I've called in sick, shocked at the response

[Neversick]

I am never off sick, I'll spare you the gory details but I'm really unwell. I did get up and try to push through it, but I can't stay away from the bathroom!

It is a terrible time for me to be away from work and I'd have gone in if I could, but I can't and TBH I wouldn't have thought they'd want me there.

Boss, who is very senior, not some inexperienced manager, has said don't worry about this morning, but if you can manage this afternoon's meeting that would be appreciated.

I do understand it's left them in a spot, but really?

It's grim that your boss would subject people to someone who has had D&V with less than 48 hours since the last instance.

@Neversick you simply can't then, let boss know you won't be able to come in at all asap, it's something others could catch.
Hopefully your boss will apologise.

Just ignore him and say your still not well sorry. Then look after yourself and do what you can when you back at work to help with the fall out. At the end of the day your just a number and if they had to they would make you redundant without looking back. Prioritise yourself when your sick. Your managers response, it depends on what you told him and how he said it tbh

Issue with d&v , covering yourself with Imodium or the like doesn’t stop you potentially passing on an infection to others, the 48 hours after symptoms stop rule genuinely isn’t there for the fun of it, if your manager is happy with potentially having the whole office off, go for it

I take it you can't join on line. This is one of the advantages of WFH is that sometimes you can dose yourself up and join a meeting for an hour or so but not be up to working the rest of the day.

Yes you need 48 hours going by your symptoms...

In an old job, one of our team was literally throwing up in the bathroom in the office. Told Boss he had to go home as he was so unwell. Boss said fine, but make sure you mark up that contract and get it back to me by the end of the day. And he meant it.

Better to message now and say I definitely won’t be well enough to come in - then they can plan to cover

Two years ago I worked in an office with ten people, one person vomited three times and wouldn’t go home until the boss told her to 🤮.

This isn't a drama
It is the 21st century, if you cannot get to the meeting in person (and appreciate this is not a possibility) offer to attend by video link.
It is a compromise, people will understand you are unwell but it evidences you are trying and have made the effort.
In the early days of COVID I had to attend a meeting on Zoom, I didn't feel well and had to make a mad dash to the bathroom to be sick, I didn't have time to excuse myself or switch off my laptop so everyone in the meeting heard me throwing up (small house and bathroom is next to my office) I still cringe when I think about it but hey ho at least it showed my commitment!

Awful treatment. Some workplaces treat staff like robots not human beings.

Worked somewhere once that when a Manager phoned in sick, reporting to the CEO, she asked them if they were able to walk (which they were) so sent a taxi to their home to collect them and bring them into the office! Unbelievable.

I used to have a manager who thought he was completely essential to anything happening and that without him the whole place would just crumble. He came in an hour late one day looking absolutely shocking “sorry I’m late guys, had to keep pulling over to be sick, I’ve caught a bug from my children.”
Everyone was so fucked off that he’d come in to spread this horrible bug round.

I honestly don't think I'm well enough to attend online. It's not the sort of thing you can just turn up to and not perform.

Plus if it were my staff member. I'd be telling them to concentrate on getting well. I don't feel it's a reasonable expectation when someone's told you they've been up all night being unwell.

Devil's Advocate here...

The boss is really thinking: this is a valuable member of the team, and I really want her to know it (in as few words words as possible not to keep her from the porcelain).

What the boss is not thinking: praise the Lord, she won't be there to muck up the meeting. Tell her to have as much time off as she needs.

Honestly when I read about employers like this I wonder why people seem to be shocked that disabled people can't work. Where is the empathy in this country?
Hope you feel better soon OP.

That is a stupid response because if it is a bug you can pass it on. Joining on zoom, fair enough but coming in? Ridiculous.

I’m laughing at people with no boundaries who are trying to project their own issues with saying no on to you. Personally I’d be tempted to be direct with your boss and say something like “I don’t think me shitting myself in a meeting is going to be much of a contribution” but then that’s just me 😂.

With the utmost respect, if you dropped dead they would cope. How do I know? Because I’ve seen a few important people literally drop dead in companies I’ve worked for, and the share price did not dip, the company did not fold, and everyone carried on as usual.

I’d go back Monday when you’re sure it’s out your system.

It’s bosses like this that are why these bugs are so prevalent at the moment.

Oh hi there super employee!

This is appalling advice and a sure sign of a terrible workplace if you are even expected to attend online meetings when obviously ill.

OP, you are sick..this isn't the '80's where you were either dead or working. If you even try to attend this meeting in any format you will not give a a good impression of yourself and may do more harm than good.

You are allowed to be ill, to be honest I didn't think shit bosses who don't believe in sickness or care about their employees wellbeing still existed.

I'd definitely follow up the conversation with an email saying that I almost certainly had norovirus and that there was no realistic prospect of me being able to attend the meeting, then run through the material for the meeting, spelling out who I'd trust to deliver my part of the presentation. I'd offer to brief that person this morning.

Get well soon, OP.

You’re either ill or you’re not. If you turn up this afternoon, in any form, it looks as if you’re not really that bad. This will reflect badly on you in future so surely you’re better off to stay away. Also nobody wants to be infected, honestly you’re doing the right thing. Boss sounds like a dick.

She isn’t well. When I had noro there is no way I would have been even able to attend a meeting on teams. OP should not have to work full stop. It sounds like they will have all the information they need anyway.

That’s horrible. I remember once being really sick and having to go in to a meeting. The chair of the meeting was absolutely aghast and demanded that I go home. I could barely speak! The same person who said I had to be there was later disciplined for phoning another staff member to ask them to come in multiple times when they were away after having a miscarriage. Unbelievable.

The day my son passed away from Cancer I was due to work a night shift.I emailed my manager (who was aware my son was ill) to let him know and his response was "do you want me to find someone to cover your shift then?"
I thought wtf??,of course I fucking do!!