How many sick days do you take?

[Mushroo]

Inspired by a Reddit thread. How many sick days do you take on average each year?

The consensus on Reddit seemed to be about 4 a year which I thought seemed quite high. Personally, I think I’ve had 2 or 3 in my working life (8 years) which I guess is low.

So just out of interest how many do you take?

I've had loads this year but caught covid twice so what can you do?

None, as I don’t get paid if I do.
Dh takes one personal day for illness as that is paid. Sick days are not paid, so sick leave isn’t taken.

I work with little children so probably higher than average as I'm always catching stuff from them, probably around 3/4 weeks in the past year

1 day sick in four years.

For years on end I take none at all and then have a spell when (I suppose) I'm run down and seem to be off a lot.

This year I've had loads following a bereavement, some for MH connected with that and then when I went back I seemed to catch everything going.

I'll admit though that when I have had a long spell without needing any sick leave for a physical illness, but can feel things beginning to get on top of me, I will take a day or two as a MH reset.

Quite a lot but I have severe asthma so am in hospital occasionally- suppose I am taking the piss according to some PPs

None.

"How many sick days do you take?" is a strange question. Surely it is on a needs basis for most people.

I have taken two in the last ten years but I don't expect that to be the norm for the next ten necessarily!

In my current role (6 years) I’ve had around 25 sick days- however a total of 20 were from 2 different surgeries that I needed- other than that maybe between 1 and 3 a year- this annual leave year I haven’t had any sick days. I don’t go off sick unless really very unwell!

oh and im public sector.

5-6

i have chronic migraines. Nothing I can do if I wake up and my head has decided that if I move I will vomit.

Surely it depends on your luck with health?
I probably have 2-3 days a year: over the last few years have suffered migraines and a bout of Covid. I don't think it's anything to be proud of to struggle in and do half hearted work when you are sick, but it really depends on the job and the payment/charging mechanism. If it's safety critical work you should take time off.

I take what I need to take. Was off for about 4 working days with Covid earlier this year. Have been off for odd days here and there in the past few years.

Was also off for 6 weeks 3 years ago after a mental breakdown.

I’m a public sector worker, with 6 months full pay if I’m off due to illness.
I haven’t had a sick day since 2008 when I had an operation.

I think I have had 6 or 7 days in 20 years. One day was when I ran myself over but all the other days were when my children were ill and I had no child care. They are older now so can leave them at home unless it was something awful.

It's not worth the effort to have a day off sick as I have to send in all my lesson plans for the day. Unless I cannot physically get there or if I was continually puking I'm always in work.

I've had 1 in 3 years but I guess that just means I've been lucky.. especially spending 1 year of that wfh, means if I was ill I could still have home comforts and go steady

I work 13 hour days and it’s pretty physical on the ward with minimal breaks. I’ve learned if I drag myself in I feel far worse for longer. A day or two off usually is enough and luckily I’m rarely ill. We also trigger with NHS sickness policy.

This year I’ve been off with covid which goes as normal sick days but we weren’t to go in until negative. Even tho I could of worked after a few days. I can’t WFH as I’m patient facing.

Normally I have 12-18mths without sickness.

The last time I was personally ill was during annual leave, so that worked well for me. 😣

I had to take a few days off earlier this year due to my sick child, but otherwise I don't really get ill that often, and if I do feel a bit iffy, I can just stay home and slow down for the day but still be available and get work done.

Probably 4 or 6 days in the 20 years I've been working from home.
It is a lot easier to "chance" going to work if not feeling well, when you are just across the landing from a toilet ... and not having to face an hour and a half journey to get to work!

Before I had a child in nursery (which was also pre-Covid, but I was commuting into London) - probably one or two occasions per year, usually for a bad cold or fluey illness. Office culture was always very much 'please work at home if you're full of snot or coughing a lot'.

Since I've had a small child - way more, I've already had Covid, tonsillitis and a stomach bug this year, all needing 3-4 days off each. Last year I had three chest infections in four months. It's hideous.

I’ve been in my current job for just over six years. I’d had one day off sick (V&D) in that time but had five working days off this year when I had Covid. I wasn’t very unwell with it so if it had been pre covid and quarantining I probably would have had a maximum of one day off as the only days I felt too I’ll to work were at the weekend. I was fine by the Monday…. I work in school though and anyone who works in school knows that we tend to get ill in the holidays - it’s like our bodies KNOW!

Not all do of course, but some do. I work with a nursing assistant who takes her full 6 months, then comes back for a while, then is off for another 6 months. She has bragged about it, saying "they canna let me go, eh'd get meh union on it". Annoying as the sickness policy has now changed for new starts, much less generous but will affect the genuine folk out there.

I’m self-employed but I’ve had a fair bit of time off this year, first with a really awful
cold and then with covid. I’m a massage therapist so I really can’t work when I’m sick. Would you want a massage from someone dripping snot and coughing all over you? I very much doubt it. Can’t be helped, unfortunately.

2017-2018 6 weeks post surgery
2018-2019 0
2019-2020 5 for bronchitis and GP told me to stay away from work.
2020-2021 0
2021-2022 2 for sinusitis, 1 for sick bug, 4 weeks post surgery.

I work 2 days a week now. This year was my most and should have triggered absence management but my surgery wasn’t included when they looked at it.

My last one was three years ago when I had a week off for an operation.

Probably had about 10 over 35 years. Last time was 2 days (very unusual!) for something that was VERY like first wave Covid in December 2019, by none since then.