Sick days

[Belladog1]

Just wondering how many days sick you generally have per year. I'm not talking serious ailments but coughs/colds/stomach issues etc ....

I am very lucky and I'm rarely ill. I can't remember the last time I got a cold and i don't think I've taken a sick day in years. I'd have to feel really rubbish before I'd consider not going to work.

But my colleagues are very different. One lady is off a lot, at least fortnightly with headaches or a cold. She apparently takes to her bed and gets looked after by her husband. I've noticed her son takes lots of time off too for ailments and she often gets calls from the school for him to be collected as he has tummy ache. I can't help but wonder if her sickness days and staying home look great to her son who gets a day home with one mention of a poorly stomach.?

My boss often phones me to say he's woken up feeling grotty and is taking a day to stay under the duvet.

I remember as a kid trying to convince my mum i was sick. She would sit on the bed, pull a silly face and if I giggled she'd say 'I think you're well enough to go to school', and off I'd go. But, even today, as a middle aged woman, I still feel guilty, almost like I'm lying, if I need a day off sick.

I’ve had 5 days off this year - full time teacher with hefty commute. One of those was a reaction to the flu jab so will do that in the holidays next year. If I didn’t have a massive commute I might have dragged myself in but train plus school germs plus exhaustion mean I get laid low. I’m going part time next year so hope that will help.

I suffer from headaches and migraines but it would be rare to take time off with them. Its just something ive learnt to deal with. Last year I took a half day with a sinus headache when I really couldn't work.

My cold and flu symptoms have really
decreased since I started taking vitamins and fish oil so I don't need time off for that.

If I am vomiting I will take time off but the last time I had a vomiting bug was a few years ago.

Prior to having children I had about 2 days off work in ten years, I considered myself very healthy and almost never sick. I wouldn't call in sick for a sniffle or headache just pop some pills and get on with it. Since having children (currently aged 5 and 2) I feel at least one of us is ill at any one time, I still go to work with colds etc but harder with stomach bugs. I've had 3 bugs in the last 3 years, prior to that I don't think I'd had one since I was a child.

Sick pay is manager's discretion so most at my work go in unless really bad as can't afford not to, only one person in my office is sick regularly and she could retire if she wanted after getting inheritance money so no worries for them about getting paid.

I’m 38, in the last year I’ve had 5 days off sick. 2 days due to Covid, 2 days due to a stomach bug and 1 day due to being burnt out. Most people in the team I’m working in have had more days than me. No medal for not taking any days off

In last 3 years about 4 months in total. Little bit cancer and the odd stomach bug / cold.

No sick pay in my job and no one takes days off sick unless they are really unwell. Last job where there was sick pay, lots of sick days surprise surprise. Only had one sick day in the last few years and that was when my cat went missing and I wanted to look for him (and wasn't paid).

Probably about 1 sick day every 2 years. Apart from during Covid when everyone had to isolate for a week.

We dont get sick pay for the first 3 days, so you just plod on with a cold. Things are changing from April, when everyone has to get statutory sick pay from day one, but that's a pittance. We get full sick pay after 3 days atm but I cant see them installing it from day one.

I think from the sounds of this colleague the amount of sick days is very excessive, but I also don’t agree with taking pride in never calling in sick either. We’re not robots, and if you’re ill to the point that you’d feel worse working or you’d be prolonging your illness, then why do that to yourself? Especially if you’re vomiting, or feeling so fluey that taking painkillers aren’t enough, then take the 1-3 days you need to rest and recover. Your job is not as important as your health and wellbeing.

Nothing until 41. Then between the migraines and joint issues and constant colds, too much time.

3-6 a year usually, migraines or colds that hit hard. I'm also awaiting gall bladder surgery and had three days off after an attack knocked me for six, feel like I might flare badly again before surgery.

I don't see any credit in not taking sick days. My performance is well worth my salary, it doesn't really matter if I'm off the odd day.

I get 5 days paid a year, so usually take 5 🤣 it was a better system when I worked in Australia, I got 10 days (seperate to holiday days), but these were called personal days which could be used for doctors appointments, dentist appointments etc, or if dependents were sick. Also got one mental health day a year as well

Haven’t been off in 18 months. Sometimes I can go years without being off sick. Most people in my workplace don’t throw sickies. We do get paid. We also wfh mainly so I think most people muddle through. The worst ppl for taking sickies are the head of dept and director above her.

if I worked somewhere like that I’d be more inclined to take a sick day for a cold or headache or whatever.

Public sector hybrid (though was exactly the same private sector, no noted difference on absence policy really, perhaps different in practice). I also feel guilty every time I call in sick because I feel like people will think I'm not ill enough or not being truthful. I think it's related to being a huge people pleaser and previous suspicious questioning. I come off the phone wondering if I sounded too happy to be ill.

I generally call in for D&V type bugs or flu/very bad cold. Sometimes for the sort of headache that just won't shift (invariably it's stress or fatigue related), I probably should more than I do. I do WFH when I have a milder lurgy, mostly so not to infect people but the commute would send me over the edge anyway.

I'd rather my colleague stayed home with their cold to get well, then struggle through the day and spread the sickness around

Ive had 10 sick days in 7 years, but went the first 3 years with none. Then I had kids who brought home every sickness bug they could from nursery.

I’m a public sector worker and have been with the same employer for 16 years. I have used sick leave for odd days (about 4 in the past 6 years) where I’ve had tonsilitis and norovirus. I have used long-term sickness leave once since being in this job when I was first diagnosed with a chronic illness and really poorly. I will tend to wfh with a cold, luckily I haven’t needed time off for one.

I would say I have a normal amount of time off for someone who has two small children. I probably have three sickness periods over the autumn/winter and then nothing all summer. That might be a day, it might be a week. It depends what it is and how likely I am to pass it on to someone else.

I work with small babies and families so I’m not doing home visits even with a really bad cold. It’s completely irresponsible. Sometimes if I can rearrange things and work from home I will, (video calls, safeguarding meetings on Teams, admin catch up etc.) but obviously I can’t do that with norovirus or a chest infection for example.

What county are you in? Don’t think we have that system in the U.K….most public sector in U.K. get 6 months full pay and 6 months half pay for sick….im nhs so all leave is separate….after sick pay there’s holiday pay ….33 days..,,.then 8 public holidays paid a year….then 1 week of carers leave , if needed…..then there’s bereavement leave paid ….up to 3 days….on top of that you get paid leave for hospital appointments ….and of course maternity and paternity leave…..I mean some people say they wouldn’t work for the nhs, but the nhs have been a life saver employer for me….I’ve had around 2.5years off sick in last 6 years ……and in the previous 6 years…,,around 18 months off…..always at full pay…..I would have gone under financially outside of public sector

The only sick leave I’ve taken in years was when I had Covid a few years ago as I was floored - think I had 5 days off. I don’t get ill very often thankfully and my children are older now. To be fair, they haven’t had much time off school over the years either - sheer luck. I work in the NHS and it continues to shock me how much sick leave people take. A lot of them (not all) are taking the piss and some will openly admit it!

The last day off sick for any reason I had was 22 years ago. I can’t afford to take a day off sick as you don’t get paid. And anyone moaning about people spreading germs.. it’s the companies they need to take that up with, until the pay full sick pay, I’m going in

In which case companies should pay sick pay. You do think people struggle through for fun do you..? If the were paid, they’d stay at home

How are all you people managing to never get sick?!
In the last 2 months I've had a week in bed with covid, a cold and now flu which resulted in another week in bed. On top of that 1 child caught flu and had a week off school. I'm trying to return to work after a gap and honestly panicking about sick days! Any tips to improve immunity?

I rarely take a sick day. Maybe one a year, probably less to be honest. I'm fortunate in that we work hybrid so if I'm full of cold but otherwise ok, I can just work from home until it has cleared.

I take every free vaccination offered, and in the case of COVID, I paid Boots £98 for a vaccination.

Opening poster, my adult child is like you. We have lived together for over 25 years and they have had three days off sick (one when they had a minor op and I insisted they took the following day off, and once before xmas bank holiday when they had flu).

Me? Before I retired I had six months off for an operation for lung cancer and recovery afterwards.

Twenty years before when I had breast cancer and had complications from the op, I had three months off.

So, congratulations on your good health, may you continue to enjoy it.