Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Work

Chat with other users about all things related to working life on our Work forum.

Just seen "sick" colleague in supermarket

331 replies

Daniellemcg · 12/07/2025 17:14

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.".

OP posts:
fatphalange · 13/07/2025 16:21

I can very much believe that the NHS has one of the most toxic workplace cultures.

maowmaow · 13/07/2025 16:57

Walking is one of the things that eases off the pain of sciatica.
She still needs to get food and live. God forbid she was smiling for a moment YABVU.

RebelliousHoping · 13/07/2025 21:26

Yes you can be in agony and expected 100% to look after self.

Celebrating 11th week of surgery like this. Got to go another 24 weeks to those in power before answers forthcoming.

Salute our dear nhs? As long as you know you are on your own when it really matters.

Niktok · 14/07/2025 14:43

HiddenRiver · 12/07/2025 19:05

This is bad of me probably…but due to the context of you being a small team under pressure (which we all know isn’t fun) and the fact everyone is saying “poor Emma” I know I wouldn’t be able to bite my tongue and would spill (even if just to close friend) and say “I saw her bold as brass in the supermarket so back pain story is a lie and she must just want the time off - it won’t make any difference as most just do what they want” but I genuinely would blab as that’s just me in these circumstances.

As I say I doubt there is anything anyone can do anyhow but it would annoy me and make me feel resentful.

Wow. You seem really unpleasant.

pointythings · 14/07/2025 14:58

Niktok · 14/07/2025 14:43

Wow. You seem really unpleasant.

As do an awful lot of people on this thread.

Allergictoironing · 14/07/2025 18:23

Niktok · 14/07/2025 14:43

Wow. You seem really unpleasant.

I would say more than unpleasant, more like vicious as well as judgemental regarding something you know nothing about.

Directly and publicly accusing someone of lying, based on incomplete knowledge of all the circumstances, and especially when it could be a disciplinary matter, would in itself be disciplinary where I work.

On the basis of one bitter person's account (the OP's), you would basically be acting in a way to get someone sacked because you THINK you know everything when you clearly don't. Read all the comments on here about sciatica from people who actually know about it, from a medical point of view not just the anecdotal "I had it once & was OK" or "it only took me 2 weeks to get better".

Consider the difference between a visit once to the shops, lasting maybe an hour, compared to working in an office or on a ward for 8 hours non stop. And bad pain is exhausting in itself, if someone managed an hour shopping in the kind of pain I've been in sometimes then they would most likely be wiped out for the next day or two.

But you go on making assumptions about whether someone is really fit to work or not, and accuse them publicly in the work place, and get your warm fuzzies about having shown how inconsiderate, tough & uncompromising you are and showing how you automatically assume the worst of everyone.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread