Has anyone ever taken the day off because they WERE JUST TOO TIRED TO GO IN?!!!

[beansprout]

Anyone? We are having real problems with ds's sleep atm and I'm not sure I can get through the FIVE hour (count 'em) meeting I am supposed to be in tomorrow.....

Have a day at home chilling out and being nice to yourself.Who will look back and say I wish I had worked that day I felt sh*t No one!!Life is short so don't kill yourself by going to work esp if it can wait.

I have never had a day off because I was tired or hungover. Unless you count the day last week - when I was knackered, but that was due to being up all night coughing. And there was also the issue of talking on the phone there.

As for people who are hungover.... well..... that's a different ball game I think.

yes

in our workplace, we can take a day off as holiday without advanced approval, so you're stuck throwing a sickie when you're too shattered to make it.

I haven't done it myself, but I know plenty of folks, including work colleagues, who've taken time off for hangover.

And you know what?

Who CARES?

As long as it's not persistent, it's teh odd day off, really, I don't have time to police my work colleagues.

Get a life!

I throw the odd sickie as a 'mental health' day, they throw the odd one for hangover.

All comes out in the wash and as long as it's not persistent I have bigger fish to fry.

I think that taking the day off because you are hungover is far worse a crime than because you have been up all night with DC. I mean you can forward plan for a hangover can't you? And just take a holiday the next day or go out on a Saturday or something.

A lot of work places don't allow you to take holiday time without advance permission, however.

And who rings in 'hangover'?

They always say they'll ill anyhow, so how are you supposed to prove it?

Or care, for that matter?

I think it is a duvet day, no matter how it is caused. You can struggle on through tiredness, whereas I thought the idea of being off sick is that you cannot do any work.

I have taken a day's holiday in the past at short notice when we were delayed and only got back from hols at 5am.

Expat - thats how it SHOULD be give & take a little bit of humility goes a long way and you will end up with a loyal team. You soon get to know if an employee is the type who takes advantage...

Beansprout - hope you feel more human soon...I can remember that pale & shaky - more tired than ever imagined possible phase.

WTF is a 'career mum'? am genuinely confused - do you mean SAHMs or WOHMs?

I work. I like working. I have worked since both my babies were four months old. I also think that there is a point where exhaustion is totally debilitating, and makes it impossible to function. That's the kind of exhaustion Beansprout's talking about - not feeling a bit knackered on account of a late night. I think it counted as sickness, myself.

You owe it to your employer and your colleagues to do a good days work when you are there, after all you are taking money for it. If lack of sleep because of the baby is stopping you performing effectively you could ask to reduce your hours or ask to start later. If not then I am afraid mum you will have to stop working until baby lets you sleep long enough to be a viable employee. Sorry

I agree with motherinferior and I understand exactly how you feel beansprout as I am in very very similar circumstances. It doesn't sound as though you are taking the piss or make a habit of throwing sickies. It's not just a little bit tired it's about exhaustion to the point of dropping. If you don't rest you will get ill so don't beat yourself up about it. You will be of much better use to your employer once you are refreshed.

As an employer, I would much rather my employess took a day off due to acute tiredness than came in to work unable to do anything productive. Tiredness on that scale IS illness in my opinion - so perfectly justifiable.

OK, not proud of it but I once and once only (years and years ago) took the day off work because I didn't have any clean tights . However in my defence I had lost the place with the washing because I was tired/stressed and had lost the place completely with jobs at home.

I think the crucial thing is to get your job done well. I'd bet the farm Beansprout does that (in fact I know she does).

The exhaustion of early parenthood is inevitable, but there's no reason why it should become a Badge of Martyrdom.

Hi are you feeling any better today?

Aw, thanks to everyone who has posted supportive comments, I'm v touched.

I am feeling a bit better today, as last night saw a tad of an improvement on the sleep front. I have been at work all week but have not been able to work or think very well at all. Am now doing a 12 hour day though, in a bid catch up.

I totally agree, that when someone is this tired though, they are effectively sick i.e. they are not able to do their jobs. That's not an opinion, that's a fact!

like expat's description of a "mental health Day" - I think that describes it perfectly. You have to look after your mental health as well as physical.