A WWYD for teachers!

[Piggywaspushed]

Imagine you are a part time teacher who goes on your day off out somewhere unspecified (but definitely not a chemist or supermarket) and on two of these occasions you see a member of staff who is off ill in said place.

A large school but you know the other staff member reasonably well. She is known to suffer from various issues, including, it is assumed stress and/or eating related conditions.

What would your next step be , if anything?

Important disclaimer! I am neither of the staff members in this scenario!

I would mind my own business and am appalled that your friend reported the person!

We don't have HR!

Ok, how do you know the private medical reason that this person is giving as their reason for being off?

piggy
I think your friend was mean to do that.

SLT will be monitoring absences.

Like I say, the irritable side of me (if the colleague was always off leaving otjets in it last minute and seems to be on her jollies) would make a passing.comment in conversation but like I said above, it's not a pass to SLT issue.

TBH I would be telling gossipy colleague to wind their neck in and reporting any muck spreading. Don't comment. Refuse to discuss it. Don't be drawn in.
And join a union.

Ummmmpurple I'd rather not say. But I do.

OK, so I think telling on Judy sucks (whether she is stressed or not to be fair) as do most of you. I feel sorry for Judy.

So I have my answer. My friend is a bit of a cow.

I was thinking I was being too nice.

We also don't have back to work interviews and so on.

I once got told off for leaving early (I had signed out and had good reason and was free) I then got told I had 'been seen' doing this lots of times.

Think I now know who the 'net twitcher' was...

Don't worry wolfie tale teller knows I disapprove of her behaviour.

She usually gossips about SLT so she is busily trying to look 'school' I think.

one thing I do know is that the reason Judy gave for absence was never stress
How do you know??

If you do honestly know because someone has told you then Judy has every right to not be happy that her personal information is not being kept confidential.

I agree.

although I think Judy herself has told people the reason she gave.

Do please read what I said
I did, I meant "you" in the general sense of people in general not you specifically.

If pushy nosy colleague was prying for details, this person may have lied to them.
Sounds like a horrid, toxic environment.

I'm with you, Piggy. The 'friend' doesn't sound great.

That sounds awful piggy.

I think your colleague is an SLT brown noser who is sniffing around for promotion as reward for her evidence probably being used to put someone on capability and bully them out

Generally yes I'd stay out of it, you have no idea what goes on in another person's life and no idea whether they should or shouldn't be in a certain place.

I have been part of a group who reported somebody though, she was off for a year with a sore toe, said it was so sore she couldn't move and wanted it amputated.

Fair enough until on a staff night out we ran onto her having a good old clubbing session (full on dancing) in killer heels.

It does rather. Schools can be.. pressure gets to us all I guess.

I told my friend I myself came home after lunch on Monday claiming an appointment. I didn't have one but wasn't going to write in the signing out book 'am pissed off, overworked and miss my mum so am going to buy her a present in Next and then watch a shit film before the DCs get home'

everywhichwaybut
In a situation like yours I would.

A friend of mine reported someone who was off long term sick with a bad back (so sick that apparently making adaptations to their work space, phased return and flexible working wouldn't be enough).
But in that time the sick person landscaped their whole garden, went on all sorts of trips here and there. Someone from work went round to post a letter inviting them for a review meeting to find them slinging things into a skip. They were doing home renovations.

I think people are right to be annoyed at piss takers. But ypu only say anything if you are certain.

but it really isn't somewhere you would go if ill.

How do you know?

I have a few medical conditions including permanent disability.

At one point I was signed off work for 2 months and attending physio. Physio recommended I do some exercises in water, long wait for proper hydrotherapy but I have done the exercises before so can do them in a public pool.

I was reported for 'going swimming'. I was living in a town away from family and no work colleagues were offering to help with shopping, I couldn't go to my parents because of physio and Dr's appointments I was also spotted 'shopping'.

I am technically 'ill' 365 days a year, but I occasionally go in to shops, visit the pub or drive a car.

sashh
With the best will in the world, the OP isn't speaking about someone managing a condition.
She's speaking about someone who takes lots of days off ill doing something that you jist don't do when you're off work ill.

If someone calls in sick (not long term sick leave) then it's because they are either injured or poorly.
There are many things you wouldn't do if you were sick or poorly.

E.g. i was off sick at the end of last week with bloody vomiting bug. I was well enough to nip to the chemist and call into tesco and get some soup. I didn't go to my pilates class though because I was ill. I wouldn't have gone to the gym, or gone for coffee with a friend etc because I've called in sick and i was poorly.

If someone saw me coming out of the gym and I was the sort of person who was regularly off for 2-3 days at a time then people would rightly get pissed off.

However, if they saw someone long term absence leaving thr gym they wouldn't bat an eye lid.

This person does tend to be off for single days and often Mondays.

But, regardless, I would raise an eyebrow but wouldn't report.

Not even if it was someone I really disliked!

I don’t like your friend much. It’s not like she’s telling SLT to be supportive, is it? She must be expecting some personal gain.

I don't think she is to be honest. She knows SLT view her as rather renegade. But she just can't help herself sometimes. Has to stick her beak in.

I would keep my nose out and think she must have her reasons for not being at work. As you say this wasn't you, the person who did see her is obviously now gossiping about it which is pretty nasty.