Coughing in the office ?! Need advice plz!

[Keikochan]

Thanks for your replies!! Update - he’s off sick today!

Maybe he is "off sick" because people are being c*nts and accusing him of being irresponsible & spreading a horrible illness even though he has advised that he has asthma which is a chronic long term condition which is not contagious and he is not being believed? So in fact he is not "off sick" for the reasons you are hinting at but because he is feeling very hurt that someone is complaining to management about him and legally he does not have to tell anyone about his asthma but he has in good faith and now he is being called a liar.
Perhaps if you are so worried you should stay home and they can give your job to someone else?

 

[Keikochan]

He is under no obligation to tell anyone about his health. He has a chronic lifelong illness and is (& should be because else ways it's discrimination) protected by employment equality law which legislates against prejudice based actions in the work place.

You complained to your Manager about him. He told this Manager in good faith about his asthma.

You are insinuating that he is lying.

You wanted to know why he is coughing. It is none of your business but you got your answer.

 

[Laur91]

So I have been working from
Home since March but have to go into the office every so often for a week straight to do a certain job role.

ive been in today and yesterday and there is this guy in who is coughing constantly !! Im
Talking every few seconds ! He’s about 5 metres away from me and we are socially
Distanced!

we have to wear masks but not when sitting at our desks

anyway I spoke to my manager as worried as my husband is high risk and said has anyone asked him if he has had a test - apparently they spoke to him and it’s asthma that gets worse in the cold!

fair enough I guess but surely they should not be allowing him in until he can show a negative test!

he’s agency so won’t get paid if he is off sick
!!

I really don’t want to go in and today felt like I wasgoing to cry - silly I know but I got really worked up!!

my boss said she could move me but the office has no windows so no fresh air circulation and need to be by the printer for this role !!

im due in the rest of the week and a day next week!

wha would you guys do?’

it sounds a bit like you’re the one struggling with how to handle this rather than the issue being this chap’s asthma cough...the fact you said you were going to cry over it kind of sums that up.

A cough isn’t the only symptom of Covid and it must be pretty humiliating for him to have to explain himself every 5 minutes cos people are panicking.

 

[Blueskittle]

Maybe he is "off sick" because people are being c*nts and accusing him of being irresponsible & spreading a horrible illness even though he has advised that he has asthma which is a chronic long term condition which is not contagious and he is not being believed? So in fact he is not "off sick" for the reasons you are hinting at but because he is feeling very hurt that someone is complaining to management about him and legally he does not have to tell anyone about his asthma but he has in good faith and now he is being called a liar.
Perhaps if you are so worried you should stay home and they can give your job to someone else?

You couldn't have said it better. Nowadays people are basically scared of coughing for people like this...

 

[LittleMy]

The guy never once explained himself ? He didn’t speak to anyone as nobody knows each other anymore as so many new people since working from home ? The only person who asked him was his manager - it would of helped if maybe he had told his colleagues around him that he had asthma

He doesn’t have to tell his colleagues. Maybe he isn’t comfortable telling people about his health conditions, especially if he doesn’t know them very well. He told the manager, that should be enough.

 

[Whaaaaat]

The world is crazy at the minute and I know alot of people are stressed, worried ect but please remember a little kindness goes along way

The OP hasn’t been particularly kind. She made the thread hoping everyone would be appalled and agree he should go for a test. How does she know her colleague isn’t a fellow tattler? He could’ve read this thread and that could be why he was off sick.

Further, it’s appalling the manager relayed the mans private medical to the OP. She should have been told he’s been spoken to and everything is fine, that’s all she needed to know.

Ugh this is why I’m glad I’m still working from home - the petty office politics.

 

[Meh]

Jeez. This thread is intense!

1. how awful for this man having suspicion and his medical conditions shared at work.

2. OP has clearly only wanted everyone to agree and take the hump with her.

3. When challenged the OP has been a bit, dramatic, in her response.

4. OPs manager offered a workable solution to keep her and thus her at risk husband safe.OP declined because it was too far to walk to the printer.

5. As others are saying. It’s new and continuous coughs. Asthma is but one condition to cause coughs. Sounds as though OPs treatment of colleague (if her demeanour on this thread is anything to go by) could be veering into bullying.

6. Someone earlier said the “be kind/bit of kindness” Yep. Goes bothways and maybe OP (and others) should apply the “be kind” mantra before tearing a person, who has a medical condition, to shreds for coughing. Ffs.

 

[FakeSmile]

It feels wrong that you expect someone to take unpaid leave from work to prove to you that they have a health condition rather than covid rather than you walking a bit further to a printer.

As long as YOU aren’t put out

 

[littlepup]

He’s coughing. He shouldn’t be at work!

What a ridiculous statement. A cough doesn't mean someone has Covid. There are plenty of conditions that can cause a cough, you'd have everyone with a cough stay home unpaid? Covid symptoms are a new and continuous cough. Not everyone even gets the cough, people can be asymptomatic.
This guy may or may not have Covid but you just cannot force people onto unpaid leave because they are showing ONE symptom of an infectious disease without it being discrimination.

 

[Heather343]

I have asthma and always have a cough especially with the cold/damp air and when you try and stop the cough it makes it worse. I personally wouldn't be happy to get a test just to prove it to someone. The poor guy is probably off sick due to everyone being so judgemental and you mentioned he won't get paid so will now suffering financially

 

[Tublet83]

As an asthmatic I completely understand where he will probably be coming from with a cough, it’s usually worse in an office because the air is so dry and makes you cough more

 

[Base2019]

Your manager should not have even disclosed what his medical condition was to you or anyone else in the office.... it’s no ones business. appalling behaviour

 

[littlepup]

I actually hope this guy has taken off work because of the speculation - he'll have an excellent case for disability discrimination!

 

[LittleMy]

Agree with others, you need to stop being paranoid and trust that what he’s told management is the truth. The guy has explained himself as having asthma (even although it’s none of your business in the first place). Not all coughs are Covid. That’s the trouble with this virus, people are so quick to judge!

 

[jazyblu]

I hope it comes back negative quickly

I'm sure we'll get a comment that he has tested positive regardless

 

[Platypusfattypus]

The tattle advertising suggestions aren't missing a trick with this thread

 

[BettyCrocker]

The guy is off and has now taken a test pending results. Apparently His colleagues who he’s worked in the office with since March also reported it before I did as he hasn’t coughed really since he started. We’ve also had a colleague who sits behind him (1 metre) go home with a temperate and tight chest today. Again, I don’t need any further advice.

if you don’t want any further advice then stop coming back to comment and also ask admin to close the thread?

 

[JoeBloggs]

If you look at my original post - I said I was worried as my husband is high risk - the reason being he has COPD!

Then you need to express to your manager you need to work from a home. Why should he be penalised for your concerns.

 

[littlepup]

In my opinion, because he's coughing he should be tested. All fine and well saying he's got asthma but there have been people who think they had a "cold" and was actually covid.

You can’t get a test on the NHS for a cough. They won’t test unless you’ve got a new and continuous cough and lost your sense of taste or smell and have a high temp.
So if a person has no other symptoms, they would be home without pay and unable to be tested unless they pay £100 odd themselves. How is that fair?
You might as well say everyone has to show a test to prove they don’t have Covid being as anyone could be asymptomatic.

 

[littlepup]

It would of helped if maybe he had told his colleagues around him that he had asthma

Would you want to tell a bunch of people your medical conditions?! Is it ok because you don’t think asthma is that bad or something? What if he has chronic COPD? Should he tell people then so they can speculate and question what’s caused it and probably give unsolicited advice on how their uncle’s, sister’s, mother in law copes. He’s agency, these people aren’t his mates what business is it of theirs??