Took a Sick Day - Boss Annoyed

LegacyUser

Hi all

after four years with my current company I had to take my third ever sick day last week. I was fairly unwell and told my boss the night before that I would be unable to attend the rest of a week-long conference we had out of town. I told him that I had to travel home and get better which I did. Got to doc and got note etc.

Boss texts me the morning of my sick day and asks me to go and collect three large boxes of materials from another center where a second conference was taking place (nearer to our office - I live around the corner). I was fairly livid. I was dying in bed and he asks me to go to work the day I call in sick?! I texted him saying I would but might be in doc. I'm really annoyed as my boss seems fairly uninterested in me and my role regardless and although I put a lot of effort into my job I get zero feedback, zero gratitude and zero support from him. This has kind of been the straw that broke the camel's back.

I know most will say to me to just leave the company but I love my role and I love the wider team it's just my boss.. Should I set aside some time and try and chat to him about how this was inappropriate and that I feel that I am not valued in the company or should I just keep an eye out for jobs and sit and smile?

Thanks all

Emme

Grit your teeth and keep your eye out for other jobs. If a sick note from a doctor elicited a bullying response from your boss talking to him will probably make things worse.

groovyg

When you are off sick switch off your phone and put your out of office message on so that your boss can't contact you.
If you are sick and picking up boxes for him then he's going to think well are you really that sick. I wouldn't bother having a word with him it would be a waste of time and he's not going to change, he will constantly push you around.

I've worked for people like your boss, they don't change and they don't care about you. A few years ago I fainted in work and got carted off in an ambulance to the hospital and my former boss didn't give a toss.

Look after yourself and your health don't feel guilty for taking sick days its a hell of a lot of better than going into work sick and spreading whatever you have to everybody else.

BetsyEllen

annoyed_employ wrote: »

Hi all

after four years with my current company I had to take my third ever sick day last week. I was fairly unwell and told my boss the night before that I would be unable to attend the rest of a week-long conference we had out of town. I told him that I had to travel home and get better which I did. Got to doc and got note etc.

Boss texts me the morning of my sick day and asks me to go and collect three large boxes of materials from another center where a second conference was taking place (nearer to our office - I live around the corner). I was fairly livid. I was dying in bed and he asks me to go to work the day I call in sick?! I texted him saying I would but might be in doc. I'm really annoyed as my boss seems fairly uninterested in me and my role regardless and although I put a lot of effort into my job I get zero feedback, zero gratitude and zero support from him. This has kind of been the straw that broke the camel's back.

You shouldn't have text back. It made it look like you weren't very ill.
I think he was testing you...
He sounds like an idiot but there's little you can do.
You done nothing wrong so don't feel bad.
But next time just turn your phone off!

miamee

BetsyEllen wrote: »

You shouldn't have text back. It made it look like you weren't very ill.
I think he was testing you...
He sounds like an idiot but there's little you can do.
You done nothing wrong so don't feel bad.
But next time just turn your phone off!

This or else ignore any texts/calls from work. Off sick means you are unavailable even if the office is burning down - not your problem when you are off sick. Unfortunately some people have no boundaries and will push and oush you until you push back. I used to have a boss like that - if I had a day off or week off but he knew I wasn't going away (out of the country), he'd take that as an invitation to call me to ask where is such and such a thing or whatever happened with such and such an issue. I just stopped answering his calls when I realised he was just being lazy and none of them were ever emergencies. Nothing was ever said to me.

As for what to do now, I'd say nothing but don't allow him to push the boundaries any more. And keep an eye out for a move either within the company or to somewhere else.

rcarroll

you're not going to like my response but here it goes - you're making it harder for everyone else. There's a big problem happening in our work culture at the moment - the boundaries between work and home are blurring, bosses are contacting workers out of hours and on weekends/days off and little by little, we're being duped into working all the time for the same money. So please, if you're sick, be sick - stay home, don't contact the office and stop making it easy for bosses to abuse workers. You think you're being nice but you're not - it looks like you weren't really that sick if you can do the work he asked even after calling in. So it makes you look bad from his point of view. Also, it makes it harder for workers to stand up to bosses like him, and protect their health when it's necessary. No job, especially in today's world, is worth it. Ok, back in our parents generation, loyalty was required and rewarded. Not anymore - so please, if you're sick, call in sick, it's your right and stop being available when you've told him you're not as he's going to push other workers to do the same

nikkibikki

If you had informed him you were sick, and had a doctors note, you weren't insured to work even for one minute. If you fell and broke your leg while doing that small task, you wouldn't have been covered.

jimmycrackcorm

annoyed_employ wrote: »

Boss texts me the morning of my sick day and asks me to go and collect three large boxes of materials from another center where a second conference was taking place (nearer to our office - I live around the corner). I was fairly livid. I was dying in bed and he asks me to go to work the day I call in sick?! I texted him saying I would but might be in doc.l

You should have text him back that you'd be happy to pick them up when you've recovered from your illness and then made sure to keep copies of both texts.

BattleCorp

nikkibikki wrote: »

If you had informed him you were sick, and had a doctors note, you weren't insured to work even for one minute. If you fell and broke your leg while doing that small task, you wouldn't have been covered.

Eh, are you sure about that? The liability lies with the employer to ensure that someone doesn't attend work when they are certified as unfit for work.

If the employee is doing work for the employer, then they are covered by the employer's insurance. The down side for the employer is that the employee would find it very easy to succeed with a personal injury claim in the event of an accident if their employer allowed them to work while certified unfit.

amtc

I made a mistake with my last job. I have a really good phone number which have had forever and transferred to nework company. Boss phoned me often....but I could work from home so no issue. But then I started getting (work related) texts at midnight over weekend. He just texted when something came into his mind. I can't turn off my phone as my dad is ill and lives alone. It was only I mentioned it to colleagues that they all said they had second mobiles.

Anyway like it or not there is a need to set boundaries. Whether you do that yourself and just say I'm not available is up to what you think your bargaining power is. A friend of mine has a saying kindness can be weakness. Sometimes saying no is good

nikkibikki

BattleCorp wrote:

Eh, are you sure about that? The liability lies with the employer to ensure that someone doesn't attend work when they are certified as unfit for work.

I meant they would not be covered by the employers insurance.

BattleCorp

nikkibikki wrote: »

I meant they would not be covered by the employers insurance.

Why wouldn't they be covered by the employer's insurance? It's a stupid thing for an employer to let an employee work when they are certified as being unfit to work, but that doesn't remove the insurance cover from the employee.

LegacyUser

Thanks for the replies, guys. I just haven't mentioned the sick day at all since I got back and am refusing to discuss it, really. I have a cert for one day although I know company policy doesn't require it. I thought that he might challenge me on this so this is why I got one.

Next time I am sick I will call my boss and tell him that I am unwell and not contact him again until I am fit to return to work.

I got an email from the manager today saying that reviews will be coming up so I'm sure he'll get a dig in on this. Other behaviours, recently, I've spotted are as follows:

1. Leaving me out of conversations randomly
2. Not making eye contact
3. Not allowing me to work from home (when I used to 1 day a week)
4. Changing my title to a more junior title (which is nuts - I've sat loads of exams and passed with flying colours!!!).

I think I need to get out of here. I'm on a quick tea break and all I want to do is run. I feel like I am being managed out and that this is a complete guys club. I've posted here before about him so I won't get into more details... But everyone in company (including my boss' manager) sees how hard I work and how much money I bring into the company... It's ridiculous and petty behaviour and I am getting sick of it

nikkibikki

BattleCorp wrote:

Why wouldn't they be covered by the employer's insurance? It's a stupid thing for an employer to let an employee work when they are certified as being unfit to work, but that doesn't remove the insurance cover from the employee.

It's what I've been told before. Employee signed off sick for a week but felt ok to return after a few days. But employer wouldn't allow them to return while the sick note was in effect. They cited insurance reasons.

BattleCorp

nikkibikki wrote: »

It's what I've been told before. Employee signed off sick for a week but felt ok to return after a few days. But employer wouldn't allow them to return while the sick note was in effect. They cited insurance reasons.

I'll ask the question in the legal forum and see what answers I get.

Big Bag of Chips

annoyed_employ wrote: »

I just haven't mentioned the sick day at all since I got back and am refusing to discuss it, really.

I wonder are you looking too deep into this. You were sick, over a week ago. You took a sick day. You have a cert from a doctor. Beyond that I can't see why it would be mentioned to or by anyone in your office. Your performance reviews are coming up. Are they annual? Is this the time they're usually due? Were you the only one he told? Is this the first year you've been notified of them coming up? Where you the only relevant employee who was told about them? Is it possible the reviews and notification of them to any relevant staff just happened to coincide with a time you needed to take a day off work?

Sometimes, we go looking for things that might not necessarily be there, but we're sure we'be seen them!

You seem to be making a bigger issue out of this sick day then your company is. I'd say your boss doesn't even remember you took it, at this stage!

Rubberchikken

that's terrible bullying behaviour from a boss. i realise you love your work but treatment like that from someone in that position could eventually drag you down.
it is time to start job hunting for your own sake.