WTAF. Where has the sympathy/compassion gone?

[indignatio]

I have tested positive yesterday (perhaps it comes to us all). I am lucky, my job is portable and I can WFH when I need to.
So, work are (generally) great, usual messages of look after yourself, if you are up to it, do what you can. Basically do what is right for you.
Clients however, a different mindset, I have said on automatic email responses that I am working when I am able. Apparently this means a call to my PA to badger her to badger me that they are the most important when I am available.

@Tealightsandd

Main initial symptoms, maybe.

The long term damage of Long Covid, not only respiratory.

Ahh, that would be why I had to slow my 5k run down to 35 minutes on day 7 (first day of freedom). No sub-30 for me that day!

As with all illnesses, some people come off worse than others, but many people only know they're "ill" because a test told them so, and many more have very mild symptoms not worthy of sick leave in itself. If it wasn't for isolation policy, I'd have quite easily taken some paracetomal and strepsils and carried on with life as near normal, and fortunately that's now not unusual for most.

WFH culture is not necessarily a good thing for dealing with illness. With illness we do need rest time to get back to full health and reduced duties at home is a mixed message that sets an expectation of a certain amount productivity and inhibits recovery. Plus two years of dodgy "coz Covid" culture being used to excuse poor service; when there is a genuine temporary issue, the patience is used up and people don't see when there's a real issue now.

When people are feeling actually poorly and there are genuine issues with productivity, society's got used to seeing it as blanket isolation culture and excuses and it isn't always so.

I agree that full-time permanent WFH is not a healthy thing for society as whole - both for individuals and the national economy level.

However, Long Covid is disabling many people. Lots can't work at all. Others have found that a gradual staggered return to work helps (whether from home or outside).

We need to allow them time to recover if they're hopefully able to. For compassionate reasons but also for the sake of the long term economy.

Better that people have temporary time off/WFH/part-time hours than push themselves too hard and relapse - ending up longterm or permanently out of the workforce.

Depending on circumstances including disability, it's good to have more flexibility around WFH.

But for the majority, as a norm, this is one area we are in agreement on.

Plus two years of dodgy "coz Covid" culture being used to excuse poor service

Another thing we agree on. Definitely the case with some organisations.

Returning to Long Covid. Obviously it would also help to have mitigations - masks and good ventilation - to reduce the number of Long Covid disabled. For the sake of the economy as much as individual protection.

I mean why did specsavers stop their 2 for 1 offer on childrens glasses?

Oh yeah coz of covid.

What a joke.

@5128gap

To be honest it's probably less about lack of sympathy for covid and more about the frustration of someone being both working, yet below par/not fully present. If you were properly off sick than presumably your clients would know they either had to wait until you were better or deal with a colleague if urgent. You've created a weird situation where they're left to judge the urgency (which to them will be very urgent naturally) and not know if they'll be dealt with because you're working 'when you can'. If you're not well enough to do all of your job as you normally would, then go off sick, at least as far as clients are concerned.

I agree with this. You’re either well enough to work, or you’re not. I was well enough to work with covid, I definitely didn’t need any ‘empathy’ or ‘shock’. But if you are ill with it, then rest. Don’t work. It’s frustrating not knowing where you stand.

Thank you. I had not realised what a mixed message I was projecting. I still appreciate my clients who did not push this week. However I recognise that being partially available meant that others were not unreasonable to demand attention.
Unfortunately it means in the future, I am more likely to say not available rather than occasionally available, based on the experience this week

I gave birth 2 weeks early. A client rang the day I was giving birth and when my secretary explained he said “life doesn’t stop because she’s giving birth”. So rude and it wasn’t even urgent!