I (f18) work part time in a pub.
Yesterday, I was on a 12-11pm shift with a break 3-4pm. I developed a sore/tickly throat while on the first part of my shift. I live with my parents a 2 minute drive from my work and my mum (f53) was really lovely and picked me up for my break.
I thought I should probably test just in case it was covid, expecting nothing of it.
I was hungry, and knew you can't eat before doing a covid test, so I did one pretty much as I got in the door so that I could eat and have time to relax on my break (I have ADHD so the restaurant environment can be very overstimulating). The test came back instantly and strongly positive.
I stayed calm and tried calling the deputy manager (m28?) on duty at the time to let them know, but I couldn't get through so I texted him instead. This was at 3:13pm.
I called the general manager (m20) (who was taking a day off) and told him I've had a positive result and asked what to do. He responded with an aggressive tone, asking how I had got the result so quickly as I had only gone on break at 3. This was somewhat understandable, so I responded that it was one of the 15 minute flowflex tests and that it was instantly positive, and that I wanted to give them as much time as possible to find cover for me (something we usually have to do ourselves).
He responded by further raising his voice and saying that I was calling in sick every week and that I've been stressing out his deputy manager. He also had apparently been keeping a log of my absences and that for 2 months (I've been working there for 3 months and 11 days) it was completely ridiculous.
I have been absent four times in total in my time working there – twice was for sickness and the other two were for unavoidable college assessments. I believe I have missed 16 hours maximum of work in that time, and have covered for others multiple times.
The shift which I had to leave I was covering for someone else who was at a party.
I tried explaining that I couldn't attend my shift last Sunday because I had an assessed college music performance (that I'd found cover for myself), and that I had covid, both incredibly valid reasons imho.
He said “oh but it's not just these two weeks now is it?”.
He was angry because I'm apparently making them short staffed – clearly I'm the problem and not the 3 managers taking annual leave currently and the other people off with covid and other illness /s
My mum was standing at my door at the time I was calling him as she needed to talk to me about something unrelated, but heard my boss screaming down the phone at me. She grabbed my phone in anger and spoke to him herself. She asked to see proof of me “calling in sick every single shift” as she had personally taken me to work every Saturday and Sunday since the start of November (besides those specific shifts).
For context, the other two times I had not been able to attend my shift I had been incredibly unwell – one of them I was coming off my SSRIs and had bad diarrhea, the other time I had a really bad cold which then progressed to tonsilitis.
The first instance was within the first two weeks of my employment. I also had needed caffeine on my shift as I was really tired, but they didn't have any dairy alternatives and I can't stomach black coffee, so I had a mocha and thought i would be okay. I proceeded to poop explosive diarrhea in the customer bathrooms for about 10 minutes straight, notified my boss that I had a dodgy stomach and needed to go home, and then shat for another hour when I got home. I didn't think I should be serving people food if I had gastrointestinal symptoms and honestly just needed to go home and hydrate/rest because I felt rubbish.
I then had to go to my (now ex) partner's family gathering, and as the diahhrea had cleared up I decided I should probably go. I (thoughtlessly) posted a picture of it on my story, and one of the numerous deputy managers (f18) saw it and showed it to another of the numerous deputy managers. I was called into a disciplinary meeting to discuss “how it looked”.
The second instance was a Sunday shift which followed a Saturday shift. This was in mid December, around the exact time when Omicron was becoming prominent. I had all the symptoms of Omicron on an 8 hour shift on the saturday. I had a sore throat, runny nose, headache, tight chest and generally feeling really fatigued. I notified two of the deputy managers and a couple other staff that I was feeling really ill with these symptoms, and they said there was nothing they could do and I had to stay until closedown.
One of the managers proceeded to go home – the one who I had recently covered so she could go to a football match.
It was only me and two on shift deputy managers closing down, and they made me stay long beyond what was needed.
When I got in at 11:30pm I collapsed on the sofa and felt incredibly unwell.
I then took the Sunday shift off as I was so ill, and had lost my voice from having to speak to so many customers.
I then worked a Christmas day shift 6 days later – still feeling ill – and developed tonsilitis on boxing day.
I'm unsure of where to go from here. They also ignored sexual harassment happening by one of the managers to a minor working there, and have just been a generally unpleasant place to work. Additionally, they've made no accommodations for my ADHD despite me making them fully aware of what issues it causes and the accommodations I need (i.e. putting me on sections where all tables are visible so that I won't forget about tables, being able to wear earplugs etc.)
I'm honestly considering just handing in my resignation and leaving, as this is completely unreasonable and not worth it for £8 an hour.
TL/Dr: my boss yelled at me for having covid, and for 'calling in sick too often'.