Off sick!

[foodluva]

I'm off sick for the first time in 12 months (ear infection). So why do I still feel so flamin guilty?

[DONNA1458]

Probabley because you are a genuine person who values work and collegues i'm sure they know that you are not well and wont feel bad towards you so dont beat yourself up.

[LazyGun]

Never mind the ear infection, I think you have a really serious case of ODWE* and need to see a specialist** immediately!

*ODWE = Over Developed Work Ethic
** Specialist - someone who you trust and believe can get you to "chillax", as the with -its say ;)

[foodluva]

Ha ha! Both answers really cheered me up! Donna1458 I'm a nurse and you're right I am an honest and hard working person - I feel as though I'm letting down my patients and colleagues though! The NHS is short staffed enough and I just feel bad. And Lazy, you are soooo right. I hadn't heard of this condition but definitely feel that I have it! Thanks for both of your replies!

[jb190281]

im also off sick for the first time in flamin ages and feel guilty for some bizarre reason

[saxy_jag]

My employer has one of those systems where things on spreadsheets are triggered if you've had more than four or five absences within a certain period. When they first introduced it, a colleague was worried sick because she'd just had six months off recovering from a brain aneurism that nearly killed her and had to take time off for check-ups at regular intervals. Bless her cotton socks, she's one of our best workers, so no-one was going to haul her up for skiving.

But your bosses know when you're genuinely sick and when you're swinging the lead, foodluva, so don't feel guilty about it for a minute.

[foodluva]

Thanks SaxyJag. Am feeling better today and much less guilty. Spoke to my boss this morning and she was fine - even commenting on how unlike me it was that I was off. But the NHS are so hard on its workers for sickness absence. Staff work under huge amounts of pressure and get a hard time for being sick! There are a few malingerers but most people I know have genuine sickness and shouldn't be punished.