Sick Day Guilt

[customersruinmylife]

I was feeling really groggy over the weekend, and on Tuesday I had to be sent home from my pub shift after I almost fainted in the kitchen. This got worse and I actually vomitted on the bus on the way home (luckily I had a plastic bag with me, but I feel sooooo sorry for the lady who was sitting next to me).

I called in sick at the office. This leads to one small problem. I am the only person in the school who has my job role For someone else to cover my job it means someone out there is going to be working overtime. I felt bad for that. I didn't get any better as the day went on, and called in sick for school again this morning.

I have had a lot of rest today, and to be honest, I feel tonnes better. But I don't know if I should go into work tomorrow or not.

A typical Thursday for me is spending seven hours in the classroom working with the kids, a couple of hours break, and then a three hour shift in the office. So it is pretty much a 12 hour day. I am still not 100% (I feel like I am balancing a pile of books on my head at the minute) but I know that if this was the pub, I would be going into work due to the fact that I would lose money if I didn't. I am salaried at the school, so I am not losing money.

So the question I have is: Should I take tomorrow off just to be safe? I really don't want to work a 12 hour day and then end up making myself more ill for the weekend. Or should I be brave and go in?

I am ill, but I am filled with guilt about letting people down. But then again, I have been at the school for almost 2 years now, and this is the first time I have ever called in sick (barring one time when I was sent home)

[kansasgal]

Call in sick. If you still don't feel well, you need to rest.

[Seshat]

Or call in and ask if you can do a half day.

[customersruinmylife]

Or call in and ask if you can do a half day.

I don't think that's an option. If I were to do half a day, obviously it would be in the classroom as it is earliest. If I were to do that, I know people would raise questions as to why I prefered the classroom over the office (different department rivalry is rife in the school)

I am thinking calling in sick is the best option. Especially after typing this thread, I went to the bathroom and struggled to keep my balance.

I really, really don't want to be ill for the weekend. Two of the five awesome co-workers from the pub are leaving this weekend to go to university, and I will be devastated if I don't get to say goodbye to them.

[siead_lietrathua]

call in sick. you dont need to be exposing the kids and staff if you've caught a nasty bug, and the smart ones will thank you for staying home :)

[MaggieTheCat]

When I found out I had to have my gallbladder removed and was working on scheduling surgery, I was trying to schedule my surgery around my other co-workers, since a couple of them had vacation or something around the same time and I was trying not to overlap my sick leave with their time off. When I mentioned this to our manager, she said, "Don't schedule around us. You need to take care of yourself, and we will figure things out."

I would say the same to you. If they don't have a contingency plan, that is their problem, not yours. You have sick leave, go ahead and use it. As someone else already said, you don't need to be exposing the kids to germs and then getting them and their families sick as well.

[ArcticChicken]

Also, if you go in while you're still sick, like as not you'll wind up sicker for longer, and at the very least you'll do do a worse job, and it is entirely possible you'll wind up having to take more sick days than you would have originally.

[Sapphire Silk]

My rule of thumb is, if I am feeling better and don't have a fever, I go to work.

That may not work for you. You sound like you're not feeling better. In fact, you sound like you are still sick. I'd see the doctor at this point since you've been sick three days now and are no better.

Don't know how things work in the UK, but in the US most employers want a doctor's note if you're out more than a couple of days.

As for the "guilt" thing: this is what sick time is for. If you were blowing off work, that would be one thing. More than a day is too much. If this is the first time you've ever taken a sick day, I doubt the office will raise a fuss . . . in fact, they'll probably be concerned for you.

That's usually what happens when the guy with the good work ethic calls out sick. They believe he is sick, "Gosh, customersruinmylife must really be feeling bad if HE called in."

Hope you start getting better soon!

[customersruinmylife]

Well I've called in sick.

I do actually feel a bit better this morning. It's just my head that's bothering me. Like I said, I feel like I am balancing stuff on top of it, and it wouldn't be good to be on my feet all day in the classroom.

The response I've got from the school is basically "Oh dear, hope you're better soon. Take care"

However, if I was calling in at the pub it would be "Why? What are your symptoms? I'm pretty sure you can work in this condition! We have no one else to cover! You're going to have to come in!"

[AccountingDrone]

Well I've called in sick.

I do actually feel a bit better this morning. It's just my head that's bothering me. Like I said, I feel like I am balancing stuff on top of it, and it wouldn't be good to be on my feet all day in the classroom.


Hm, inner ear problems? I have issues with recurrent inner ear infections and have all my life. That is actually a fair description of how I feel when I have a low grade one going on. If it hits suddenly it can make you nauseous like a touch of stomach virus. [when I was growing up an indication that it was an ear issue instead of stomach bug was vomiting with no diarrhea.]

[Solumina]

Go to the doctor, something like this is not a normal cold and it hasn't gone away yet so get it checked out as soon as you can.

[RealUnimportant]

...I know that if this was the pub, I would be going into work due to the fact that I would lose money if I didn't.
And then you'd be lumbering your manager with a hefty bill when you got all the customers sick. BAD idea.

Take the time off. It's not your fault the school only has one person in your role, and they have to have contingencies for such situations - if they don't already, they will have soon enough! They're communicating to you as best they can that it's more important for you to get better than it is to come in and get them all sick & fail to do your job properly in the process - I realise this is a new situation for you, but it's something known as "looking after your staff". Lots of businesses do it, it's for their good as much as it is for yours.

[Sparky]

What everybody else said. Plus this:

Calling in sick inconveniences your employer.

Coming in sick and infecting everyone else inconveniences your employer a LOT MORE.

You're doing them a favor.

[BlaqueKatt]

The response I've got from the school is basically "Oh dear, hope you're better soon. Take care"


I've found this is the usual response for jobs that actually care about their people, and for me it makes me feel more guilty, even if I'm freakin' dying of the plague. When I had salmonella a few weeks ago, I had to call in the day of a "mandatory meeting". Said I could come in for the meeting, but I'd have to have a bucket, my bosslady: are you still in bed? me:"yes, why?" bosslady:"roll over, pull the covers up to your neck and get some rest."

[Captain Trips]

As to going in to the pub when you are sick, not a good idea. (Heck, here it would be illegal!) As others have pointed out, someone who is sick should NOT be working in a food serving establishment.

Please, if you do go in to the pub next time you are sick, let me know - I'll be sure to wait until you are well to visit.

No, really - do NOT serve or prepare food if you are sick. As others pointed out, you do not want to be known as another Typhoid Mary!

[Seshat]

"patient zero"

[RealUnimportant]

... hang on, we've got this all wrong! if we send customersruinmylife into work with a nice strong infection, and let him serve all the EWs and SCs, think of how much better we could make the world!

[ralerin]

No, because in a week or two, one of the EWs that was infected would come back in and hand it right back to him and make him even sicker.

Better to let them get sick through something else. :)