If you can WFH and had Covid, did you still work, even if you were ill?

[middleager]

DS1 tested positive with LFT and is awaiting PCR results. He is symtomatic.

My LFT is positive and am booked for PCR. Feel rough.

If I do have Covid there will be an expectation to work as I can wfh. I feel lousy today and was up all night and it's hard as my job is demanding with key decisions needed and just me in my 'team' (others have teams to hand work over to).

I also have another DS and DH who might come down with Covid too.

For those of you who had Covid and were ill with it, did you try to work from home or take time off sick?

If you felt as you did with any other illness, would you have gone into work or would you have stayed at home? You can’t be expected to work if you are actually feeling awful and need to be resting. I have a couple of colleagues who did keep on working when they had Covid, but only because their symptoms were mild and cold-like and had they had the same symptoms pre-pandemic they’d have come into the office as normal as most of us did.

If you had asymptomatic Covid, clearly you'd been fine to work from home.

If you feel ill, then you are not able to work.

Hope you feel better soon.

I am self-employed but felt too rough to work. When I looked at the computer screen I couldn't focus, and couldn't retain the information. So I had to turn down work for a couple of months. (I have long Covid.) I'm back working but have to take mire frequent breaks than before as I can't concentrate for long.

Surely you are either too ill to work or not? Forget that it’s covid, just do what you’d normally do and take time off if you’re too ill, or work if you’re able.

I worked from home when I had covid. I had symptoms but was no more than a bad cold.

If you're ill, you're ill.

Our work asks us to work if we feel able but if we feel too unwell then to follow the calling in sick
Process.

I couldn't even get out of bed let alone turn my laptop on. I took 3 weeks off and even then I struggled to concentrate for the first few weeks. No way that I could have worked.

It just needs a common sense approach surely. If you feel well enough to work from home then do so, otherwise phone and say you won't be available that day.

If I felt too ill to go and work in the office then I didn't work, when I felt unwell but ok I worked.

Covid is different for everyone so if you are too ill to WFH make it brutally clear that you are VERY unwell and are stuck in bed.

I am on day 6 of my covid infection now, double jabbed. I managed to work last week but couldnt do any phone work because talking too much made me cough. This week I am finding it more difficult to do so as I struggle to look at a computer screen for too long and my concentration has gone. The infection feels like a head cold and its making me very sinusy and has gone to my ears and given me tinnitus and slight dizzyness too. Was gonna try and work today but just been told to rest by my manager. Its a weird virus, no day is the same. I told my boss if I can wfh I will do, if not I wont.

I took time off sick as I felt I needed to rest snd heal.

Thanks.
For reference I'm 48 and double jabbed

There is a culture of presenteeism so normally staff will work when ill which is why it's hard to gauge. For example, one was emailing just before major surgery, joking she was nearly in the OR nd one had Covid and worked throughout even though ill.

I'll just have to see as there's some complicated work on and if I make a mistake it will have repurcussions.

Been for PCR and just soaking up some sun.

Yes, but I was stupid to do so. I work in an industry which (like many others) had to turn everything on its head very quickly and about 300 people were reliant on something which I had the oversight of.

I was attending meetings where I couldn’t speak or breathe so had to use the chat to contribute.

I’m pretty sure it had a long term impact which may not have been so bad if I’d rested.

Not me personally, but a couple of my colleagues have had Covid and have taken sick leave even though we work from home because they felt they were not well enough to do their jobs.

I have had a couple of instances over the last 18 months where I felt unwell to the extent I would not have travelled into my office , but felt well enough to manage my tasks at home .

ineed that sounds difficult. We feel such pressure to perform that we often overlook our own health.

I hope you feel on the mend now.

You should not work with Covid if you feel unwell.

Long Covid is a big risk to women >40 and one of the best things you can do is to rest properly and recover.

If I get Covid I intend to be very careful with my health.

Regardless of whether it’s Covid or not, if you’re well enough to work then work, and if you’re not then phone in sick.
I worked as i was no more ill than I would be with a standard cold.

I was too ill to work for 3/4 days, but after that I did WFH while I finished the isolation period. Ignore the fact its covid, are you well enough to work?

If it wasn’t Covid and you felt as you do now would you go into work?

If you feel too ill to go in then you’re too ill to WFH. I worked through Covid as was completely asymptotic, but I’d felt rough I would have taken time off.

@middleager

ineed that sounds difficult. We feel such pressure to perform that we often overlook our own health.

I hope you feel on the mend now.

Sadly still having issues, as @lannistunut says, Long Covid is a horrible thing.

I got it right at the very beginning so it was all kicking off at the time and no one knew what was happening. Everyone was just doing the best they could.

Thanks. Right now I feel too rotten, but hoping things might improve.
Rarely off sick so this feels alien I guess.

Ineed and Lannis, I feel for you as the prospect of Long Covid is deeply worrying. I'm sorry you are both suffering this.

I felt ill so took time off, but was 'back' at work before the isolation period was up.

Not a chance. Before Covid I also wouldn’t. I’m not out sick often, but if I am it’s because I’m not ok to be in there, if I’m at home sick that’s just that. I think with Covid there has been more pressure put on staff and a blurring of boundaries when it comes to working from home. For example I was getting calls out of hours. It’s perfectly reasonable to take the time to rest when you are off sick, particularly if you will be paid and not under pressure financially if you don’t work from home. I wouldn’t ask someone out sick to do anything, but I know managers who are would. I think you need to put yourself first though and mind yourself!

I worked from home and didn't need any days off sick, but as I'm normally office based I didn't have my full workload at home, I'd say 50% for the 10 days. If I'd felt more ill I would have taken days off sick.