How many sick days are you allowed to take?

I’m quite surprised at the responses because I assumed my company was normal but perhaps not. It’s fairly relaxed at my workplace. If you take a day or 2 off sick at a time there is no formal process or meeting, the manager simply says “ok hope you feel better soon”. It doesn’t get recorded anywhere. Generally employees are trusted and it’s fairly rare that anyone abuses the system.

You would never be expected to use AL for medical appointments, you would simply let your manager know about it and continue working when you’re back.

4 days in 7 months is nothing.

OP, i would be sacked in your work places.
Last winter my immune system was crap, since October till March I had back to back chest infections, colds etc, and in every new off set of infection I had to take couple days off. So that was around 12days off sick in 6months.

But my employer is very understanding as long you are all absences are genuine.

No return to work interviews after sick leave unless was long term (eg a colleague who was off for a year undergoing cancer treatment), which really was about what they needed to be able to return. Full pay for first 6 months of sickness in a year. If long term illness beyond that, 50% of pay (via insurance) until recovery or State retirement age, whichever comes first. Private sector, finance.

Very strict at my workplace. 3 instances in 12 months leads to a first meeting. If you have 1 more sick day in the next 12 months it goes to a first warning and so on from there. Then again I’ve known people take the piss and definitely have more than that in a year and never known anyone actually get sacked. I’ve only reached the first meeting stage once and one of those absences was when it was mandatory to stay at home when you had covid symptoms (yet they still counted it).

Im conscious I’ve had 2 periods of illness in the last 12 months (one was being signed off due to surgery) and if I have one more day before the 12 month mark I’ll get pulled into a first meeting again. It doesn’t seem to work as it just encourages presenteeism in the ones who care (none wfh so rest of the team can get ill) and the ones who don’t never seem to get any repercussions anyway

OP, 4 days sick in 7 months is a huge amount. I have been lucky, but my last sick day was in 2011.

OP people are being ridiculous, of course 2 bouts of sickness in 7 months isn't an insane amount. With all the winter bugs that were around I was barely well for about 3 months...no employer I have ever had has done return to work meetings and sick days have never really been commented on (unless long term)

My DH if you want another example - he gets 2 weeks in a year and after that he will be asked to take annual leave, but there is never any disciplinary aspect and certainly never a dismissal threat - that's bonkers! I would have a good read of your contract because I'm sure legally they are on dodgy ground if they keep threatening you. People get sick!

Sick leave isn’t an entitlement as such - it’s there for if you are too ill to work.

I haven't had so much as a sniffle since going self-emplyed in 2018, so no, we are not necessarily all ill for a couple of days per year. But I did have to rearrange two days worth of appointments when I dislocated my shoulder last year, and I was "lucky" that my eye injury this year covered three non-work days and two quiet days 😅

Yeah I know, I've contributed nothing to the discussion 😂

If you are not actually sick, then the correct answer is zero. You don't get an "allowance" for sick leave, like annual leave. Otherwise, look at your company policy - multiple one-off days would be very suspicious, tbh.

Back to work interviews at the moment are important as we are also asked whether the sickness is work related. In my case recently it has been and I think it’s the same with a couple of team members. At least they know what is happening. (Not in an emergency service or job traditionally associated with extra high stress).

Needless to say, looking to get back into the public sector - DH is public sector and he has colleagues off for months and months on full pay too. Unfortunately the last few illnesses have been me not him (now I've typed that it sounds bad.... but you all know what I mean - from a financial point of view!).

It's shit OP, I agree.

I used to work in the public sector, people were literally off for months and months on full pay, there was seemingly no limit. I was hardly ever sick as in my 20s, but the times I was off sick were all on full pay. I also had time off for a miscarriage where it was more emotional sick leave - on full pay.

Moved abroad, had kids, moved back. Now I work in a private sector organisation. Not as bad as some, 5 days on full pay, then it's SSP. SSP is a fraction of what I earn.

I ended up in hospital a few months ago for a week and a half, if it hadn't been for DH I don't know what we'd have done. What do people do if they have a heart attack or serious operation and their company only pays SSP? Do they have to give up their house? It's insane.

If it’s four absences for the whole year, I think that’s OK. But you’re only just over halfway through and you are, despite you saying you’re not, a new starter. So I think you need to be careful.

You sound rather immature and as though you think it's some sort of allowance to be used, akin to annual leave allowance

If you aren't off again within the year then I don't think 2 short periods of absence is a lot, no.

If I had been off twice in 7 months I would be conscious of it though and be worried about taking anymore time anytime soon. Some comments on here are harsh.

I can't find any specific policy for the company I work for. I have had 6 days in 2 and half years. It was full pay, but I've been told it's discretionary, and they could pay SSP only.

If you have a disability I'm sure they cannot discipline you for sick leave and must allow you to attend appointments. Under reasonable adjustments?

I’m so glad I’m not in the UK when I read things like that.

You need a system to pick up actual shirkers who are randomly "just a bit under the weather" when it suits them and don't call in until midday. As opposed to people who do have genuine illness they can describe to you. But I think you need to judge it in light of overall performance.

I’d much rather work than be sick.

I work in a school in America. We get 10 paid sick days per school year (instead of calendar years). A school year is 180 days.

And any unused sick days carry over to the next school year, so I currently have about 40 paid sick days that I can use