Colleague always coming in sick

[doingmaheadin]

We work in a small office. 6 of us with a desk each. She acts like she's an absolute martyr because she always comes in poorly.
She's come in with covid twice in the past year which everyone ended up getting. A sick bug once which spread through the office and she's been in all week this week with the worst cough. She's literally sat a metre away from me while coughing every 60 seconds. I'm not exaggerating when I say she's been coughing at least once a minute for 8 hours a day.
I've woken up this morning with the worst cough and painful chest.
I get that you can't have time off work for every cough and cold, but surely if she's that poorly she should stay home and not spread it?

Well perhaps if the boss really sees that lots of sickness spreading around the office results in time off he will realise that this is an issue.

I think when it comes to sickness, everyone has a different perspective and threshold for when they should be sick enough to stay at home. Some people will take a sick day for really minor things or when they just don't feel up to it whereas others like the OPs colleague will be at work no matter how sick they are. It is the employers duty to ensure there is a balance between these two extremes.

You need to speak to the boss regardless and ask that a reminder is sent to the whole team that if someone is contagious they need to stay home.

If he refuses to act go to his boss and explain the problem. Does his boss know about their affair?

Yeah his boss knows about the affair. Everyone does! I'm going to bring it up on Monday, but I bet he'll say that if she feels well enough to work then she can come into work. The only thing he's strict with is sick bugs, but she said she ate a dodgy curry and it wasn't a sick bug despite it getting passed round the office.

just to play devil’s advocate in case your boss challenges you: how can you be completely sure she is the one spreading something contagious?

It can be hard to trace back where you picked up a bug as there can be an incubation period where you have caught it but don’t have symptoms yet. Therefore there’s the possibility you might have picked it up from someone else weeks beforehand, even if she was visibly unwell before you showed symptoms.

Think back to when Covid was the priority - some people were silent carriers. Also I’d be in the same space as people profusely coughing and spluttering and I never caught it. Then sometimes people seem really unwell due to their own poor health/immune system etc eg smokers coughing lots. Doesn’t necessarily mean it’s something contagious

To add, i wouldn’t pinpoint any specific person in the office especially if a bunch of people seem to be unwell. It comes across better if you word it generally and just ask how those people who are vulnerable can be supported, or what can be done to minimise the chance of it spreading.

Just found out someone else in the office now has the awful cough too. I doubt there's anything I can do about her coming in sick to be honest. We've all mentioned that we can't hear people talking on the phone due to her constant coughing, but she's not taken the hint, or just replied "you won't get rid of me that easily"
It's just frustrating as she's not got kids so it's only going to spread to her partner, and she's openly said she gets into bed when she gets home and rests.
I've got school runs and hockey, choir, football, swimming etc etc etc. I wish I could get into bed at 5pm like she does. I can't physically sit down until 9pm.