My girlfriend, who is 27, hasn't been to work for the past two weeks, and I'm uncertain about how to approach the situation. What would be the best way to discuss this with her?
My girlfriend experienced significant menstrual cramps two weeks ago on Monday, prompting her to leave work early. She started feeling better by Tuesday but struggled with sleep for a few nights. On Wednesday, she returned to the office without her work laptop. She looked exhausted, and her manager offered her the option to go home and rest. She took him up on it but forgot her laptop again. She didn’t work on Thursday or Friday due to fatigue and poor sleep. By Sunday, she had caught a cold, so she stayed home again on Monday and Tuesday. By Tuesday evening, she felt better and mentioned wanting to go to the office for her laptop so she could work from home the next day. However, she didn’t go. She expressed the same intention on Wednesday (by then she was fully recovered) and again on Thursday, but still did not bring her laptop home. Yesterday, she hinted that she might go to the office today. This morning, I received a message that she didn’t go because, although she slept well, she woke up around 6 am feeling like sleeping more, so she stayed home again. I am completely against working while sick. Personally, I often push myself to work even when I’m unwell, which is my own fault, but I wouldn’t expect anyone else to do the same. However, I can’t shake the feeling of frustration with her perceived laziness and her inconsistency between what she says and what she does. It sits uneasily with me. It seems odd that she has gone two full weeks without working when she could have easily managed working from home for a few of those days, especially since her company is quite flexible. I can’t help but feel a bit weird and angry about the entire situation. How justified are these feelings?