I have the flu, and feel MISERABLE. not least because i'm off work and feel guilty and being at home with three hyper dogs when you want to curl up....eeek!

aww hope you feel better soon .

Me too :-(

Mine's now turned into a chest and ear infection as well and I feel dreadful and am worried about taking time off work.  I get very grumpy when I'm ill - everyone, dogs included, is staying out of the way!

Oh dear! I'm grumpy enough with just a bit of congestion and sore throat! I insist on being better by Saturday as we are off on the canals with 2 of the dogs!

Sympathies. I am attempting to move house and am running round organising things, I started off with a cold then huge spotty tonsils and a cough. Went to dr's as I felt so rough and was coughing up blood :( am now on antibiotics and gallons of Covonia!! Today after a broken nights sleep I am hot and cold and dizzy so I'm afraid the bounciness of the dogs is not going down well.

Cancelled my flu jab I was due to have on Saturday !!

Hope all feel better soon :)

Sorry to hear of all you poorly people but if you have flu you should not even think about leaving your home for at least two weeks or your are asking to become even more sick and prone to secondary infections.

Suppose poor Karen has no choice.

Poor you, would hate to think of having to do ANYTHING at the mo, let alone move house!!

The doctor told me to wait 2 weeks then still have my flu jab, blurgh!!

Would love to have 2 weeks off work but we get a disciplinary warning if we have more than 8 days off (no matter what for!) in any rolling year :-(

Would love to have 2 weeks off work but we get a disciplinary warning if we have more than 8 days off

I reckon flu is a 3 week job but what would your employer do if you are signed off for more than 8 days, I speak as someone who found themselves in hospital for 5 weeks - sacking someone or giving a disciplinary warning for that would be against the law surely.

> xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Would love to have 2 weeks off work but we get a disciplinary warning if we have more than 8 days off (no matter what for!) in any rolling year

My parnter works in a place that has a ridiculous system that managers follow by the book regardless of personal circumstance. Basically you get put on 'stages' and 3 stages=you're out. One guy got put on a stage because he'd been off work for so many days (cant remember exactly how many) despite the fact his wife had kindly phoned them up on the first day he wouldnt be in, despite huge stresses going on, to tell them that he had a stroke and was in hospital unable to move or talk :-(

I'm a civil servant.

We  get an oral warning if we're off over 8 days, then written if we're off again after that, then the sack after that :-(.

If it's against the law they've got an awful lot of lawsuits on the way.  I know at least one person whose illness was made much worse by the stress surrounding the disciplinary procedure :-(

If it's against the law they've got an awful lot of lawsuits on the way.

I really do not know but would have thought sacking someone because they are suffering ill health would be, now if there are other reasons like taking excessive odd days without certification, that I can understand because that is abuse but if you are really ill but will be able to return to your work to sack you seems irrational if not illegal. I would suppose that in the long run it is down to what is in the employment contract.

I was going to say the same thing and that is normal practice in the private sector as well.

I have over 6 months off when I broke my knee... lucky we have occupational health and I went back to work supported by thier sheltered scheme. I cannot see how it is possible to sack someone who is on certified sick leave. Surely that is against the employment laws. Uncertified is different I grant.
Aileen

They can get rid of people if they are unable to continue to do a job after a certain length of time.

It is should be written in the contract or organisation terms and conditions.

They can get rid of people if they are unable to continue to do a job after a certain length of time.

But surely this must be after a reasonable length of time allowed for recovery not 9 or 10 days as has been suggested.

I think they key to this is to understand if it is separate days over a period of time rather than one instance for eight days.

It all depends as well on certain factors as length of service and organisations rules can affect people terms and conditions.

It is however standard to say if a person has an illness or condition that makes working impossible or restrictive then most companies will find a suitable alternative job but if nothing is found and they cannot be redeployed will mean being made either medically retired or redundant if they do not belong to a company pension scheme.

I think they key to this is to understand if it is separate days over a period of time rather than one instance for eight days.

Yes I understand that and someone taking 8 odd days a year off would get a flea in the ear from me as well but not someone who is sick. If an employee has flu or even a heavy cold not only would I allow them time to recover but would not want them to come to work when they are infected.

No that would not be the norm if it is eight days consecutively and no previous sickness but I do think that it would be the odd days cumulatively that Paula may have been on about but perhaps she can clarify. Also length or service and also probationary periods can also affect things.

> I speak as someone who found themselves in hospital for 5 weeks - sacking someone or giving a disciplinary warning for that would be against the law surely.

The government is above the law then.  We too have a strict regime, and are petrified of taking time off.  Of course, the government keep saying that they have no money.  Which is why they are getting rid of folk without paying redundancy if they possibly can.

Oh yes, and if you take a long spell off work, and are really very ill indeed, which happened to me - well they have that sorted too.  It is called unsatisfactory attendance. 

The government is above the law then.

No good getting upset with me if you check your employment contract you will find the conditions and if you have signed to say that you accept that if you are ill for more than a set number of days a year you will be sacked then you signed it - but if your contract does not say that I would be fighting the dismissal.

i suppose the best time to get flu is when you're retired and you don't have to worry about work stuff ! 
After approx 6 years free of any kind of cold or sniffle I am now suffering from my second heavy cold in 4 weeks.  Hubby caught it too - he has now been in hospital for almost 4 weeks. 

It doesn't matter if the sick leave is taken in one go or on 8 different occasions or what it's for the outcome is the same.

I signed a contract 10 years ago, my terms and conditions have changed numerous times since then, not necessarily with my knowledge.  However, everything seems to be justified within the term 'business needs' - an excuse to do what they want, in other words.

>No good getting upset with me

I'm truly puzzled.  I wasn't getting upset with anyone.

I was in the civil service and when I had several weeks off work on certificate due to septicaemia (for which I was hospitalised) caused by quinsies on my tonsils, and then a couple of weeks after having the tonsils out, I was given a written warning and put on probation for having more than 10 days sick leave, even though I only had a couple  of days not on doctors certificate.

Flipping heck - I am glad I don't have a proper job then (I was sat here whinging to myself that we have no money and I don't know where the money for the bills is coming from)...

Of course, those of you bullied and blackmailed and forced into work when you ARE sick and contagious... you are the people I have to avoid like the plague because what is a few days of yucky cold for you, or two or three weeks feeling like poo with the flu... is six weeks of awfulness for me and potential death in the case of the flu.

What chance does someone like me have of EVER being employed by someone else (I am employed by myself!) - even if I am having a good period, I can suddenly be randomly vomiting or have agonising stomach cramps or an evil migraine and I don't think I have had a period of more than two weeks in a row where I have been really OK to do anything reliably and repeatedly.

And yet the government are cutting disability payments and trying to force people into jobs that don't exist or are not suitable, with employers who will not employ them (or keep them on very long if they do)...

What do employers want from people these days, blood?

Can you get the flu if you have a flu jab?

I feel rotten and if I hadn't had the jab would swear its flu.

> Can you get the flu if you have a flu jab?

Yes, but your symptoms should be milder.

I ache all over including my face and am coughing quite badly. I've only got out of bed for the bathroom then straight back in....shattered!

My back hurts high up, sort of behind my chest, presumably from the coughing and to quote an old saying about flu....if there was a fiver lying on the garden path I'd definately not go out to pick it up!

Can you get the flu if you have a flu jab?

I never have, mind you I only ever had it once when I did not have the Jab.

I do get a nice little round hard bit for a couple of days :-)

The flu jab is only for the prevalent strain, there are many flu viruses so your only protected from the one vaccinated against.

The flu jab is only for the prevalent strain

That is true a jab is issued for the strain that is causing infection at any given time.

There are many strains of flu and our flu jab typically contains 3 types of flu.
You could catch a different strain of flu from what you have been vaccinated against. Or , if you catch the type of flu that you have been vaccinated against, you should have an easier time of it.
Hope you feel better soon, had it once and I don't want it again !