Britain’s favourite day for sickies has arrived. The first Monday in February traditionally sees thousands of us calling in sick to work, whether that’s for physical, mental (and in a few cases, fictional) illness.
Sick days are unavoidable unless you have a superhuman immune system, and working when you’re ill risks setting you back further, not to mention spreading illness to your colleagues.
Yet few of us acknowledge the anxiety that can consume us when we’re too unwell to work; that sinking feeling when the sun arises and your body, or your mind, simply cannot rise up with it.
Having lived with several chronic illnesses for over a decade, I wrestle with this conundrum more than the average person.
I live with a chronic pain condition called fibromyalgia, which makes day-to-day life a trial, as well as two conditions that have slowly reduced my mobility over the years – hypermobility and scleroderma.
The combination of these conditions leaves me feeling overwhelmingly fatigued and forever in one pain or another. Constantly battling with my body can be infuriating.
By the time I finished secondary school my attendance had bottomed out at 30 per cent and I was so embarrassed that I would push through ilness at sixth form college to ‘make up’ for my failings.
I now work as a freelance writer and press officer for charitable organisations, and I love every second of it: it gives me a purpose each day and soothes my manic, creative mind. But when I wake up unwell, the words ‘I can’t afford to be ill’ are the first thing I think as I obsess over all the invoices I can’t send unless I put the hours in.
Choosing to take a sick day becomes a toss-up between pushing through symptoms in favour of productivity, or frantically making up the time after a day of rest. As I contend with the decision, I feel overcome with guilt and humiliation, desperate to not be the ‘sick one’ any longer.
I’ve spent so long agonising over sick notice texts to my boss that they would arrive late, incurring more paranoia as I imagined their fury upon receiving my notice at 9:01 AM.
According to a 2019 survey by Love Energy Savings, 80 per cent of British employees admit to working through sickness, rising to 92 per cent for 19-24 year-olds. The main reason people give is not wanting to let their colleagues down.
The pressure is heightened by the lure of hustle culture, the trend that dictates individuals can only succeed by exerting themselves at maximum capacity, and making every worker bee think that the only route to fulfilment is through overwork.
Research conducted by the TUC suggested that UK workers put in the longest hours across the EU yet sick days are still treated like they are a curse on our productivity, and taking one can feel like a failure to function.
While working for fast-paced press agencies, I constantly felt less-than in comparison to my healthier colleagues. I would continue working whilst at home in bed, and only found worth in ‘beating’ my colleagues by producing more content than them, even if it meant sacrificing my health.
This is not to say employers shouldn’t be stringent about requiring medical evidence once employees exceed a certain number of sick days. At one job, I realised that colleagues were taking Mondays off ‘sick’ like it was a ritual.
Watching sickies play out without any acknowledgement is torture for those of us who feel tormented about having time off for health reasons. While we all must take responsibility for our own wellbeing, the onus should be on employers to ensure fakers are called out and that employees with chronic conditions and disability are treated fairly, kindly and without suspicion.
I have always maintained an open dialogue with my bosses and colleagues, so that they are fully aware of what I need. Thankfully, they have always been understanding but this is not always the case, especially for people who need a mental health day – or have even been taken out by the flu.
I have combated my own anxiety by setting strict rules for sick days: no emails, no phone calls, and no guilt. I notify the necessary people and shut down any superfluous strain so that I can focus all of my energy on healing.
Usually this just looks like three square meals a day, a ton of physiotherapy and a lot of time buried under my mountain of duvets and pillows.
I refuse to set myself on fire to keep a company afloat. My well-being is more important than profit margins and Christmas bonuses – it should be for all of us.
So next time you type out that message for your boss, notifying them of your genuine need for a rest day, remember that calling in sick is not a death notice for your career, but a chance to re-energise it with good health.
MORE: I’m not well, but I’ll never take a sick day – I’m afraid I’ll get fired if I do
MORE: NHS workers’ most common reason for sick days is mental health issues
MORE: You Don’t Look Sick: ‘Being diagnosed with a chronic illness was surreal’
source https://metro.co.uk/2020/02/03/get-over-the-guilt-of-taking-sick-days-12040479/
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