Sick Day at work?

[FoxySoxGirl]

If you've ever called in "sick" to work, any tactics you'd suggest?

 

Personally, I'd suggest the following:

 

1. Talk about feeling sick a couple days before the planned day.

2. Set your alarm and then call your boss RIGHT after you wake-up so you sound extra crappy

[sox4lifeinPA]

If you've ever called in "sick" to work, any tactics you'd suggest?

 

Personally, I'd suggest the following:

 

1. Talk about feeling sick a couple days before the planned day.

2. Set your alarm and then call your boss RIGHT after you wake-up so you sound extra crappy

 

a sub question is why do you use sick days?

 

I think "mental health" days are justifiable because the crap people have to deal with in service industries isn't properly balanced with enough vacation days, imo.

 

I take a sick day every couple months...my current employer gives us 120 in the first year and then 80 hours every year after that of sick time. I think it's necessary.

[FoxySoxGirl]

holy s***...that's a lot of sick days.

 

In answer to your question as to why use sick days- Use them or lose them. Basically I have a certain amount that I have to use in a given year BUT that I don't plan on using. I therefore must use some so they're not a total waste.

[sox4lifeinPA]

holy s***...that's a lot of sick days.

 

In answer to your question as to why use sick days- Use them or lose them. Basically I have a certain amount that I have to use in a given year BUT that I don't plan on using. I therefore must use some so they're not a total waste.

 

that was supposed to say 120 hours (3 weeks)

[thedoctor]

i try not to get too crazy with sick days. that whole puritan work ethic thing i guess.

 

admittedly though i'm a salary employee and i do a good job, so if i see a need for any upcoming time period i'll need off, i tell my boss and she's usually pretty cool. i did that tomorrow, in advance of expecting to drink more than one beer during the bear game. no work until noon for me.

[EvilMonkey]

holy s***...that's a lot of sick days.

 

In answer to your question as to why use sick days- Use them or lose them. Basically I have a certain amount that I have to use in a given year BUT that I don't plan on using. I therefore must use some so they're not a total waste.

If you are not sick, then you are stealing from the company. They are given as a benefit, and to use them when you are not sick is wrong. Especially if you do it 'because everyone else does'. My people get 3 'flex' days. Sick, personal, whatever. Thishelps to avoid the phantom illness like you suggest.

[sox4lifeinPA]

If you are not sick, then you are stealing from the company. They are given as a benefit, and to use them when you are not sick is wrong. Especially if you do it 'because everyone else does'. My people get 3 'flex' days. Sick, personal, whatever. Thishelps to avoid the phantom illness like you suggest.

 

if you're using sick days to take a bus to nyc, then yes, that's wrong. If you wake up one morning and can't face the world and need a mental health day, that's not wrong.

 

Flex days are good, but I would suggest 5 days or 40 hours instead.

[BobDylan]

If you are not sick, then you are stealing from the company. They are given as a benefit, and to use them when you are not sick is wrong. Especially if you do it 'because everyone else does'. My people get 3 'flex' days. Sick, personal, whatever. Thishelps to avoid the phantom illness like you suggest.

 

Fire them all and get employees that don't abuse their sick days. You'll be hard pressed to find those kind of people unless you hire the Amish. The fact that we (well, not me, yet) have to work 9-5 five days a week is wrong if you ask me. There ain't nothing wrong with taking a day off to get smashed, to see some sights or go to the Sox game if my life is so mundane that 8 hours of every single day is spent doing something that certainly doesn't "better" anyone's life. Besides, you don't think the people on top aren't doing things that are wrong? Give me a break. Maybe you're a clean guy--and I'm not implying you aren't--but sometimes the man just needs to take it up the you know what.

[Iwritecode]

I get 7 holidays, 18 vacation days and 5 sick days each year. I also get to work from home 1 day a week.

 

I also get paid salary. So I can work 7 hours one day and 9 the next if I need to leave early or whatever. As long as we are putting in our 40 hours a week in some way, it's not a big deal.

[EvilMonkey]

Fire them all and get employees that don't abuse their sick days. You'll be hard pressed to find those kind of people unless you hire the Amish. The fact that we (well, not me, yet) have to work 9-5 five days a week is wrong if you ask me. There ain't nothing wrong with taking a day off to get smashed, to see some sights or go to the Sox game if my life is so mundane that 8 hours of every single day is spent doing something that certainly doesn't "better" anyone's life. Besides, you don't think the people on top aren't doing things that are wrong? Give me a break. Maybe you're a clean guy--and I'm not implying you aren't--but sometimes the man just needs to take it up the you know what.

Sign your name at the bottom of the checks and see if you still feel the same way. Take a day off if you want. Why should the company have to pay you for it if you want to get smashed?

[mreye]

I've used plenty of sick days at this job. Only one was I actually sick. 95% of the others were used when the trains were running 1 hour or more late and I just said "screw it."

[BobDylan]

Sign your name at the bottom of the checks and see if you still feel the same way. Take a day off if you want. Why should the company have to pay you for it if you want to get smashed?

 

Because the mundane, worthless, mind numbing work I do for them will NEVER be worth the amount of money they pay me. Not only that, who are they to say when I should wake up, when I should show up, and where I should do my work? Why can't I roll out of bed at 2 PM, get it done by 10 PM and do it in my underwear, on my bed and with a beard on my face? If the work is done, it's done, right? Who cares how, where or when (when, obviously being on time)?

 

And if your employees are getting the work you need done ON TIME while taking off these sick days without actually being sick, what are you angry about? You want to scrap every inch of work and life out of your employees just so you can get the best bang for your buck? How about you give them a little incentive first? Reward people who don't pull out the bull s*** on you. There is no single reason for any one of your employees to put in the extra mile if you think they're "stealing" from you when they take a sick day off for the "wrong" reasons. They probably hate the work they're doing in the first place, and in the second place, if not for economic reasons, they'd never, EVER show up. Fact is, if you want to cut down on people taking days off they shouldn't then don't give them sick days. How many people are really sick 3 weeks a year anyway? I've been sick to the point of not being able to get out of bed maybe 3 days in the past 5 years.

 

And I see my dad, a business owner, sign the check all the time. His philosophy is do the work whenever you want, just so long as it gets done and it gets done in time. If somebody wants to party and not do work for the day, they don't even have to tell him. His policy seems to work.

 

(Some jobs I feel different about. I.E. teachers. And if I come of like a prick, I don't mean to, it's just my writing style. It's your business, you can do whatever you like. I just feel differently.)

Edited November 13, 2006 by BobDylan

[Texsox]

One way to view sick days is they are very short term disability insurance paid by the company. I agree with Evil on this one. What you are describing are vacation days and most companies give you these also. I was the easiest manager to get time off from, but one of my pet peeves was asking me on Dec 1 how many sick days you have left. Ask yourself why companies offer vacation days and sick days?

 

I also did not want to play mommy and investigate if someone was truly sick or not. Don't fake the voice or whatever, if you tell me you can't work that day, then you can't work that day. I also reviewed how many and when sick days were being used and I can guarantee that bigger bonuses and raises were given to the employees that showed up and did their jobs versus not showing up and having others do their jobs for them. The ones that are doing the work should get rewarded.

 

 

Because the mundane, worthless, mind numbing work I do for them will NEVER be worth the amount of money they pay me.

 

Yet for an extra couple days off, it is? A normal year of work is 2,080 hours. Taking an extra three sick days is 24 hours. You just gave yourself a whopping 1.1% raise.

 

Having said all this, I do favor policies where all days off are in the same pool. My first year employees received 5 days off. After a year it went to 12 and increased one day a year. Use them any way you like to.

[BobDylan]

One way to view sick days is they are very short term disability insurance paid by the company. I agree with Evil on this one. What you are describing are vacation days and most companies give you these also. I was the easiest manager to get time off from, but one of my pet peeves was asking me on Dec 1 how many sick days you have left. Ask yourself why companies offer vacation days and sick days?

 

I also did not want to play mommy and investigate if someone was truly sick or not. Don't fake the voice or whatever, if you tell me you can't work that day, then you can't work that day. I also reviewed how many and when sick days were being used and I can guarantee that bigger bonuses and raises were given to the employees that showed up and did their jobs versus not showing up and having others do their jobs for them. The ones that are doing the work should get rewarded.

 

I figure there is some sort of government regulation regarding it. I could be wrong.

 

As to part two, that's the way it should be. But ff the employer is going to abuse my services and not reward me for my hard work....

 

Yet for an extra couple days off, it is? A normal year of work is 2,080 hours. Taking an extra three sick days is 24 hours. You just gave yourself a whopping 1.1% raise.

 

Having said all this, I do favor policies where all days off are in the same pool. My first year employees received 5 days off. After a year it went to 12 and increased one day a year. Use them any way you like to.

 

Not really. I'll never enjoy my work unless it's writing novels -- and even then I'm sure I'll have plenty of problems regarding contracts. But bills need to be paid unfortunately.

Edited November 13, 2006 by BobDylan

[EvilMonkey]

Because the mundane, worthless, mind numbing work I do for them will NEVER be worth the amount of money they pay me. Not only that, who are they to say when I should wake up, when I should show up, and where I should do my work? Why can't I roll out of bed at 2 PM, get it done by 10 PM and do it in my underwear, on my bed and with a beard on my face? If the work is done, it's done, right? Who cares how, where or when (when, obviously being on time)?

 

And if your employees are getting the work you need done ON TIME while taking off these sick days without actually being sick, what are you angry about? You want to scrap every inch of work and life out of your employees just so you can get the best bang for your buck? How about you give them a little incentive first? Reward people who don't pull out the bull s*** on you. There is no single reason for any one of your employees to put in the extra mile if you think they're "stealing" from you when they take a sick day off for the "wrong" reasons. They probably hate the work they're doing in the first place, and in the second place, if not for economic reasons, they'd never, EVER show up. Fact is, if you want to cut down on people taking days off they shouldn't then don't give them sick days. How many people are really sick 3 weeks a year anyway? I've been sick to the point of not being able to get out of bed maybe 3 days in the past 5 years.

 

And I see my dad, a business owner, sign the check all the time. His philosophy is do the work whenever you want, just so long as it gets done and it gets done in time. If somebody wants to party and not do work for the day, they don't even have to tell him. His policy seems to work.

 

(Some jobs I feel different about. I.E. teachers. And if I come of like a prick, I don't mean to, it's just my writing style. It's your business, you can do whatever you like. I just feel differently.)

Some businesses you may be able to 'get the work done' from 2-10 in your underwear. Some you can't. I own a printshop, with regular retail-like hours, and people need to be HERE during those hours to get the work done. Not home nursing a hangover, or because they feel a little blue. I hired them to do a job, during the hours that I decided the job should encompass. if they don't lilke that, they are free to look for employment elsewhere. THAT'S the bottom line. My people are rewarded with a paycheck, one that is slightly higher than the average for stores of my type. I am flexible with days off. Short notice is fine if someone needs a day off, they can use their flex days, or vacation days if needed. I don't know what your dad's business is, but if it can support that kind of attitude, that is great. Mine, and alot of others, can't.

 

Also, most people wouldn't go to any work if they didn't have to. If you hate your job so much and are so severly uunderpaid, maybe it is time to change. Or better yet, start your own business, be your own boss, take off when you want and pay yourself what you are really worth.

[BobDylan]

Some businesses you may be able to 'get the work done' from 2-10 in your underwear. Some you can't. I own a printshop, with regular retail-like hours, and people need to be HERE during those hours to get the work done. Not home nursing a hangover, or because they feel a little blue. I hired them to do a job, during the hours that I decided the job should encompass. if they don't lilke that, they are free to look for employment elsewhere. THAT'S the bottom line. My people are rewarded with a paycheck, one that is slightly higher than the average for stores of my type. I am flexible with days off. Short notice is fine if someone needs a day off, they can use their flex days, or vacation days if needed. I don't know what your dad's business is, but if it can support that kind of attitude, that is great. Mine, and alot of others, can't.

 

Also, most people wouldn't go to any work if they didn't have to. If you hate your job so much and are so severly uunderpaid, maybe it is time to change. Or better yet, start your own business, be your own boss, take off when you want and pay yourself what you are really worth.

 

Well, I figured you worked in some sort of cubical type job. You know, people at the computer all day and every day. For a retail store, I can see the problems of people not showing up for work. But I've had odd jobs of all sort. Both in retail and in the office. For the retail stores I showed up when I was supposed to, asked for time off when I needed it, and never called in sick when I wasn't (except for this one job because they scheduled me four 10-14 hour shifts a week) both because I felt for the bosses when people just simply didn't come, and because I was on an hourly wage. But for the office jobs I was paid a tiny salary and I could usually get a two days of work done in one -- because of that I would call myself off on some days I shouldn't have.

 

As far as what I do right now, I don't work. I go to school. I'm still in the years of trying to find the easiest way to get rich.

[Middle Buffalo]

I'm able to carry sick leave over infinitely, which is great. That will be great if I get an awful illness. Can't wait.

 

I hardly ever call in sick for myself. I went seven years in between sick calls recently. Now, I only use sick leave for sick kids or for doctor appointments.

 

I was a supervisor for the Post Office, and, without fail, when I walked into the bldg at 4:45am the phone would be ringing with sick calls. I very rarely believed that the person was too ill to work. I still feel that way.

 

I guess my work ethic comes from my parents. I don't ever remember either one of them using sick days. They probably didn't even get them.

 

Now, I own an apartment complex and I have three employees. The office manager is always telling me that she's sick. Maybe she should lay off the Pepsi and cigarette diet.

[The Critic]

I only use sick days if I absolutely have to, and if I'm "borderline sick" I go in.

It's just the way I'm wired, I guess - I get too guilty about it, for both personal and professional reasons.

If I call off, I'm putting my boss in a bind (I start work 3 hours before anyone else in my department does, and a lot of what I do needs to be done before anyone else starts coming in), so I only call off if I honestly am too ill to show.

The good part about that is no one questions whether I'm really sick, like they do when others in my dept. call off. I've earned the benefit of the doubt over the 10 years I've been there.

The bad news is on those "almost sick" days I'd really rather be home.

 

I've had to call off with a sick daughter once or twice, but my wife works 2nd shift, so I can usually get home before she has to leave for work and the little one is cared for the whole time.

[Iwritecode]

A normal year of work is 2,080 hours. Taking an extra three sick days is 24 hours. You just gave yourself a whopping 1.1% raise.

 

Sadly, that's not far off from my actual raise earlier this year. My supervisor said I deserved more but the company has standard percentage. Meanwhile they are about to announce that they are spending 90 million dollars to aquire a company in Florida.

 

I need to start taking more days off...

Edited November 13, 2006 by Iwritecode

[mmmmmbeeer]

I worked for a company where I received 25 days (200hrs) of PTO (paid time off) that was to be used for either vacation or sick days. We also received the standard holidays and 3 IFM days (family medical days). Well, that was a good deal because the company expected you to take 28 days off a year. We got bought out by another company where we now get just 15 days of vacation, 10 sick days, and 3 flex holidays. This is the EXACT same amount of time off but they sneakily place 80hrs worth of vacation as sick time, counting on people to feel guilty, or like they owe something to "the man".

 

I say screw 'em. I'm going to take my 10 sick days each and every year. They do not carry over from one year to the next, so I've got basically one day a month that they can count on me not being there. The large majority of my new co-workers treat this the same, and the supervisors understand that that's just the way things are.

 

The company is trying to get off cheap, as usual. It's up to employees to realize that the company is out to screw them over at every turn, we must do the same and maximize our benefits.

Edited November 13, 2006 by mmmmmbeeer

[CanOfCorn]

Mental health days are just as important as physical health sick days. I think that employers have gotten to the point where it's mostly about the money and the time given by employees and have stopped thinking about how being physically sick or just fed up can affect other employees.

 

If I'm sick, but only have a set amount of sick days, or just feel the midwestern guilt about not showing up, I could get other people sick and THEY'LL be out of work. So, instead of my 8 hours of sick time, you just lost my 8 + the amount of people I got sick.

 

Similarly, if I'm overworked or something has happened in my personal life or something mentally or emotionally wrong in or out of work, that affects my work. So, you are paying someone to sit at their desk or do a job and not being productive. AND, depending on how much interaction that person has with co-workers, that employee could be holding up other people or just infecting the morale, and you get a trickle down theory.

 

I'm certainly not in favor of people who misuse their sick days, and that's why there is a cap on them, but I believe, if it's needed, than it's needed. Employers, though, have the right to terminate someone if they feel they are abusing them, though. That's the way the world works. Unfortunately, we have gotten to the point where it's everyone for themselves. Employers should only expect one thing, for an employee to come in and do their job to the best of their ability and employees should only expect a paycheck and possibly benefits...and that's it.

[sox4lifeinPA]

I could get other people sick and THEY'LL be out of work. So, instead of my 8 hours of sick time, you just lost my 8 + the amount of people I got sick.

 

100% agree

[Queen Prawn]

Ours are called personal days (we get 5 of them a year). I am using one thing year (tomorrow) for a doctor appointment (I had to wait 5 months to get this appointment).

 

HR told me to go ahead and use it for doctors appt as most employees do.

 

Brian used a sick day this year - first time ever (not considering the days at the end of last year when his dad was dying).

Edited November 13, 2006 by Queen Prawn

[Kid Gleason]

I rarely get sick. I have about 2 weeks of sick time, but might call in 1 or 2 days out of the year. The sick days accumulate. Since I am rarely sick, and use my vacation time once in the summer and then again over the Christmas holidays, and am into work early almost every day (without charging), my boss has a good idea that there might be a day or two through out the year where I will just call in sick. We don't get "personal" days, so I will use a sick day here or there to ditch out and spend the day doing something fun with the kids. Sometimes you need to get away from work to make you want to show up at work. I don't get a bonus...ever...and the raises are minimal. The "perks" are almost non-existant here, and if the company can't accept the fact that my being "sick" two days out of the year will keep me walking through the doors, then they can kiss my butt. Luckily my boss in the office here does understand, as he is VERY family orientated.

 

But as for calling in sick and how to do it? You call in, say "I'm not coming in, I'm sick" and that is it. They can't ask questions. Well, they can but you have no obligation to tell them. But don't be a bonehead and make a voice up, just tell 'em. Aside from a cold, how often are you sick in a way that you can't sound like yourself for 1 minute.

[Chisoxfn]

I know a lot of larger companies are switching to PTO which combines your sick days with vacation days and you can kind of take them whenever.

 

I'm pretty stoked cause I get 23 PTO, 8 holidays, plus 4 office holidays (which are chosen by the top management our individual company locations).

 

And we are encouraged to use every single one of those days throughout the year.