To ask if anyone deliberately plans/uses their sick leave as part of their entitlement?

@DriverMeCrazy as an ex civil servant, I'm astounded.

when I retired (years ago) sick leave entitlement was six months full Pay six months half pay.

has it really changed that much? It must have, because it's not feasible to take such an entitlement.

in a 40+year s in CS, I twice had to use the six months paid leave. Both times with cancer, but with a 15 year gap.

I have also had colleagues take extended period of leave up to 6 months, worked out over a rolling 18 month period so absence triggers do not kick in.

how can this not trigger something? And what happens to the work?

No I never did, but I do regret not using sick days for mental health and stress, and working myself into a breakdown and burnout by not seeing poor mental health as a legitimate reason for sick leave. However, it wasn't just me, the whole organisation had this 'macho' shut up and put up attitude, seeing it as just part of the job.

In all the jobs I've had in this country, it's been made quite clear in all the policies and codes of conduct that sick leave is only for when you are too ill to work and that's how I've used it. I think it can be different in other countries like the USA but I believe they get fewer allocated leave days and bank holidays than we tend to get here in the UK.

Sick leave is to be used as and when you are too ill to work, surely? It’s not an extension of annual leave, which is what these people seem to be suggesting?

I didn’t even know there could be a set number of days for it - doesn’t that defeat the object?

I’ve never know anyone to take months every year but 1 day or so yes.

No. I use my sick leave for when I'm sick though, rather than being a martyr.

No but for the first three years of working from home, I pretty much worked no matter how ill I was because I felt I couldn’t call in sick when I was at home anyway. That attitude of mine shifted this year and when I had a bout of D&V at Easter, I called in sick and I will continue to do so if I feel I’m not well enough to be in the main office.

In every workplace I have ever been there are individuals who pad out annual leave with sick days, pretty much always self cert, and seemingly mindful of disciplinary triggers. Essentially giving themselves 10 days extra AL each year.

I have also had colleagues take extended period of leave up to 6 months, worked out over a rolling 18 month period so absence triggers do not kick in.

Infuriating as the abuse of policy is so flagrant, and utterly contemptuous of the rest of the staff who have to provide cover.

There is one current nurse who takes six months off every year.

If this is true then your Trust is not applying its sickness absence policy. Where I work, you wouldn't be able to do that without going into the sickness absence review system.

I have never done this and don't understand why people would. Surely it goes on your record when you're looking for your next job ? No-one in my team does this.

I've never known anyone to do this. Well, not that I know of. I used to deal with staffing a lot at work and there were a few who I did wonder if they were taking the piss a bit. Certainly those who would go off if they just weren't feeling it that day. But tbh, I think I was a mug in the past and would drag myself into work even when I shouldn't have been there. Not sure what I thought I was proving. I don't do that anymore. I won't work if I'm ill. If they haven't got cover that is honestly not my problem (in my current job). They should hire enough people to not have the place fall apart if one person is off for a day or two

Never. It’s not an entitlement to make sure you use before the end of the working year, it’s a benefit that should only be used when truly needed.

Worked in a large team previously, had one person who would plan his holidays in his diary with his sick leave and annual leave to cover them. Others who had 4-6 months off every year, you knew who they were and could take bets on when they’d go off. Always made a miraculous recovery the day before full sick pay ran out. It was infuriating for the rest of us. As you can tell we had very few effective managers at this place, one of the reasons I left!

I worked with a couple of nurses who used to count how much annual leave and sick leave they had left to take. There is one current nurse who takes six months off every year. I work in the NHS and have not had one day off sick in 30 years. It takes all sorts.

I have colleagues who do it to get more time off in summer when the kids are off.

They happily admit it but it never gets taken seriously.

It wouldn’t bother me so much but I have a disability and am terrified of being off even if it’s really causing me an issue, in case it makes HR think I shouldn't be employed.

BiL and SiL both did this before they retired. A former boss of mine used to do the same, she called it her tonsillitis or sinusitis weeks. I suspect one or two of my current colleagues are doing it too. It’s a really shit thing to do.

It's not " use it or lose it "
This is an awful abuse of employment policy

We had someone who kept falling ill before or just after a holiday. We took disciplinary action against him.

Do you view sick leave as a right to use as needed

ah, of course? Why wouldn't I use it when I need it (i.e. when I too ill to work)? I am on SSP and don't even get paid the first days. Why would people plan to take it given how abysmal sick pay for so many in the UK is?

I don't know anyone who can afford to throw a sickie just for fun. It must happen but surely is rare?

No but I once worked for a company that gave the bare minimum number of holidays.

i wasn’t there long but just before I left I found out that loads of people used their contractually noted 5 sick days at full pay per year as a way of getting an extra week off work.
i clearly hadn’t read the contract properly and had no idea.

they just sucked up a day or two of no pay if they were ever actually poorly.

I don’t get sick pay so not an option for me. but I have friends who do and use them as extra holidays when they feel like it. Like someone upthread says, if they only use one or two every month or so then it doesn’t get flagged up as an issue.

Yes some people definitely do this. I worked in the civil service in a previous life and sick leave entitlements were added to annual leave allowance by quite a few staff.

I go off sick when I’m sick and also take 3 days in a row, once a year when I’m not ill, normally in December.

Use it or loose it. 25 days annual leave is far too short when you have a family.

No, I only use it when I’m sick which isn’t very often. I think I can have either 4 or 6 months, I can’t remember but I rarely use more than a couple of days in a year.