How can I take responsibility for my health when people keep coming to work sick?

[SoDoneIn]

I am mid 40s with a rheumatic auto immune disease for which I’m taking immunosuppressant medications. I recently had a flare up so was also put on prednisolone to get it under control.

The problem is I keep getting infections now. It’s been one after the other this past couple of weeks. I’m on my third set of antibiotics for my third different infection. I stop the biologics while on antibiotics to allow myself the chance to recover.

The problem is I have no option but to keep going with life. I have young children in school, a partner who does front line shift work who can’t just walk away to look after me and the kids. and people constantly coming into work sick. (Sedentary non public facing )

I’m forever reading on mumsnet how it is my own responsibility to keep myself safe from sick people who need to go to work and have a right to be out in public shedding their diseases because covid is over now and so it’s free for all for sickness. But how do I do this when I can’t go to work without people making me sick and my kids forever coming home with sickness because people send their kids in to school sick now too?

I’m genuinely scared at how quickly things have got bad and am aware they could get worse still but I feel so powerless to protect myself. Masks alone don’t do it. What can I do to protect myself more short of quitting work, becoming a hermit and leaving my family?

Surely it makes more sense to direct anger at companies who don't pay sick pay and foster cultures where taking a sick day/remote working is frowned upon. I can't imagine that many people would choose to go into the office when sick over staying at home if they felt had the option!

And I ask as I did in OP and since, how can I do more than I already do? I’m looking for practical suggestions - believe me the immunosuppressed community already take as many precautions as possible.

Perhaps one solution would be for your employer to pay you to stay at home if other colleagues have to come into work with an illness that would affect you if you caught it?
Alternatively, something you’ve already said your employer has dismissed, is to have you working in an environment that has a filtered air system fitted. To me, this seems like the perfect solution. If thats not feasible in terms of costs, then I’m not really sure what else can be offered. Sometimes, it’s not possible to make adjustments to accommodate someone with a disability in certain situations.

Absolutely but I alone cannot do that and most people don’t bother. They silently accept the status quo , bit h about unions as if they’re bad things and I’m meant to be the one campaigning for sick policy changes when I’m barely able to exist right now?

collective action exists for a reason and when no one makes use of it then they get shit working conditions.

i have a reasonable good employer re:sick leave but even their patience is wearing out.

Also want to point out at no point did I say minor illnesses - colds happen.

What precautions are you already taking? Depending on how much you want to avoid illnesses you could wear a fit tested mask at work and other indoor places, retrain and find a wfh job or a job that’s mainly outside (garden centre for example), sit outside at cafes and restaurants, don’t go to crowded places such as shopping centres or soft plays, home educate your DC so they don’t bring home germs from school. Obviously some of these are extreme, so depends how much you want to avoid.

Have you come across this? https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work

I haven’t used it myself but I know a couple of people who rave about it. They’ve found the advisors incredibly helpful despite not really knowing what support they might need. It’s worth a try.

Are you already doing all of the steps taken during covid? Socially distance as best you can, wear a fit-tested mask, wipe down surfaces before and after using with an antibacterial & antiviral spray, up your handwashing and use antibacterial gel etc. Make sure your children know the importance of good hand hygiene at school and that they get changed and wash hands when they get home from school to reduce likelihood of bringing anything home.

If a colleague is unwell at work then take responsibility for voicing that they need to keep their distance because you are immunocompromised, if they need to talk to you get them to phone or email if possible or at least talk from a 2 metre distance. If you can’t have your own room ask if you can have a desk positioned away in a corner of the room near a window, ideally if the weather allows have the window cracked open a bit.

Take time off sick yourself if you know that an unwell colleague is going to be in the office or if you know you are especially vulnerable, when unwell stay off until you have finished your course of antibiotics and are back to your usual state of fitness so you reduce the likelihood of catching something else straight away whilst still weaker than usual.

What precautions are you already taking? Depending on how much you want to avoid illnesses you could wear a fit tested mask at work and other indoor places, retrain and find a wfh job or a job that’s mainly outside (garden centre for example), sit outside at cafes and restaurants, don’t go to crowded places such as shopping centres or soft plays, home educate your DC so they don’t bring home germs from school. Obviously some of these are extreme, so depends how much you want to avoid.

This is my reality, although I don’t have young children but still a young adult that relies on me. I only ever sit outside for coffee, meet people outside for walks, wear an FFP2 in shops and when attending appointments. It’s a very isolating life and if I didn’t have kids I think I might have said sod it a long time ago. And that only slightly mitigates the risk. I attend monthly blood tests and hospital appointments and nobody wears masks.

I don’t think there is an answer OP, because the Government don’t care about vulnerable people.

Working at home all or most of the time as a reasonable adjustment is what would happen in my work. They’re asking for people back in 60% of the time but managers have complete discretion to relax it for people’s circumstances.

Hang on. You’re retired so are 60, 70? Do you not appreciate younger people want to get on and live their lives, just like you were able to for many years?

The problem is, people are always going to prioritise their own bills and family circumstances over those of a stranger. Yes, it's selfish but it's also totally understandable.

You say those people are "part of the problem" but surely the "problem" is really that most employers have crap sick leave policies, not that people are forced to come into work sick in order to feed themselves.

Yes exactly.

I mean it might also be your partner bringing infections into the house if he's a front line worker?

Some people are spreaders without ever being ill themselves.

when unwell stay off until you have finished your course of antibiotics and are back to your usual state of fitness so you reduce the likelihood of catching something else straight away whilst still weaker than usual

this I think is one key. If you do talk to your manager maybe point out that if you’re not under pressure to return asap you allow time for your system to catch up making it easier for you handle germs.

Have you never been to work with a slight cold? Or sent your kid to school with a minor cough?

I fully sympathise, I too have rheumatoid arthritis and on immunosuppressants, I also have neutropenia. I’ve caught Covid 3 times at work and ended up on IV antivirals. When I spoke to my boss about it she said we have to learn to live with it. We even had someone turn up at work the other day with shingles, which can be a nightmare in our situation. I still have screens around my desk and have the windows wide open. I was unwell with a respiratory infection a couple of weeks ago. My biggest issue is that I can’t take my biologic injections when I have and infection so end up with multiple flares which are damaging my joints. As part of my reasonable adjustments I can work at home for some of the time, which does help. I also use Sterimar which I think helps, I don’t go into supermarkets anymore and luckily my family are quite thoughtful.

I agree with @Cornettoninja , ask for a meeting to discuss this.

My DH works in a team where one member has undergone longterm cancer treatment (I think he’s still on various medications). His immune system will be compromised for a very long time so the team members have been asked to wfh if they have a cold or bug of any description. Like you, a cold can easily turn into pneumonia for him and the poor man was very ill just before Christmas.

They’re on a hybrid schedule anyway so this doesn’t really affect their work, the ill person just joins meetings remotely, etc.

We’re in the US, which isn’t known for being employee-friendly, so if a company here can make adjustments, surely your employers can.

I get your frustrations op and I too am part of the problem as I go in work often if I feel I'm starting with something so will be infectious, because even though I know I'm coming down with a cold etc., I feel fine, so I'm not sick, therefore sick leave doesn't apply. I've gone into work before with chest infections because I've felt fine i.e. not too sick to stay off.

Same for the DC. Mine have felt a bit sniffly this week but they haven't been too ill to go in, so in they go.

I don't think there is an answer. Employers cannot be expected to pay unlimited sick leave and throw out their absence management policies, and people and children cannot be expected to isolate if they don't feel too ill to work or go to school.

I hope you feel better soon.

I am not part of the problem. As I pointed out in that post I am luckily very very rarely ill and luckily have only needed one day off sick in the past 4 years of working in care and haven’t needed to go in poorly. I was simply pointing out that if I do I get an indirect telling off (they obviously legally can’t tell me off for occasional sickness but it’s obvious it’s not welcome!), , they struggle to find alternative care for the client, and I don’t get paid. Of course for me, the solution would be to find a better job with a better and more understanding sickness policy (though this job works perfectly for our family at present so I won’t be changing it).
Many people need to continue with work and continue with life when they have a minor illness, even if, unfortunately, that could be a bigger problem for you. It’s a lose-lose situation for many. For you, the solution could be to find another job WFH, retrain in another field that allows you to work outdoors, take covid like measures like properly fitting masks, working near an open window etc.

You could get a desktop air purifier similar to this? Wear a decent face mask. Even spray your surroundings frequently with Dettol! None of this is going to make you invulnerable, sadly, but one may as well do what one can.

Wear a face mask
wear gloves
frequent hand washing
lots and lots of hand gel

vitamins to help immune system

teach you kids to do the same!

or work from home and home educate your kids 😁

What was it like for you before Covid? I don't think people were any better at staying at home then than they are now, it was only the Covid years which were any different.

The only things I can think about - because unfortunately it won’t be people doing it themselves -is

• wear a mask at work. Good quality mask, ffp2 or ffp3. NOT the surgical stuff
• bring an air filter at work and direct it towards you.
• at home, open windows and have air filters in all rooms.

@BluebelllsRosesDaffodills i don’t think gloves are going to help. Most of viruses are in the air, not in surfaces.