To tell them to keep away

[Teenybub]

I returned to work yesterday after my second hospitalisation with HG, I feel so down in general because I haven’t felt well in at least 8 weeks. A colleague came in to see me this morning, hugged me saying it was nice to have me back. I’m not a hugger in general so was surprised by this. They sat directly opposite me talking away for about 15 minutes before announcing they were off work Tuesday, Wednesday with norovirus and only stopped being sick last night. I asked them politely to leave my room and said I can’t face catching anything and being poorly again because it would likely be another hospitalisation. They laughed and brushed it off, I repeated myself a couple of times before they eventually left my classroom.

On my way out of school this afternoon my line manager pulled me into his office to let me know there had been a complaint about me. It turns out this colleague had reported me for being rude and telling them to get out of my room. They claimed that they had been up to do some collaborative work and I refused. This is completely untrue, they came up for what felt like them getting all the information about where I had been. I’m really upset that work have listened to them. Now I’m not only worrying about the HG I am worrying about catching Noro and having to face work tomorrow knowing this colleague is moaning about me to anyone that will listen. I have emailed my line manager this evening telling him the full story so he understands why I sent them away.

I don’t really know what I’m after posting this I think I just want it off my chest.

You were absolutely right to tell her to leave when she has norovirus. However you need to consider the fact that you're working in a school and there are a lot of viruses about, how long until you go on maternity?

I am hoping to last until the end of July.

To me, viruses being around in school is completely different to an adult knowingly having norovirus hugging me and sitting in close proximity. I wouldn’t be overjoyed about it not pregnant but the fact he knows I am and the fact I have been in hospital seems really unfair.

I'm not a hugger either so I would've stepped back.

But they were stupid to do it given they were being sick the night before.

However, you work in a school so unfortunately it's likely to go through it like a dose of salts anyway.

Fingers crossed for you OP 🤞

Does your work have a policy on returning to work after any vomiting/diarrhoea bugs? Mine, and most, state 48 hours from last bout of either. So personally I'd be petty enough to make a counter complain against them on health and safety grounds.
Noro is wicked at the best of times, but pregnancy and HG on top of that? Stuff of nightmares, not to mention very dangerous for you.
Not sure how you want to approach it going forward but I feel like I'd have to speak to said colleague again to highlight the seriousness of it. You were dehydrated and malnourished to the point of requiring hospitalisation. And they potentially exposed you and your unborn baby to noro!? It's no joke to get it in pregnancy. Unless they really don't know about the 48 hour recommendation then you can explain that to them.. but I find it hard to believe they wouldn't know.
Also what a sad case to go straight to your manager because you asked them to leave rather than have it out with you like adults.
Then the cherry on top telling lies! I'm sorry but I'd have to make my own complaint to have on record the lies and health and safety issue. They need disciplining for that!

I'm a teacher too and the leadership at your school sounds shocking. There was absolutely no need for management to feed this complaint back to you at all. A good leader would have strived to appease your colleague (the relationship you have with them confuses me by the way - they feel close enough to you to hug you, but then put in a formal complaint to leadership about you? Quite the paradox!), and then said nothing to you at all. Poor decision making by multiple people here.

That said, as PPs have mentioned, working in a school does mean you're going to be surrounded by lots of bugs. A colleague I share an office with recently had norovirus and it didn't occur to me to ask her to leave the office the day she returned (I'm currently pregnant). We just continued to work in close proximity as normal. Admittedly she didn't hug me though!

I’m not close to the colleague at all, the hug surprised me because I didn’t see it coming. He is good friends with senior management though so I’m not sure if he went in with an official complaint or was sounding off and it came back to me.

I’ve never seen a policy about 48 hours but I thought it was common knowledge that you didn’t go to work within 12 hours of still being ill. If we shared an office I would have sucked it up, but sitting in my classroom which I don’t think he’s ever been in before was unnecessary. Each time I’ve been in hospital I was in for 5 nights, I told him this as I asked him to leave and he thought it was some kind of joke.

He sounds like a bitch and I'd give him a wide berth from now on.

JFC what an idiot. Wouldn't it be a shame if you developed noro and were off next week as well???