Cold virus - unable to wfh for two weeks?

[WandaW]

If you had a bad cold, at the very busiest time of year in your job and when you’re fully set up to wfh and after you benefitted from lots of flexibility the previous year, would you feel okay about getting the GP to sign you off sick for two weeks?

Would you try to log onto your laptop and do a few bits and pieces to help out even if only a few hours a day? Would you agree to watch a training video at the end of the two weeks?

No I wouldn't get signed off for a cold. I wouldn't expect to be ill for two weeks and unable to attend the training course and yes I would wfh - reduced hours if need be.

I wouldn't expect a GP to issue a note for a cold though, so if it was my employee I'd wonder if something more was going on. Are you the person who is sick or do you know/employ them?

Sighed off for a cold - seriously???

Signed off for two weeks for a cold? Are you kidding?

In thirty years I’ve never been signed off by the GP for anything. That’s something you do for serious illness. For a cold you either take some Lemsip and go to work or you call in sick for a day or two.

Guessing from your wording that you are not the sick person but their manager, in which case my condolences.

Two weeks signed off for a cold? No.

If I was too unwell to work I would get signed off.

If I was ill enough to get a sick note…..I would not be doing a couple of hours …or any training sessions …..I would be off work sick….and would not do any work until I returned to work

To get signed off for 2 weeks….you already will have been off work for 7 days….you don’t get a fit note til day 8…..so that’s some cold you got OP

Colds can be severe but two weeks is long unless they have underlying medical issues like asthma

I have room 2/3 days off to get over the worst bit not be signing in to do bits or watch a video if you off, you off.
Then I’d wfh where possible and appropriate.

I am a HCP so you can’t be half present if that makes sense as it may put patients at risk.

I've never had anything like two weeks off for a cold. I've only ever had a note from the GP for glandular fever when I was young, otherwise I dose myself up and go to work after two or three days at the most. And all my colds are bad ones.

No - but I do think there are colds and colds. I had an absolute stinker at the end of last year and had four days off sick. I’m a lecturer and there is no way I could have been on campus delivering teaching to students, no matter how many Lemsips I took. I did keep on top of emails/Teams messages, log in to a meeting (camera OFF!) and do some marking though.

It is a friend of mine in another department - I haven’t seen him, clearly I don’t want to catch whatever the heck it is! It isn’t flu or Covid so I think it must have become some kind of sinus thing because - as you all point out - you don’t get signed off sick for a cold.

I was asking him if he was coming to the training and he replied “nah I’m signed off sick with a cold for two weeks” and then gave me a list of symptoms which I just thought, frankly, he could take medication and flick on his laptop for half an hour here or there. Seems a bit wet! But I drag myself to my (wfh) desk even when I’m barely upright so I wanted to check if other people are calibrated like my friend or like me.

On the other hand my GP will sign you off for basically anything - they don’t even see you, just a five min chat, you tell them you’re dreadfully unwell and can’t sleep and feel like you can’t face work and the GP says sure how long do you need.

So honesty I can’t tell if my mate just fancied a long rest from Christmas or is now genuinely unable to work! probably a bit of both lol

Ordinarily I'd say suck it up, but I'm on day 12 of a truly awful cold, I hardly managed any work last week when working from home. (Couldn't stand for very long, 5 mins was my max before feeling like my legs would collapse) Today is the first day I've not needed a lemsip every 4 hours. It's been horrific 😢

It depends - my view is that if you're signed off sick, you're too ill to concentrate (or at least I would be)
I've had "a cold" recently (not sure, maybe flu?) that has floored me for a couple of weeks so I may well be more sympathetic than most here!

Two weeks is ridiculous for a cold, even if the job involves going into the workplace rather than working from home.

I mean, it does sound like he may be taking the p**s a bit there! But then I admire that if I'm honest. If I haven't had much sick leave for a year or so, I love to take a little time off. Controversial I know, but I'd hate to be one of those people who brag about never having a sick day for 10 years etc. A few days once in a blue moon is heavenly when you're not actually unwell! Your colleague/ friend is my kind of person, but perhaps a bit excessive here ... amusing though 😂

Or he has been signed off for another reason and doesn't want to divulge his private medical information to a work colleague, so has cited a cold.

@GanninHyem Possibly! Spot of syphilis or maybe having a nose job? You’re right it could be anything really. I didn’t think of that.

We would be in trouble for working when off sick so no I wouldn’t log on to do training courses or anything else

It depends how bad you feel. I have tried to work through things with naps at home and ended up making mistakes or being tearful during meetings as I wasn’t well enough to be working. 2 weeks for a cold seems quite a long time though.

It really does depend. I had what started as a cold but then it turned into pneumonia and I wasn't fit to go into work, I could barely look after my dc who were very young at the time. Maybe you don't know the full details op. Also I'd much rather people didn't drag themselves into work when they're very poorly because I don't want to catch what they have, always wondered why anyone does this.

Why would you be in trouble? That’s interesting. I’ve never worked anywhere like that.

It actually says on the NHS website that your fitnote can indicate you are allowed to work from home some of the time (obviously depends on circumstances) so it’s not forbidden.

We can be 100% wfh so no one is spreading disease. I only bump into people from other departments at big meetings usually (training is all done online never F2F)

@Uppitymuppity yes I suspect there’s more to it. I’m actually a bit worried now.

If your fit note states you can work with whatever conditions that is totally different to a fit note that states you are not fit for work. Most places you would not be allowed to work with a fit note stating you can’t work, how would insurance work etc?

If he’s been signed off work then you should t be expecting him to take part in a training course. Or anything else.