279
votes
Accepted
It seems as though my employer wants me to come into work when I'm ill. Am I missing something?
Yes you are missing something: HR IS NOT YOUR FRIEND
Every last meeting like this, they are building a file on you. The proof of this is the tone of the last meeting demonstrated. The next step is ...
- 160k
215
votes
Accepted
How to approach coworker who has cancer, if I'm not supposed to know?
I feel really bad for him and want to approach him to offer
condolences. However, I wasn't supposed to know in the first place,
and don't want him to feel uncomfortable.
If this coworker had ...
- 387k
191
votes
Accepted
Is there anything better I can say to coworkers after taking a day off for mental health, when they ask?
Usually for me, the following simple phrase suffices:
I wasn't feeling too great yesterday, but am feeling a bit better
today. Thank you for asking
As your coworkers are supportive, the odds are ...
- 1,214
190
votes
Might have gotten a coworker sick, should I address this?
My question is, is this an appropriate way to express my concern and
apologize if I accidentally spread my illness to him?
I think you may be worrying about this a bit too much, and if you provide ...
- 85k
189
votes
Accepted
Approach sick days in feedback meeting
He follows all the company policies for sick days, so from the HR
perspective there is no problem.
Then there's no problem that needs resolving.
Should I approach his sick days in the feedback ...
- 48.5k
189
votes
Interviewing with an unmentioned 9 months of sick leave taken during a job
Just because you were on leave, doesn't mean you stopped working for the company. It's still N years.
If you really must mention it "I worked for company X and did great job, in spite of overcoming a ...
- 9,085
180
votes
Accepted
Should I warn my boss I might take sick leave?
Please take care of your health and well being. Talk to your boss at the earliest.
Your mental well-being has a much higher priority than work which is a never-ending process.
Having an ...
- 8,195
166
votes
Accepted
How should I reply appropriately if my boss tells me that they are sick in an e-mail?
Don't overthink it. "Feel better soon!" is fine. You can also clarify if there's anything special your boss needs you to handle while they are recovering. This is what I usually reply to emails like ...
- 43.6k
158
votes
Accepted
Should I disclose a colleague's illness (that I should not know about) when others badmouth him
As a person with "hidden" disabilities myself, I would appreciate if, instead of telling her (you would probably unintentionally communicate a botched version of my disability and how it affects me at ...
- 1,243
135
votes
It seems as though my employer wants me to come into work when I'm ill. Am I missing something?
It must first be addressed that under UK law, you can "self certify" for up to 7 days. This means you call in sick and you diagnose yourself. Anything above that requires a doctors note. It also means ...
- 1,918
135
votes
Accepted
How to handle an injury that happened outside the workplace?
but I definitely feel like I shouldn't be here.
Then don't be there, burn the rest of your sick days and vacations if needed. Anything else you decide to sacrifice your health for saving holidays/...
- 35.8k
134
votes
Is it "ok" to work on personal projects when home sick?
It is always important to avoid the appearance of impropriety.
While there is nothing wrong with working on your project per se, an employer might take a very dim view if they note any time stamps ...
- 160k
127
votes
Accepted
Pressure to go back to work after heavy surgery
Well, you seem physically incapable of performing your duties at the moment. That's the bottom line, really. Your health should be your primary concern.
Unfortunately, your health is not your manager'...
- 49.6k
109
votes
Accepted
Application form asking for number of sick days
This is an absolute no-go.
See page 129 of the Equality Act 2010 Code of Practice:
https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/sites/default/files/employercode.pdf
Pre-employment enquiries about disability ...
- 4,258
101
votes
Manager says I take too many sick leaves and that creates a bad perception
This comes down to culture at a company.
The sensible thing when feeling ill is to not work.
You may infect others and further reduce productivity.
The other reason is, when you are ill you may enter ...
- 12.4k
101
votes
Accepted
Manager that is mad because I won't work during sick leave
Fellow French here. Just wanted to add country-specific information to the other good answers given so far.
Sick leaves are called "leaves" for a reason. You are not supposed to work during ...
- 1,584
101
votes
Accepted
Can my UK employer ask me to try holistic medicines for my chronic illness?
The correct answer here is "talk to your local Citizens Advice" (or a paid employment lawyer if you wish. Citizens Advice will be cheaper in the first instance).
The answer you'll get from ...
- 115k
100
votes
How do I let my manager know that I am overwhelmed since a co-worker has been out due to family emergency?
Someone is on leave with a Medical Emergency. The heavens may be falling, the world could be ending and I would still not say anything other than 'Hope your family gets well soon'.
In that sense, your ...
- 43.1k
95
votes
Accepted
My coworkers think I had a long honeymoon. Actually I was diagnosed with cancer. How do I talk about it?
It isn't entirely clear from your post whether you're dealing with negative comments or if you're just trying to proactively tell the group about your health.
Dealing with negativity
I'm also on 80% ...
- 786
90
votes
Is it "ok" to work on personal projects when home sick?
To a great degree you are at home sick because the company doesn’t want you to come in and infect everyone, and that is actually the biggest reason.
The other reason is that with some illnesses you ...
- 170k
86
votes
What to do if your boss won't let you go home when you don't feel too well?
I am assuming you are in a country where being sick is a protected status and you cannot be fired for it. If this is not the case, you need to fight for better labor laws and until then find a better ...
- 146k
83
votes
Manager says I take too many sick leaves and that creates a bad perception
The ways that different employers view staff taking sick leave are hugely varied - from the permissive extreme where they support you taking it for anything all the way to the other end of the scale ...
- 110k
79
votes
Should I mention my doctor’s appointment at my meeting with HR?
Do I inform HR now
Yes.
At this point since HR is involved, be open and honest and tell them everything related to the incident. If you're going to the doctor due to what happened, then yes you ...
- 85k
77
votes
Accepted
How can I learn to care less because it makes me sick?
You are jumbling up at least 3 categories of problems: those you can help with, those that you should advocate for someone to do better at, and those you need to just accept and stop worrying about, ...
- 153k
75
votes
How to best manage calling in sick for your first week?
How bad does this look to your new employer?
I don't really think this is a big deal at all.
Tell the truth, back up your sick claim with a doctor's note if possible and carry on. Make sure you ...
- 85k
74
votes
Interviewing with an unmentioned 9 months of sick leave taken during a job
You don't need to feel uncomfortable about stating that you worked there N years.
Your sick leave happened within your employment.
If you had taken annual leave, maternity leave, caregivers leave, ...
- 60.6k
71
votes
Accepted
Contacting a sick employee to ask for confirmation on an event
So Carl and Mike have to assume that he'll not attend and thus have a conference ticket to spare.
Don't assume, ask.
Eric already called in sick, so try contacting him by that same mean. Consider ...
- 83.5k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible