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Original poster

Ill colleague came into work

60 replies

Zig27 · 28/04/2021 11:52

I am doing some temp office work at my old employer. My colleague booked for me to go in the office. I left after half an hour as someone had gone in with a cold and was coughing, puffing and sniffing in the office without a mask on. I left as I didn’t want to put my health at risk with covid so I emailed my colleague and advised her. I didn’t want to not be honest and lie because she would check up to see if I had been in the office. It’s not fair of the ill person to put others at risk too as I have to care for be elderly relative.

Later I rang her to clarify a work query I was unsure of. She was quite stand offish and talked down to me. I think she feels inconvenienced for booking me in the office as I had internet issues at home yesterday but they are fine now. though she wouldn’t go in. Why was it wrong of me to be honest and say why I am working from home instead. I don’t feel safe at work with someone bringing in a cold. It’s a temp job so I’m not risking my health.

OP posts:
EBearhug · 28/04/2021 12:57

If you've got the ability to WFH, I would expect someone with those symptoms to do so. We have had people sent home to work from there when sneezing (back in pre-Covid times.) So you don't have to take time off if you have a cold (unless it's bad enough to need that,) but you don't have to infect everyone else, either. Different if you can't WFH, though.

OverTheRainbow88 · 28/04/2021 12:57

Pre covid would this have bothered you?

Maybe the person had a negative PCR test and feels fine

My son is on week 4 of having a post viral cough, should he stay out of nursery for 4 weeks and then I would have to stay home and not teach all my exam classes for 4 weeks?

poppycat10 · 28/04/2021 13:00

I agree that if you have a cold and can stay at home you should work from home.

And I also agree that even if it is only a cold, if you get symptoms too, then you have to test/isolate with all the inconvenience that causes (and potential financial loss too).

poppycat10 · 28/04/2021 13:00

My son is on week 4 of having a post viral cough, should he stay out of nursery for 4 weeks and then I would have to stay home and not teach all my exam classes for 4 weeks of course not because it's not new

LindaEllen · 28/04/2021 13:00

@Seeline

I thought everyone should still be working from home if they can....
That's not the advice anymore.
WhoWants2Know · 28/04/2021 13:09

I have asthma and hay fever, so it's not unheard of that I might cough or sniff on a daily basis. But when it's bad, I generally try to keep myself away from people, medicate the symptoms and be very clear that I'm not contagious.

I actually don't want to get used to people spreading their illnesses by coming into work and spluttering over everyone else. I don't care if it's "just a cold". That same cold would be devastating if I pass it to a relative with kidney failure. If there's any potential to work from home or take time off, then keep your germs to yourself.

IntermittentParps · 28/04/2021 13:22

In Covid world, if someone is able to work from home with no negative consequences for the business, then that absolutely should be the first recourse, IMO. I mean both the colleague with the cough and the OP here.

DumplingsAndStew · 28/04/2021 13:23

What did this colleague say when you asked them if they'd tested for Covid?

NavigatingAdolescence · 28/04/2021 13:25

@IntermittentParps

In Covid world, if someone is able to work from home with no negative consequences for the business, then that absolutely should be the first recourse, IMO. I mean both the colleague with the cough and the OP here.
There may be well-being issues.
Mehoooole · 28/04/2021 13:28

Maybe just stay in your house with the curtains drawn for the rest of your life then.

HolmeH · 28/04/2021 14:42

I’m in the office right now & I’ve got a stinking cold passed on kindly by my young children. I’ve had a covid test, it’s negative. I could have stayed at home but my kids are at home today with my mum & I do not work well with them around. So I’ve come in & explained/proven my negative test. No-one has batted an eyelid. I’m not the only one, my colleague came in on Monday apologising for coughing & sneezing due to heyfever, again, she’d had a negative test & passed the results to the team.

Why not just ask your colleague rather than being so uppity? She might have reassured you. Plus I assume you were 2m if not more apart? If she had tested negative & it was just a cold (most likely), you’d be really unlikely to catch it! I get the impression you don’t like your colleague very much! Fair enough but bit of an overreaction. I assume your elderly relative has been double vaccinated by now as well..

TunMahla · 28/04/2021 14:58

Pleeaase, well being issues my a**. Like a sick adult cannot spend a week at home nursing their cold? What world do you live in?

themalamander · 28/04/2021 15:04

At what point will you feel safe going into work or being around someone with what is a cold, hayfever etc?

Do you feel that you dont ever want to go back to mixing with people again? It's just that you specifically said that you wont want to go out and catch a cold or any other virus. Have you always felt like that or has this developed since covid?

Of course you dont want to catch covid, that's understandable. But you didnt check if this person had tested and you've said you're scared of being around people with colds. This could be the beginning of a health anxiety with may be debilitating in the future.

If you're feeling really anxious over things like the common cold, which no one used to care about, then maybe talk to someone. Covid has given us all a fright, and will have a lasting effect on our society but you shouldnt be feeling this worried about catching colds.

MadeOfStarStuff · 28/04/2021 15:06

Not sure why you need two threads on this

Leaving work after half an hour because someone has a cold is ridiculous and it’s not surprising your boss was off with you.

If you don’t want the job then quit,

CarmelBeach · 28/04/2021 15:17

@Zig27

I can see where this thread is going. I’m not going into to catch colds, flu’s and viruses because this colleague in question could have worked from home.
This should be a rule, covid or not. If the person can work from home, they should.

I feel for you.

BlueBlancmange · 28/04/2021 15:21

I don't blame you not taking the risk, when you didn't have to.

Wizzbangfizz · 28/04/2021 15:51

I think we should all be living and working in hazmat suits and those orbs you can roll round in so we can be protected by every disease ever.

Cornettoninja · 28/04/2021 16:08

Whilst the requirement is for all new coughs to be isolated (along with their whole household) and tested I think the most considerate action is to WFH if you can. I know that’s not possible for everyone but for those who it is then it’s just making peoples lives needlessly stressful for the sake of showing your face.

Of course we can’t remove every single last risk but if you don’t need to be in with a cough/cold why would you want to potentially cause so much hassle for anyone unlucky enough to catch it off you.

I don’t know why people are bringing up hay fever - that’s not contagious is it? If you can reassure me it’s not something I’m going to catch and have to isolate my family for cough and sneeze away.

QueenPaw · 28/04/2021 16:09

I isolate myself at work if someone has a bad cough or cold and that's way before Covid. It's an arrangement I have with my manager that if someone is ill, I work in the corridor because I can't risk catching it

Schulte · 28/04/2021 16:11

@MadeOfStarStuff

Not sure why you need two threads on this

Leaving work after half an hour because someone has a cold is ridiculous and it’s not surprising your boss was off with you.

If you don’t want the job then quit,

But isn’t the point that the OP couldn’t be sure it was just a cold rather than COVID?
OliveTree75 · 28/04/2021 16:43

@MadeOfStarStuff

Not sure why you need two threads on this

Leaving work after half an hour because someone has a cold is ridiculous and it’s not surprising your boss was off with you.

If you don’t want the job then quit,

This
kirinm · 28/04/2021 17:10

So people are expecting to never catch a cold or the flu again? Get a grip.

If the person hadn't taken a test, then you have a fair enough point but if they had and it was negative, they have no reason not to be in the office.

Original poster
Zig27 · 28/04/2021 17:18

Thank you to those who were helpful and understood my point. I will sort things out myself next time. The energy vampires on here are welcome to have viruses in their body if that’s what they want.

OP posts:
Trolleywool · 28/04/2021 17:24

@Shitfuckcommaetc

Christ, you'd love me as my hayfever makes me cough, sniff and huff ALOT
Same here in summer, absolutely dreading it haha.

OP you weren't unreasonable to go home if your Internet was fixed and you could work fine from home, but the colleague might have a valid reason for being there, might have had a negative test, statically it's much more likely to be one of those.

Comefromaway · 28/04/2021 17:30

@Zig27

Thank you to those who were helpful and understood my point. I will sort things out myself next time. The energy vampires on here are welcome to have viruses in their body if that’s what they want.
This is the funniest thing I’ve read all week.