Just seen "sick" colleague in supermarket

[Daniellemcg]

We're part of a small team (NHS staff) and are chronically under staffed and overworked.
One team member went off sick earlier this week with what she called the most horrific back pain caused by sciatica. Submitted a sicknote yesterday for 4 weeks. Saw her in supermarket today carrying her toddler and pushing trolley full to the brim with other hand.
She led us to believe she's in agony but was laughing to her toddler and walking normally today. No signs of the pain she's been displaying at work.
She didn't see me today.
Should I say anything at work? Everyone at work has been saying "poor Emma (name change), she must be in agony.. The poor thing.".

A while back DH was signed off for 4 months of chemo before surgery, because he was so clinically vulnerable that he couldn’t do his job. But he coped with the chemo very well and liked to get out, in isolation, whenever possible. His appearance didn’t change much.

One weekend on a fairly long hill walk we ran into a couple of his colleagues who didn’t know why he was off.

One of them reported to DH line manager. Apparently the conversation wasn’t pleasant.

I don’t recall the op saying she recorded her - just that she saw her, ‘love’.

I mean you saw her at a supermarket, not on holiday. I'd hardly say that is inappropriate on a day off. If she is signed off for a long period of time is she just not meant to buy groceries and eat during it? You have no idea of her circumstances, but I feel for her if she is agonising back pain and then having to lug around kids as well.

Taking a toddler to the supermarket is a pain in the backside as it is....

Another cheeky skiver cheating the system and robbing the public.

Leave it. Don’t be a busy body

Ok I can see texting is a bit passive aggressive. You should have jJust said hello- her response would be telling.

People absolutely do take the p in the nhs sometimes though - it’s really frustrating for the people left to cope with the work, adding to their stress levels etc

But the op didn’t follow or record her?

Does she havecan identical twin?

Nope, its none of your business. She may not have sciatica but, as youve said your team is over worked, she may have just needed a break and pulled a cheeky sicky. Its not her fault your team is under staffed and overworked.

Bit of an assumption there maybe? There's been plenty of reasons given as to why she may have been in a supermarket (like needing to buy food?), and if there's no other childcare available what's she supposed to do with her children?

But you've leapt directly to the thought that if she isn't in bed sobbing in agony 24/7 she must be skiving off

I've obviously missed the memo that toddlers with sick parents are safe home alone and don't need to eat for days.

@Daniellemcg I suspect OP is one of the people who challenges everyone who uses disabled parking spaces but "doesn't look disabled."

It STILL isn’t any of your business.
Even dying patients have to eat.

Keep your eyes on your own work.

I get terrible back pain, but I have a toddler - so I CANNOT stop being a parent. You just suffer because you have to.

@shuggles

A thousand apologies. ❤️
I quoted the wrong person.

God this thread is like a ‘prove yourself to be ignorant cunt’ bingo game.

• Show you know fuck all about sciatica even though a PP helpfully provided NHS guidance.
• Show you know fuck all about people management.
• Show you know fuck all about HR
• Display your ignorance of employment law
• Prove yourself to be a vindictive, judgmental wanker.

This thread has got the lot!

Makes me laugh that NOBODY on here can ever accept that some people DO "swing the lead". My colleagues used to do it all the time and boast to each other about it.

One funny time was when the TV cameras happened to focus on the face of one lively, healthy man and his son in a massive football crowd and that was how our manager found out he didn't have the flu at all!

when my sciatica flares up I can, through careful management, get to the point where I can achieve a limited number of tasks in a day, and sometimes movement helps, but overall I spend a lot of the day in agony. I just don't think you can tell anything about her overall well-being from one snapshot in a supermarket. It's not like she's out waterskiing.

Have you never heard of home grocery deliveries? Iceland, Sainsbury and Tesco even do same day.

I’ve just had a prolonged period of sickness absence due to sciatica, the pain was overwhelming and all consuming. It affected my sleep, my concentration and emotions.

I hated being off sick and felt so guilty but there’s no way I could have fulfilled my role.

I followed the guidance of keeping active and left the house everyday. You’d see me at the supermarket most days, always with a trolley, even if I was just buying a loaf of bread, as I couldn’t walk without it.

Sometimes I’d be limping in pain, at others I may have appeared ‘fine’ but I’d probably go home a cry in pain afterwards.

My MRI showed that I wasn’t a lazy malingering skiver but most people don’t have fucking X-ray vision and can’t see what’s going on.

Lots of physio, hydrotherapy and painkillers later I’m happily back at work full time.

I’m confident the OP and many others would have judged me too.

Of course people do but if a doctor signs someone off then there is nothing that anyone can do about it, no HR department can overrule a doctor. No doubt this person will eventually be referred for an occupational health assessment if the absence is too long or if there are too many or whatever the workplace policy is but no one is ever going to get disciplined because their colleague saw them food shopping when they were signed off especially when the colleague does not know why they are signed off because they have not seen the paperwork because they are not entitled to. Someone taking a few days off claiming flu is totally different.

Work-shy Britain, no wonder the country is on its knees.

NHS waiting lists at an all time high thanks to people skiving and faking illnesses.

Also unfair on colleagues.
The doctor can sign off as presented by the patient, so if she lied, not much the doctor can do.

I'd have made sure she saw me OP.

I know one who goes six months off but times coning back so she's never on lower pay.

Disgusting dishonest behaviour.

While I don't think you should do anything about this I'm so sick and tired at the moment because of someone I work with.

She is my head of department and has been off for 6 months in all over the last 9. She comes back for a day or two then goes off with another ailment, always signed off. I've had to hide her Facebook posts about how she's having a lovely time doing her garden, out for coffee, going to the beach etc (which I know she's entitled to do and to post about it). Meanwhile, I'm doing her job and getting half of her salary, while she is still on full pay.

I think you need a nice lie down. It must be the heat getting to you.

People like you are scary 😭

Leave her ALONE and MIND THE BUSINESS THAT PAYS YOU