Sick Days
shep
Posts: 5,762
Alright, so I'm home today nursing a legitimate flu... I woke up yesterday with a touch of a stuffy head, by noon yesterday I could barely breathe, but I suffered out the day, however, when I woke up this morning I rolled over and went back to bed, knowing full well work would be hell...
I have a laptop which I take home every night... I just got up at about 10, doing a couple of minor chores around the house (just because I have OCD and can't sit still in bed all day knowing there's chores to be done)... and I'm about to open up the laptop and start working from home....
I've got a couple of questions/thoughts on sick days that have been bugging me for a while.... this is only the 2nd sick day I've used in the last 5 years, and both of them were for legitimate sick causes... I get 80 hours of sick time a year (without the ability to bank it)....
When people are home sick, do you usually take it upon yourselves to work from home?
When you take sick days, are you legitimately sick? or are you "sick"?
if you got 80 hours of sick time every year, with no banking, would you attempt to use all of it every year?
I guess I'm a young guy who's a little old-school... but I believe in taking sick days when you are legitimately sick - sick days are not extra "vacation" days to use as you please... I see a lot of young professionals my age doing this, and it bugs the shit out of me....
thoughts?
Just wondering what some other people's thoughts are on this...
I have a laptop which I take home every night... I just got up at about 10, doing a couple of minor chores around the house (just because I have OCD and can't sit still in bed all day knowing there's chores to be done)... and I'm about to open up the laptop and start working from home....
I've got a couple of questions/thoughts on sick days that have been bugging me for a while.... this is only the 2nd sick day I've used in the last 5 years, and both of them were for legitimate sick causes... I get 80 hours of sick time a year (without the ability to bank it)....
When people are home sick, do you usually take it upon yourselves to work from home?
When you take sick days, are you legitimately sick? or are you "sick"?
if you got 80 hours of sick time every year, with no banking, would you attempt to use all of it every year?
I guess I'm a young guy who's a little old-school... but I believe in taking sick days when you are legitimately sick - sick days are not extra "vacation" days to use as you please... I see a lot of young professionals my age doing this, and it bugs the shit out of me....
thoughts?
Just wondering what some other people's thoughts are on this...
Houston, Texas... Believe it or not, there are 7 million people here... must be a couple of fans who'd love to see you play.
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i can't remember the last time i took a sick day while actually being sick. i've taken a handful of mental health days over the years.
Been with the company 7 1/2 years, never used a sick day.
Pretty effective policy!
it's almost as if your company is dangling those days in front of everyone's face and hoping that everyone is going to use them when they are legitimately sick (like you).
my company has gone to strictly PTO days. but back when we had sick days along with PTO, we were able to bank in the 40 hours come december. they were really pretty lenient on what qualified as a sick and PTO day. days in which i was sick, i was able to swindle a PTO day and not a sick day, so come december i am still getting a check for 40 hours, not 32. i looked at that check as a little christmas bonus.
I had paid sick time, and 'floating holidays' FH were to be used for days that we wanted off, but weren't automatically paid, like the day after turkey day, Hanukkah, etc.
Depending on how my company treats me is dependent on how I use my sick days.
- Christopher McCandless
Same here. My boss loves to call me all day when I'm sick with last minute 'priorities' :fp:
my boss is very good about those kind of things - leaving for appointments and kids' stuff, etc. she knows I'll get everything done.
now the ex, when I was sick, her sympathy didn't last too long - after a few hours of me dying on the sofa she woud say "um, how long are you going to be sick? you're still going to make dinner right?"
The new plan is 11 days at 100 % and any days after that at 66% or 90% ... the 90 is if your off for serious medical issues. The new plan is much better. I do plan on using my 11 at 100% yearly. I've never taken 4 or 5 days off before in any year but just over the last little while the employer has become real douchy and made some ridiculous changes to our work hours because of a few bad apples ... but instead of the supervisors doing their job and getting these bad apples they're fucking everyone else :fp:.
Use your sick days if you got them ... employers anymore don't give a rats ass about their employees.
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
I've had the discussion with HR, as earlier the year I passed the experience point where me 80 hours would have become 120, however they told me my 120 would not become 160, and were shocked that I had actually negotiated 120 when I signed on (new HR people).
The 80 hours of sick time I get just disappears at the end of the year - no payout, no banking. Next year I get a fresh 80 hours...
Company policy is if you take more than 2 days off in a row you're supposed to return with a doctors note - however I am an engineer, and since we're considered professionals, they usually don't subject us to that crap... I personally don't trust doctors since I've known people who have become them, and I like to let my immune system fight off the common cold/flu on it's own, so I probably wouldn't return with a note....
I used to have floating holidays, but they took those away when we were bought out circa 2011... now they just dump a pile of stat holidays at christmas time because most people are taking that off anyway...
I dunno... i've been more inclined to use the "sick" days as vacation days as of late, since when I take vacation I am usually going to Canada and I lose a day each way to travel to and from.... that's really rough when you only have 15 days vacation in a year....
smart for getting the extra time off. if and when i move on, i'm doing the same thing.
good lord! :fp:
the company is paying you to go away...USE THEM!
We would get a reminder around September, "if you have not used your FH, then please use them as soon as possible as they do not roll over, and you do not get paid for them" as in 'use it or lose it'.
your 80 hours works out to about 1 'mental health day' a month. I usually use them for a Friday and get a 3 day weekend, or add it to a Monday from a 3 day weekend to get 4 days off.
- Christopher McCandless
At my last job I worked for horrible people, so I was forced to work from home when sick. I sort of had my revenge when I happened to come down with strep throat after I had given notice there, and I took a full week off work to recover. I didn't respond to a single call or email from my bosses. It felt so damn good.
No paid time off other than vacation time.
New hires?
As of last year they receive 1 week vacation after a year.
2 weeks after 2 years.
And thats that.
They will NEVER get more than 2 weeks vacation.
2 weeks vacation
No sick days
No PTO
Its a glorious life I lead.
:P :P :P :P
In 2 more years I will have 4 weeks vacation.
And thats that.
Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
80 hours is actually significantly more than that if I use them on a friday...
we do flex time - the options are 8 hours x 5 days or 9 hours x 4 days and a 4 hour day on friday...
however my days monday to thrusday are more like 10-11 hours and on friday I do 5 hours.... so much work to be done and not enough people to do it...
this is why i feel so guilty taking sick days... my department is terribly understaffed and management knows it. they like to say we operate "lean"...
everyone at work is usually pretty good about leaving me alone (or at least in this 2nd day off they have been
I use to take one a month till they ran out, but over the last year or so, i only take one every couple of months.
fuck it anyways... they don't care about you... only their bottom line.
Plus its a sick day, your company can do without you for one day, stop working people.
When my children were little and would get sick I would use 5-8 days a year. Now I only use 2-3, mostly mental health, and I always end up working at home. I teach Special Ed and the paperwork is ridiculous, plus I usually end up on the phone with the school trying to calm down one of my students (they can never deal with subs).
The district investigates sick days taken on Fridays or Mondays or near a holiday break. I've only used PTO twice, trip to Europe, and moving my daughter into college. Thinking about using them next fall again when the Badgers play ASU (family trip, my son attends ASU).
All in all it works for me, haven't been sick much and now days this seems to be a pretty generous package.
^this ... our's was recently changed from bankable to non bankable and people would save them in case of long term illness, I was one of them, many of us lost quite a few sick days ... take what you're allowed.
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
When I'd been there a year and a half, my dad died unexpectedly. Guess what, no bereavement leave. I'd already taken my 5 days of vacation and wouldn't earn more until my 2nd anniversary. My dad's funeral was on a Monday and I was back at work the next day with my coworkers saying "What the hell are you doing here?"
that's straight up bull. we get 3 bereavement days
I took bereavement leave once, when I asked for it, they started grilling me, "who died? Were you close to them? Where do they live? Are you going to the funeral? etc etc" :x
Then a year later they changed it, you could only take bereavement when an 'immediate family member' passes, so only blood related siblings, parents or grandparents. No 'steps'.
- Christopher McCandless
You guys do great work making those Ipods, though. Thanks!
One of my co-workers recently had a child where his wife had complications the last trimester and he needed to take extended time off when the baby was born in order for his wife and child to recover from the birthing process.
Basically he needed the time to look after his 3 year old with his wife and newborn both in the hospital.... the company fought him tooth and nail on the issue... he wound up using all of his vacation for the year and they gave him 3 days of "compassionate leave".... he was pissed...
i just emailed my boss and said my mum died. him and his wife showed up at the funeral.
then i came in and told him my dad died. his wife showed up for visitation.
that was nice of them.