a friend who goes to my exercise class are ill with Covid. I don't know if they've tested, but they've both said they have it. However one is still coming into the office and the other still attending the exercise class. AIBU or overreacting here... but why don't they stay home until clear? Even if 'feeling 95% better' wouldn't you wait until potentially exposing others? I can't help but feel mad at them both for being so selfish. I often look after an elderly relative and can't risk passing Covid on to her as she is frail. I get life can't be on pause forever but my manager can get paid sick leave and my friend can miss a class, it isn't like there's anything at stake...

My work would expect people to wfh. Its worth one person being wfh for a week than a load of colleagues coming down with it, some who will be worse than others and end up going off sick completely (not wfh). So it's seen as a kind if false economy to come in when you're ill.

Of course it's different if you can't wfh or your employer would rather have you in infecting others even if you can wfh.

What would be really good is if people that had to go into work, actually recognised that for lots of people it's not just a cold, and tried their best not to spread it. Lots of people suffer with long covid or other complications and I think its selfish not to wear a mask, open windows or whatever else they can do to avoid passing it on.

I think it's beyond selfish to do an exercise class with covid.

I went to work with it. Only because I am expected to and because it affects my Bradford score. It’s not my fault my employers expect me to plough through.

Also wish people would stop the it's just a cold stuff. There is increasing medical evidence of long term immune system and other biological changes to people after covid, even in healthy people without long covid

So why do you still feel you need to stay at home? I'm genuinely interested as I'm immunocompromised too but I feel safe going out because I'm jabbed.

I am immunocompromised and know they're not foolproof but I'm not going to spend the rest of my life not leaving the house.

This. I sympathise tho with people who are immunosuppressed, but its down to companies to set a policy that people work from home if infectious - otherwise people who stay off may be penalised for it.

I’ve never understood people who cough and splutter everywhere, spreading their bugs around rather than doing the decent thing and staying at home (including WFH) until not infectious. Even for those with compromised immune systems, it’s awful being unwell so why deliberately spread it when there’s ways to avoid it. I also don’t buy “sick pay isn’t enough” excuses - you’re literally saying the money going into your bank account is more important than someone else’s health and wellbeing.

A Bradford score is only an indicator to identify someone potentially abusing sick leave. If you’re sick then you’re not abusing sick leave. It’s odd to even consider it, I’m not sure anyone even thinks about their never mind knows what it is

Can’t you see then someone’s health is maybe more important than the money going into your bank account? Plus, if we all stayed at home (and worked from home if possible) rather than spread it then you’d have to plough on less often. It’s just about being considerate to others

Statuory sick pay is peanuts and yes peoole generally put their own health and well being and that of their families before that of strangers
Im guessing you yourself have a nice cosy wfh job ?

No, it’s not more important. The money in my bank pays for my home and supports my family.

Surely day or two of sick leave won’t leave anyone financially unstable. I think your hyperbole is clouding the picture

You’re not my problem attitude is shocking. Where is your sense of community? If we all adopted your attitude society would fall apart

Only on mumsnet could wanting to keep your income to provide for your family be considered a bad thing 🤣🤣 you’re off your trolley

No-one should allow themselves to be in such a precarious situation they can’t afford to take a few days sick I mean, what would they actually do if they were so sick they were unable to work? It doesn’t make sense

Other employees are workplaces… they shouldn’t need employers to tell them to stay off for them to give a shit.

similarly, if they’ll only give a shit when paid to do so then they’re ironically complaining about employers doing exactly the same!

How would you know you dont know peoples financial postions
And may i actually remind you that even at the height of the pandemic the whole point of the stay at home order was to stop the the NHS from being overwhelmed
Currently the NHS is not overwhelmed so there is no obligation to stay home so stop trying to make people feel guilty.

Oh bless you , you have no idea have you ?

Depends what you define as cosy wfh. If cosy wfh includes travelling and being away an average of 2+
nights a week no.

you seem to be missing the point that if everyone did the right thing and didn’t unecesssrily go into work / other activities to avoid spreading it then their own health would benefit…. As they’d not be picking it up from others.

Wow your financial greed at the expense of someone else’s health is bewildering

It’s the keeping it at the expense of others health but you’re missing. You seem to only consider what’s no further than the end of your own nose. I suggest you consider your contribution to society more broadly rather than just thinking of yourself.

Financial greed to keep the heating on in winter, buy my kids clothes for school, feed them, feed myself and my partner, buy basic hygiene items, fuel my car?
yes those things are more important than the lives of people I do not know and may never know incase they catch an illness from me going to work.

Your privilege and inability to think critically is showing. You ought to be embarrassed.

You’re missing the point of the thread… it’s not about staying at home to protect the nhs, it’s about protecting others health and wellbeing.

I mean, surely even you can see that you’d personally also benefit from that?

it’s something we’d all benefit from if we just play our part when the time comes. And it’s not like anyone is asking anyone to making any huge sacrifices, they’re literally just asking people to wfh if possible and / or rest up till they’re feeling better… where is the sacrifice in that?!

Doing this is just goading. If they want to know the name of what they have and waste their money on bits of single use plastic fine, but why tell the world.
I neither test, nor give a damn about what other people are doing. Live and let live OP.

Because they are at home tests you can buy and doctors you can go to.