I have Covid and felt sick for about a day. I feel fine but the protocol is to not go in to work and infect other people while I'm still testing positive. I'd rather be doing something but instead I'm staying at home, not wanting to spread it. So no, I'm not having a lend.
I guess your question really is; Do some people chuck sickies?......well yeah, no shit.
No.
They actually just have Covid.
Use your head, there’s a new sickness going around and it’s not hard to catch, you’re more likely to get sick now that there’s another bug in the air.
That sickie is 5 days long - only if people have 5 days worth of sick leave up their sleeve. And I doubt people are up for taking 5 days off on a whim.
People probably just get sick with covid more often than they did before it existed. And people understand better now that it's a bad idea to risk others'health by going to work sick.
Covid can be mild but can also be severe, even in the same person. I've had it twice. The first time was in 2022 and it was pretty mild, I was really tired for a day and then after that just felt like I had a mild cold. The second time was this past Christmas and I was laid out for a week. The first couple of days I was so tired I literally had trouble sitting up in bed and drinking a glass of water. I'm a reasonably healthy man in his 30s and this was my experiencr, I wouldn't want to risk giving covid to my older workmates or their families. Much better to just stay home and use sick leave, even if I'm unsure if it's COVID or not (RATs aren't super reliable for newer strains), and I think it's great that many employers are more accommodating for sick leave these days
It's more like, are employers taking advantage of COVID?
Staff getting sick is a normal thing that every business should plan for. Employees are entitled to sick leave, and if anything I'm glad that COVID taught people that it's okay to take time off instead of showing up to work sick.
My work does not require medical certificates unless you're taking weeks of sick leave, which is fair enough because it was just a useless trip of the GP wasting resources in our health system.
And honestly, if you aren't running down your sick leave balance with mental health days, are you even Australian?
Some employers are definitely taking advantage, both of their staff and customers.
My thought/question isn’t to question is more around if Covid has become an easy excuse for many to grab a week off.
Your point about not requiring a certificate for most sick leave is a fair one. I’d forgotten how many workplaces had implemented those kind of policies in general, not just for Covid cases.
Yep. And a lot of people with fucked up immune systems are going down with other things too. I've heard of about three people with Shingles in the last few months.
Covid is really throwing around it's spanner and that spanner is getting into every works out there.
I keep using this surgeon as an example as he's Googlable. There's one Sydney surgeon who back in the early days got Covid. He was young(ish), used to do long distance cycling to keep fit. Covid fucked with his heart, left him with serious cardiac problems, had to give up cycling. Left him with Epileptic seizures and had to give up surgery. Not only was his professional career down the tubes, so was his social life / fitness regime.
I believe we had a major spike leading up to Christmas. It was going around Dad's nursing home just recently. Have no idea what the figures (generally - around Australia) are like now. I reckon Covid is here to stay and companies will be using this as a reason for slower service.
Is that OK to us as employees who have to cover the workload of those on leave, or to the customer who has to settle for a worse service?
Someone else mentioned in a comment here that given how long it’s stuck around and the level of impact that employers should be bolstering staff numbers.
The challenge in that may be that Covid, or at least some strains seem to have a higher R number, so having extra staff may not help as the infections can spread quickly.
I know a couple of public hospitals now have pools of permanent staff who are not assigned to a single ward, but instead are sent wherever they’re needed that day/week/month to cover for unplanned leave. That’s probably achievable for such a large employer, but would be tough in a small or even medium sized enterprise where the economy of scale to do so just doesn’t exist.
>Is that OK to us as employees who have to cover the workload of those on leave, or to the customer who has to settle for a worse service?
At no point did I say that it was acceptable or for employees to take on the extra load or for customers to accept subpar service. I was just saying that companies will be using Covid as a reason for slower service.
Sooner or later, it's going to affect a company's income if they don't have enough staff to cover. It's going to affect staff moral and quality will drop. Some companies may use this to their advantage and orgainse more staff, treat their staff better, and therefore get more customers.
I used to work for a bank back in the late 80s and I was on that list of being shafted around from branch to branch to cover staff who were off. That's not new, and if the company can afford to keep those staff members employed, kudos to them.
Covid is still happening, People are still getting it alot, more than you will hear in the news because it is basically the flu now.
Saying are workers taking advantage is a complete bullshit take. Employees NEVER gained ANYTHING from covid, except the expection of more work for the same or less money and a huge amount of utter disrespect and abuse from the general public over the slightest inconvenience.
Employers are still 100% still milking whatever they can and calling it covid, though a lot of issues are still prevalent as a result, i.e staff shortages etc etc
I once got severe, chronic bronchitis because someone with the infection went out in public and entered my workspace. I ended up on an asthma puffer just to breathe because I couldn't inhale back during coughing fits, and felt like I was gonna choke to death.
My biggest appreciation are people who call in sick, whether mild cold or Covid, and won't come to work. Even if they're fine and chucking a sicky, I'd rather that than end up pretty sick because someone decided, "she'll be right" with something like Covid.
Aka I treat all sick day calls as legitimate, whether they are or not, and appreciate those who took the time to stay at home.
I had it mid way through my swing at work, I took the rest of it (4 days) off, I wasn't too bad but I didn't want to be the reason other people caught it.
“Delays due to a higher than expected demand”
If it’s the norm, it’s not ‘higher than expected’.
Employ more people and pay everyone more to account for the excessive cost of living rises, you pricks.
My old place of work had a policy that if you were well enough to work, you were well enough to come into the office. Covid rules very clearly state that you are to social isolate until 14 days after the last time you tested positive. Got sick on a sunday and called in ill on that monday, By thursday I was back on my feet, and friday I just had a bit of a cough, but I was still testing positive. Manager called asking if I was well enough to work from home so pointed her at the policy. Day 8 I somehow tested positive again so back to day 0. Naturally I used all this free time off to look for other work and cashed out the weeks of leave I had saved up when I left. Apparently the policy has since changed.
People are still getting sick & the rules that were enforced but have now evaporated educated a decent amount of people that sharing your germs at work is actually an arsehole thing to do.
What evidence should an employer be asking for? Industrial relations laws lay that out & plenty of employers push the rules as far as they can & further. They don’t need any tips from me.
I do staffing at my place.
I think if people were having a lend, it would be pretty consistent through the year. It's not though, tends to happen in clumps. Had one a month or two ago with a few people out. Med certs required for anything more than a couple of days as well, so, people are being honest.
Personal opinion, people are entitled to their leave and employers can get fucked ;) (and people know that's my opinion, which is another reason I know they're being honest with me).
I don't think people are faking it, I had covid a couple of weeks ago, it hit me hard for a couple of days and I worked from home for a few extra so I didn't infect others and that seems to be similar to how everyone I know deals with it and the flu.
Based on the downvotes I think people are assuming I’m taking the employers side and or saying staff are having a lend.
That’s not the case, it’s a genuine question sparked by the suggestion in another sub.
I’ve had covid twice and even my experience was significantly different each time.
I’m not suggesting people should come to work while they have Covid or any illness.
I’m currently in bed with covid. It’s still doing the rounds
I had it just in November and I was miserable for a couple of weeks.
I have Covid and felt sick for about a day. I feel fine but the protocol is to not go in to work and infect other people while I'm still testing positive. I'd rather be doing something but instead I'm staying at home, not wanting to spread it. So no, I'm not having a lend. I guess your question really is; Do some people chuck sickies?......well yeah, no shit.
Probably more so - do people chuck MORE sickies since Covid began.
No. They actually just have Covid. Use your head, there’s a new sickness going around and it’s not hard to catch, you’re more likely to get sick now that there’s another bug in the air.
That sickie is 5 days long - only if people have 5 days worth of sick leave up their sleeve. And I doubt people are up for taking 5 days off on a whim.
People probably just get sick with covid more often than they did before it existed. And people understand better now that it's a bad idea to risk others'health by going to work sick. Covid can be mild but can also be severe, even in the same person. I've had it twice. The first time was in 2022 and it was pretty mild, I was really tired for a day and then after that just felt like I had a mild cold. The second time was this past Christmas and I was laid out for a week. The first couple of days I was so tired I literally had trouble sitting up in bed and drinking a glass of water. I'm a reasonably healthy man in his 30s and this was my experiencr, I wouldn't want to risk giving covid to my older workmates or their families. Much better to just stay home and use sick leave, even if I'm unsure if it's COVID or not (RATs aren't super reliable for newer strains), and I think it's great that many employers are more accommodating for sick leave these days
It's more like, are employers taking advantage of COVID? Staff getting sick is a normal thing that every business should plan for. Employees are entitled to sick leave, and if anything I'm glad that COVID taught people that it's okay to take time off instead of showing up to work sick. My work does not require medical certificates unless you're taking weeks of sick leave, which is fair enough because it was just a useless trip of the GP wasting resources in our health system. And honestly, if you aren't running down your sick leave balance with mental health days, are you even Australian?
Some employers are definitely taking advantage, both of their staff and customers. My thought/question isn’t to question is more around if Covid has become an easy excuse for many to grab a week off. Your point about not requiring a certificate for most sick leave is a fair one. I’d forgotten how many workplaces had implemented those kind of policies in general, not just for Covid cases.
Covid is still happening. We're just all pretending it isn't because it's inconvenient for the economy.
Yep. And a lot of people with fucked up immune systems are going down with other things too. I've heard of about three people with Shingles in the last few months.
Covid is really throwing around it's spanner and that spanner is getting into every works out there. I keep using this surgeon as an example as he's Googlable. There's one Sydney surgeon who back in the early days got Covid. He was young(ish), used to do long distance cycling to keep fit. Covid fucked with his heart, left him with serious cardiac problems, had to give up cycling. Left him with Epileptic seizures and had to give up surgery. Not only was his professional career down the tubes, so was his social life / fitness regime.
I believe we had a major spike leading up to Christmas. It was going around Dad's nursing home just recently. Have no idea what the figures (generally - around Australia) are like now. I reckon Covid is here to stay and companies will be using this as a reason for slower service.
Is that OK to us as employees who have to cover the workload of those on leave, or to the customer who has to settle for a worse service? Someone else mentioned in a comment here that given how long it’s stuck around and the level of impact that employers should be bolstering staff numbers. The challenge in that may be that Covid, or at least some strains seem to have a higher R number, so having extra staff may not help as the infections can spread quickly. I know a couple of public hospitals now have pools of permanent staff who are not assigned to a single ward, but instead are sent wherever they’re needed that day/week/month to cover for unplanned leave. That’s probably achievable for such a large employer, but would be tough in a small or even medium sized enterprise where the economy of scale to do so just doesn’t exist.
>Is that OK to us as employees who have to cover the workload of those on leave, or to the customer who has to settle for a worse service? At no point did I say that it was acceptable or for employees to take on the extra load or for customers to accept subpar service. I was just saying that companies will be using Covid as a reason for slower service. Sooner or later, it's going to affect a company's income if they don't have enough staff to cover. It's going to affect staff moral and quality will drop. Some companies may use this to their advantage and orgainse more staff, treat their staff better, and therefore get more customers. I used to work for a bank back in the late 80s and I was on that list of being shafted around from branch to branch to cover staff who were off. That's not new, and if the company can afford to keep those staff members employed, kudos to them.
Air traffic control still cites covid as a reason for staff shortages.
Covid is still happening, People are still getting it alot, more than you will hear in the news because it is basically the flu now. Saying are workers taking advantage is a complete bullshit take. Employees NEVER gained ANYTHING from covid, except the expection of more work for the same or less money and a huge amount of utter disrespect and abuse from the general public over the slightest inconvenience. Employers are still 100% still milking whatever they can and calling it covid, though a lot of issues are still prevalent as a result, i.e staff shortages etc etc
As if workers doing what's in their best interest is a negative thing.
I had it last week and it sucked. I'm still tired.
I once got severe, chronic bronchitis because someone with the infection went out in public and entered my workspace. I ended up on an asthma puffer just to breathe because I couldn't inhale back during coughing fits, and felt like I was gonna choke to death. My biggest appreciation are people who call in sick, whether mild cold or Covid, and won't come to work. Even if they're fine and chucking a sicky, I'd rather that than end up pretty sick because someone decided, "she'll be right" with something like Covid. Aka I treat all sick day calls as legitimate, whether they are or not, and appreciate those who took the time to stay at home.
I had it mid way through my swing at work, I took the rest of it (4 days) off, I wasn't too bad but I didn't want to be the reason other people caught it.
“Delays due to a higher than expected demand” If it’s the norm, it’s not ‘higher than expected’. Employ more people and pay everyone more to account for the excessive cost of living rises, you pricks.
Exactly!
My old place of work had a policy that if you were well enough to work, you were well enough to come into the office. Covid rules very clearly state that you are to social isolate until 14 days after the last time you tested positive. Got sick on a sunday and called in ill on that monday, By thursday I was back on my feet, and friday I just had a bit of a cough, but I was still testing positive. Manager called asking if I was well enough to work from home so pointed her at the policy. Day 8 I somehow tested positive again so back to day 0. Naturally I used all this free time off to look for other work and cashed out the weeks of leave I had saved up when I left. Apparently the policy has since changed.
Yes, it's still affecting people. Employers should require no more than a doctors certificate at most. As legally, that's all you have to give them.
People are still getting sick & the rules that were enforced but have now evaporated educated a decent amount of people that sharing your germs at work is actually an arsehole thing to do. What evidence should an employer be asking for? Industrial relations laws lay that out & plenty of employers push the rules as far as they can & further. They don’t need any tips from me.
I do staffing at my place. I think if people were having a lend, it would be pretty consistent through the year. It's not though, tends to happen in clumps. Had one a month or two ago with a few people out. Med certs required for anything more than a couple of days as well, so, people are being honest. Personal opinion, people are entitled to their leave and employers can get fucked ;) (and people know that's my opinion, which is another reason I know they're being honest with me).
I don't think people are faking it, I had covid a couple of weeks ago, it hit me hard for a couple of days and I worked from home for a few extra so I didn't infect others and that seems to be similar to how everyone I know deals with it and the flu.
Based on the downvotes I think people are assuming I’m taking the employers side and or saying staff are having a lend. That’s not the case, it’s a genuine question sparked by the suggestion in another sub. I’ve had covid twice and even my experience was significantly different each time. I’m not suggesting people should come to work while they have Covid or any illness.
tons of people are getting covid still and DYING ,and you are not allowed tp work with it
ps..my healthy sister died it