A sick day

[Richmond Jake]

For the first time in over a year, I'm at home sick today (bad chest cold or maybe a light flu). I've never abused sick leave and I really feel bad about missing work (I get to cash out my sick time when I leave). In fact, I was at work for 1 1/2 hours before I left.

So who here (or someone you work with), abuses sick leave?

 

[SGB]

With a wife and two kids who are all susceptable to just about any cold traveling through our region and daycare providers, all my sick days belong to them!

 

[biscuit]

We don't have any sick days to abuse. Currently each employee accrues 'Personal Time,' (up to nine days a year) that can be used no questions asked. The incentive is no to use these days because the twice a year my employer will buy back any unused personal time you have accrued over the nine day limit. For that reason I nver use my days and will come to work sick unless I can't get out of bed, and the only time that happened was entirely my fault from the night before. o

 

[plannerkat]

We also accrue "annual leave", approximately 4 weeks/year of combo sick and vacation time (the longer you're here, the more leave you get). I burned through 40 hours recently with bronchitis, which brings me to my rant...IF YOU ARE SICK PLEASE DO NOT COME TO WORK AND INFECT THE REST OF US!!!!!!!!!!!!! A cube neighbor came to work with a chest cold, I caught it and since I have asthma, I ended up with bronchitis and had to use the aforementioned 40 hours of leave which I really would have preferred to do something fun with. |-)

 

[NHPlanner]

Maybe 3-4 of the sick day's I've used over the past few years were for me....the rest were when Kylie was sick.

 

[Zoning Goddess]

I take a mental health day here and there, but much of my "personal leave time" is taken up by kid stuff: doctor's appointments, school events, etc.

In my last job, I worked next to a woman who called in sick whenever she got mad at management (like about the thermostat being set too low!), which was quite frequent, but nothing was ever done/said.

 

[Cardinal]

I'm not one to abuse it. I work so many hours, if I do feel the need to leave, I simply count it as comp time. My sinus problems often knock me out, but I try to go to the office regardless. If it sometimes gets so bad that I have to leave, as soon as I am feeling better I come back in. I can't remember the last time I took a ful day off due to illness.

 

[Downtown]

We have unlimited "short term disability" - but you have to have a dr. note for more than three consecutive days. They've found people take a lot less time than when they're given 5 days a year. And you can only use it for yourself. For children you need to use Personal Service Time (we get 16 days per year, 20 days per year after 5 years, and 25 days after 10 yrs)

The only time I use sick time is for vomiting, severe colds or mind numbing exhaustion - as in a few sleepless (less than 3 hours) nights in a row.

 

[BKM]

I don't abuse it, generally. If I want a "mental health" day, I use my vacation or personal time.

OTH, I do fully use my vacation hours. I don't take hardly any long vacations, so I do a lot of three day weekends and the like. I much prefer my vacation that way, spread out over time.

 

[Gedunker]

I took a half-day off back in February (for the first time in memory) when I came down with some stomach virus and just could not function. Other than that, it is all about time off when the kids are ill. Still, the City comes out ahead, as I have accrued as many as I can keep and annually give any over-and-above back. Typically, 4-5 days per year. ^o)

We had an employee (until the new administration canned her) whose supposed 8-4 workday went something like this:

8:40 arrive / socialize
8: 50 smoke break
9:05 order breakfast
9:10 pick up breakfast
9:20-9:40 consume breakfast at desk
9:45 smoke break
10:00 missing / away from desk
10:40 smoke break
11:20 lunch
1:10 return to work
1:25 smoke break
1: 50 socialize
2:20 smoke break
2:30 - 3:00 phone call with daughters
3:10 smoke break
3:15 Depart

(from the acutal work log we kept on her :-c)

 

[Repo Man]

We have some people here that abuse it. In particular one lady in Inspection uses up every single one of her sick days each year. She has two kids that are old enough to stay home sick by themselves (high school aged) but she will call in because she "just has to stay with them" (yeah right!) . This is on top of her 4 weeks vacation! I find it very hard to believe that someone is sick that much!

It drives me crazy because I always use vacation time when I need a mental health day. I should use sick days every now and then but I just feel too guilty. I rarely get sick, so I have a pile of unused sick days.

 

[pandersen]

sick days

For the first time in over a year, I'm at home sick today (bad chest cold or maybe a light flu). I've never abused sick leave and I really feel bad about missing work (I get to cash out my sick time when I leave). In fact, I was at work for 1 1/2 hours before I left.

So who here (or someone you work with), abuses sick leave?

Me, I don't abuse sick days. My office awards 10 sick days per person/year which are bankable.

Last year, just before SARS became fasionable, I got a dose and it knocked me on my ass for 9 or so days. I took the time off as sick days and felt very guilty for being away from work even though I was in pretty rough shape. Being away from work when your sick is simply no fun - all it means is you have more to deal with when you get healthy.