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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To pull a sicky to go to an interview for a better job...

89 replies

falulahthecat · 06/05/2014 18:11

That's it, really.
I 'job share' with a girl, who does NO work (seriously, in 2 weeks she has answered 6 emails, I stopped counting after 150 of mine, basically she's not very good with pcs and didn't realise there was a sent folder!) and when I brought it up the manager said she understood why I'd not been able to do any of the other stuff I'm supposed to dop now (she'd thought I was taking all day to answer 5 emails) but then made excuses for this girl, saying she'd been 'busy' counting car park money. Well, that means she took 2 days to count £3,000. The other week I did £2,600 in 2 hours.
I know she can't help but work at a different speed, but she also gets paid more than me, and keeps assuming I've made mistakes because "I'm new" the 'rectifying' them, then it turns out there never was a mistake, she's fucked it all up and then calls it a 'miscommunication' between us. Err... right.
If it was just her I could probably sort it out, but I also have to work Bank holidays on 20p above minimum wage (they do love to harp on about the 20p) and the way they do holiday means if you take a week off you basically get NO pay at the end of the month.

Anyways, I've been asked to go in for an interview during the week on a day I work. I know she won't swap the day with me because the last time she said she'd look at her rota when she got home, ignored 3 emails from me then when we next worked together in the other side of our job acted like it'd never happened. What's weirder is we seem to get on but when I know she's being so two faced it's very difficult to be rational, especially when she keeps saying MY desk, MY folder, MY phone, she can't see me as an 'ally' and it's really frustrating. The manager, even knowing what she's been doing, hasn't said a word because we're a 'small team' and she doesn't want to rock the boat, which is fair enough but doesn't justify me doing 5 times as much work for less pay and being stressed by being accused of making mistake I haven't, on what is actually a very mundane, easy job.

So, can I pull a sicky to go to this interview if she won't swap the day and the new place, a great job with a charity, can't change the interview day?
I don't want to miss out :/

Sorry for the long ranty post!

OP posts:
StickyProblem · 06/05/2014 18:13

Go to the interview, get the job, and get out of there! There's nothing you can do with a job share partner that won't pull their weight. But don't get caught.
Good luck with the interview!

blackteaplease · 06/05/2014 18:15

Can't you take annual leave? If you get caught pulling a sicky you might not get a good reference.

needaholidaynow · 06/05/2014 18:15

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
falulahthecat · 06/05/2014 18:17

blackteaplease
I did mention that taking holiday here is weird. Basically NONE short notice and they work out your pay presuming you won't take any, so if you do your pay gets a serious dent.

Plus, if I did take leave, this girl is the one who's supposed to cover, and the whole point is she won't. :/

But yes, getting caught out does worry me!

OP posts:
OwlCapone · 06/05/2014 18:18

YABU. It is always unreasonable and dishonest to "pull a sicky".

Yangsun · 06/05/2014 18:18

I think you need to tell your boss about the interview and if necessary you can explain why you have felt the need to apply for this job. You can make it clear that you would otherwise be very happy in your current job. If you pull a sicky and get the job it is likely your boss will find out when the interview was which could mean a very negative reference and lead to the offer being withdrawn. You could also find yourself on disciplinary action in your current job. It's really not a good idea.

DoJo · 06/05/2014 18:19

I wouldn't purely because I did once, and then spent the whole time terrified that they would offer the job, request a reference from my current employer and say something like 'Further to the interview DoJo attended on the xth of x, we would like to request a reference' and someone would twig, leaving me up shit creek with current job and potential new employer. Fortunately they didn't, but the idea that they could made it too stressful for me.

SomethingAboutNothing · 06/05/2014 18:20

Good luck with your interview Grin

wtffgs · 06/05/2014 18:20

You are entitled to paid annual leave afaik.

I agree you might be at risk of a poor reference if you are caught out.

LackaDAISYcal · 06/05/2014 18:21

I would say a hospital/doctor/dentist/school/solicitor appointment and say you will be in later/leaving earlier/make up the time.

lessthanBeau · 06/05/2014 18:21

can you book off a day for annual leave? or ask for unpaid leave for the day, if not then yes I would pull a sickie or invent a dental/hospital appointment if you can manage to work part of the day. the other worker is irrelevant to the decision really , either she will swop or she wont then you can ask about AL/UL.
good luck with the new job

DIYapprentice · 06/05/2014 18:21

Normally I would say no, but if an employer leaves you with absolutely no ability to take time off for even an emergency then sod it, they deserve it.

LackaDAISYcal · 06/05/2014 18:22

or just take annual leave. Not sure how a holiday would mean no wage at the end of the month as you are entitled to paid holidays.

Original poster
falulahthecat · 06/05/2014 18:23

If I told my boss about the job they'd probably just ask me to leave! Am on a 0 hours contract with a weeks notice on either side, yet I'm doing finance work and other stuff.

OwlCapone
The problem is I don't WANT to 'pull a sicky' - it's just this girl is not getting back to me about swapping the day, like last time, even though she has no reason and it'd actually give her 2 days in a row rather than a split weekend.

If were as easy as a normal job I wouldn't be here aksing the question.
I've always just taken a days holiday or organised the interview for a different date, here it's not possible. It's make it easier if I could explain where I work but obviously can't do that!

OP posts:
BikeRunSki · 06/05/2014 18:23

See, I'd be worried that Karma/fate would bite back if I pulled a sicky to go to an interview (sigh, and I am a scientist). But I am not sure what else you can do. Can't he job not go uncovered for a while whilst you take annual leave? Could the interview be changed to a day you don't work?

BikeRunSki · 06/05/2014 18:24

Sorry, we x posted OP and I see those options aren't possible.

Original poster
falulahthecat · 06/05/2014 18:25

LackaDAISYcal
Me taking holiday rests solely on this girl being able to cover me, as someone HAS to be at our desk.

We get paid as though we're not going to take holiday, so we get extra at the end of each month, even though we get paid per hour.
So, if I take a week off, I lose previous holiday pay, and don't get paid for the week, which here is 7 days not 5, as my hours are irregular. It sucks, it makes no sense to me, but it's all apaprently legal! Don't even get time and a half on BH's

OP posts:
NearTheWindymill · 06/05/2014 18:26

No. Explain to your manager and ask for the time off, unpaid if necessary.

I have withdrawn a job offer from someone who wrote no sickness on their application form and when the reference came through it noted was sick on x day and it was the same day as the interview. There were a few other things that didn't stack up and the reference wasn't great but that was the bit I got him on - he'd signed to say that everything on the application was true and it wasn't.

Treat this with caution OP. You could end up disciplined where you are and losing an offer from elsewhere.

Abence on the application form is no longer a legal question by the way.

KissesBreakingWave · 06/05/2014 18:27

Since they're pulling illegal stunts with your pay, you're under precisely zero obligation to play fair with them. Can I recommend you steal and ebay as much stationery as you can on the way out? I won't go as far as suggesting you go for a massive shit on the manager's desk*, but since they're breaking the law by refusing you paid holiday time, it's about what they deserve.

*Doing this while said manager is actually sat at their desk will ensure your name lives in legend for ALL TIME.

DotToDott · 06/05/2014 18:27

i wouldn't ask her to swap, if she doesn't and then you have to pull a sicky on a day you've previously tried to get off it will look dodgy.

just call in sick on the day or the day before.

she sounds like a twat btw and your boss needs to grow a backbone and do something about her.

Original poster
falulahthecat · 06/05/2014 18:27

BikeRunSki
That's ok! And yes, Karma is actually my biggest worry! Grin

Just want to reiterate again to other comments - I CANNOT take time off for a dentist/docs appointment, they expect me to do that on my days off, I CANNOT take a short notice day off without this girl covering, which she isn't going to do.

Of course I'd have thought of taking leave otherwise Hmm

OP posts:
PrincessBabyCat · 06/05/2014 18:27

Take the sick day. That's what their for. I sometimes use them as "I'm sick of work" days. Wink

Justnapping · 06/05/2014 18:29

Pull a sickie!! We've all done it. :-)

YeGodsAndLittleFishes · 06/05/2014 18:29

I think I'd go with what Yangsun said. Don't give them a choice, let them know politely that you will be taking (minimum necessary) time off to attend a job interview.

What would they need to do to keep you where they are? (Unfortunately you need to find ways to answer this which don't involve how they treat workshy-jobshare person.)

BikeRunSki · 06/05/2014 18:30

If someone has to be at your desk, what happens in breaks/when you need a wee?

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