I remember a manager telling me to always come in so they can see that you’re really sick and then they’ll send you home. If I’m really ill, how am I meant to be able to get myself to work to show you?! Not to mention I’m not sure how I’m meant to show you a migraine or period pains. I once had to tell a male manager that I was going to have to go home cause I had period pains. He asked me how bad is it? Speechless.
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I rarely take sick days (I think I've had one sick day in the passt 3 1/2 years), but I like to think I've worked long enough that the owner would know it was genuine. I still feel a bit anxious about calling in sick though, and almost feel as though I have to dramatise sounding sick haha. You know, like if you have an illness that doesn't affect your voice yet you still put on a slightly weak voice.
I also feel weird about asking for holiday as well.
I also feel weird about asking for holiday as well.
I am speechless wtf
I feel so lucky where I work now. Don’t get me wrong, the system is definitely open for abuse and it can be annoying when you see others take the piss, but I know it could be so much worse.
I know @bellinibobble, you couldn’t make it up. What do you even say? Men’s incessant need to dismiss female’s pain and bodies.
When I was at school the teachers got into this thing where they wouldn’t let us go to the toilet during the lesson. I came on my period and discreetly asked to go to the toilet. The teacher tried to make an example of me and said so everyone could hear “Do not ask me to go to the toilet again.” I just stood up and said “well I’ve got blood pouring down my leg and it’s going to go all over the seat if I wait till break.” He never once said no again after that
When I was at school the teachers got into this thing where they wouldn’t let us go to the toilet during the lesson. I came on my period and discreetly asked to go to the toilet. The teacher tried to make an example of me and said so everyone could hear “Do not ask me to go to the toilet again.” I just stood up and said “well I’ve got blood pouring down my leg and it’s going to go all over the seat if I wait till break.” He never once said no again after that
Some of these stories are awful. I feel lucky that I work at a great place with a good manager, who just asks us to send him a message when were are ill.
You should never feel bad if you are genuinely too sick to work properly. It’s what sick leave is there for.
You should never feel bad if you are genuinely too sick to work properly. It’s what sick leave is there for.
Its company policy where I work to provide a sick note on the sixth consecutive day off...
I don't want to out myself but in my line of work there are lots of managerial horror stories. I'm just not qualified to do anything else
I’m that person who turns up half dead... I’ve never taken an actual sick day in 8.5 years at the same company. I’ve been sent home because nobody wants me in the office, a couple of times but not willingly.
I get migraines but not badly, so for those days I save my boring monotonous admin and carry on working... dark room, screen brightness right down and I find it helps forget how much it hurts.
even if I’ve been sent home, I’ll still do my best to work from the sofa
I get migraines but not badly, so for those days I save my boring monotonous admin and carry on working... dark room, screen brightness right down and I find it helps forget how much it hurts.
even if I’ve been sent home, I’ll still do my best to work from the sofa
I have this at my place , I very rarely go sick , has to be done at 8am no later , not before , no texts this won’t be acceptable. But on the very odd occasion I did go sick I felt guilty ,,, funny how the regular sick notes never get pulled in for a disciplinary or never get spoken to , it’s the ones that rarely go sick get seen by area team ... I literally stood there while one of my colleagues was bored and an hour before his shift finished rang to say he was going home as ‘ I think I have a kidney infection ‘ it hurt to take a piss apparently....he’d just been showing me his Micheal Jackson moves ... he went skipping out the door .. no skin off my back , glad he went to be fair as there were so many staff in social distancing was impossible... we had received an email a couple weeks previous about ‘ overlapping’ staff and how it wasn’t to happen under any circumstances due to social distancing There were huge overlapping much to me being very bleeping vocal about if YOU don’t leave then I will ... completely unacceptable which is why he made up the kidney thing ,
Isn't it crazy what we put ourselves through?!
I know exactly what you mean! I used to work in hospitality and they would have wanted you in even if you were in a full body cast. I once had norovirus, the worst of which had been over my 2 days off but I still couldn’t keep anything down/inside so phoned to say I’m really sorry but I am too ill to work and worried I’ll pass it on to someone else. The landlady of the pub I worked at’s reply was ‘but *** hasn’t had a day off and he’ll have to stay on if you can’t come in’ I was like fine 
dragged myself in, somehow worked a 10 hour bar shift. The next day I got a phone call ‘can you come in (6 hours) early, ***** (the landlady) is really ill and can’t be on the pub floor’ I was so pissed off not only was I not allowed a day off sick, which would have been unpaid too! But I was having to go in early because she’d made me come in and obviously caught the virus off me, it was karma though too 
Proper grim what goes on in hospitality. God knows how many other people I passed it on to pouring drinks and taking food out
In my new job, I once ended up getting rushed to the doctors from the office as it was the middle of summer 30 degree heat and I was violently shivering, I’d ignored a UTI which had become a nasty kidney infection. I was sternly told to take time off if I need to to go to the doctors or call in sick! It was a totally foreign concept to me to do so!
dragged myself in, somehow worked a 10 hour bar shift. The next day I got a phone call ‘can you come in (6 hours) early, ***** (the landlady) is really ill and can’t be on the pub floor’ I was so pissed off not only was I not allowed a day off sick, which would have been unpaid too! But I was having to go in early because she’d made me come in and obviously caught the virus off me, it was karma though too Proper grim what goes on in hospitality. God knows how many other people I passed it on to pouring drinks and taking food out
In my new job, I once ended up getting rushed to the doctors from the office as it was the middle of summer 30 degree heat and I was violently shivering, I’d ignored a UTI which had become a nasty kidney infection. I was sternly told to take time off if I need to to go to the doctors or call in sick! It was a totally foreign concept to me to do so!
I work in retail. I was a Christmas temp when I first started. A week before Christmas (the same Christmas I started working there) my grandfather suddenly passed away. I worked the day he passed away and my supervisor (store manager was absent that day) was amazing and allowed me to work my 4 hour shift with a friend and 'take my mind off it'.
I called the Saturday before Christmas as a) I now wasn't coping and b) had to help my mum do last minute things for the funeral. I explained that I was sorry and I had tried to find someone to cover my shift. I said that I hadn't taken any bereavement days and I really needed a day off (as I'd worked four days in a row and was working on the Sunday also) to just deal with my loss. My manager sighed and just said "Fine. It's just an inconvenience for us."
I wanted to scream "It was a bit of an inconvenience for my 64 year old Gramps to pass away the week before Christmas too but we suck it up"
GAH! Retail problems I suppose!
I called the Saturday before Christmas as a) I now wasn't coping and b) had to help my mum do last minute things for the funeral. I explained that I was sorry and I had tried to find someone to cover my shift. I said that I hadn't taken any bereavement days and I really needed a day off (as I'd worked four days in a row and was working on the Sunday also) to just deal with my loss. My manager sighed and just said "Fine. It's just an inconvenience for us."
I wanted to scream "It was a bit of an inconvenience for my 64 year old Gramps to pass away the week before Christmas too but we suck it up"
GAH! Retail problems I suppose!I worked for a full 6 days with possibly swine flu... absolutely grim when you think about it. But the landlord and his partner were on holiday, so I was running front of house and didn’t feel like I had a choice at the time. Not even sure who I would have called in sick to, thinking about itI know exactly what you mean! I used to work in hospitality and they would have wanted you in even if you were in a full body cast. I once had norovirus, the worst of which had been over my 2 days off but I still couldn’t keep anything down/inside so phoned to say I’m really sorry but I am too ill to work and worried I’ll pass it on to someone else. The landlady of the pub I worked at’s reply was ‘but *** hasn’t had a day off and he’ll have to stay on if you can’t come in’ I was like fine
Proper grim what goes on in hospitality. God knows how many other people I passed it on to pouring drinks and taking food out
Not sure on the legality of that, I thought everyone had the basic statutory sick pay, holidays etc. and employers could upgrade that. Here is the link to the 7 consecutive days note required thing.
My work requires a note on the sixth working day off but not consecutive.
That’s awful. I had similar when left in charge and I’d get so run down from being there from open til close I’d come down with terrible flu. If I complained all I’d get was ‘oh well now you know what it’s like having to be there all the time’ and I was like yes but there is a difference between sitting at the end of the bar getting tit faced on the stock as opposed to running around like a headless chicken for 14 hours a day on minimum wage!!!
I would hope since the pandemic that people will be taken more seriously when saying they are ill/don’t want to pass on to others. Although I doubt it in hospitality
I previously worked in retail and have been told to ‘come in and see if you can work, if not you can go home’. Recently, I had a chest infection (just before the first lockdown) and called in sick for the first time (I’d worked there for 2 years), I was made to feel so guilty by my manager, he made me drive in over an hour to get a laptop and on arrival I was told ‘you look awful.’ I hate calling in sick and often carry on working (making me feel more unwell) - if I ever become a manager I’d never want to make anyone feel that way!
I worked in a restaurant and they told you that you had to ring around to get cover or just go in. It’s so wrong when you are told you should stay away, especially working around food.
I worked in a college and my manager was so lovely but they would pester me to send in sick notes when I was sectioned in hospital and be checking in to see when I thought I would be able to go back. I was detained, I didn’t know! The team I worked with were incredible but the college would put so much on us and at least one person would cry every day. Many people would be off due to mental health. I ended up having to leave as I was constantly in and out of hospital. Calling in was a nightmare and I definitely think that it’s because it is engrained in us from being sent into school on our death beds. I always feel like a fraud.
I worked in a college and my manager was so lovely but they would pester me to send in sick notes when I was sectioned in hospital and be checking in to see when I thought I would be able to go back. I was detained, I didn’t know! The team I worked with were incredible but the college would put so much on us and at least one person would cry every day. Many people would be off due to mental health. I ended up having to leave as I was constantly in and out of hospital. Calling in was a nightmare and I definitely think that it’s because it is engrained in us from being sent into school on our death beds. I always feel like a fraud.
Worked in KFC when I was 19 in uni. Called in sick on Halloween as I had food poisoning just for the manager to tell me I had to come in I refused and said I couldn't handle food due to throwing up so he asked me for a sick note. I again refused and said I didn't have to as I could self certify for 7 days. He promptly hung up the phone on me 
I refused and said I couldn't handle food due to throwing up so he asked me for a sick note. I again refused and said I didn't have to as I could self certify for 7 days. He promptly hung up the phone on me 
Im genuinely so so sad that so many have had such extreme & horrible experiences. Some managers/HR folk can’t possibly be human.
I remember working for a care provider once whilst I was pregnant, I'd had 2 days of non stop sickness and called in sick as I couldn't possibly provide a level of care while throwing up. I was told 'well we really need you to cover these calls'. I refused, within 3 hours they were ringing me asking me to work a night shift. I completely understand its difficult to cover calls but be realistic! I think that if you never really call in sick then you shouldn't be made to feel guilty or fearful of calling in sick. I'd be more concerned if I was sick quite often. Everyone gets ill. I only really call in sick if I physically cannot get out of bed or my head or bottom has been on or down the toilet quite alot