To take a sick day (from work) when my children are unwell?

[supermum87]

Hello,

Not really sure how to handle this? Am I even allowed to do this at work?

Background: Have 2 children. 3 and 1 years old. Work part time 3 days a week. I'm still doing the same job I was before having the children, but now job-share.

Today my two children were unwell. Temperate, cough, being sick. So I phoned my boss to say I wouldn't be in as the children were unwell.

My parents cover part of the childcare and today would have been a day with my Mum. However I felt that it wasn't fair on her to have to look after them both when they were this unwell. Also I felt like the both just needed their Mum.

WWYD? I can make up for today's day off by working one of my normal days off & asking my parents to cover that day instead....or I could just call it a sick day? FYI I still get paid on my sick days and in the last five years I've had less than 7 days sick (but have had two years of maternity )

Don't know if this makes a difference. But in my job I won't have any extra work to catch up on.


Thanks

[Yura]

i only do it if i'm sick myself. i can snuggle with my also sick child on the sofa even if i'm sick, but couldn't work anyway. itherwise its anual leave of 50/50 working from hine and annual leave (as i don't get a full days work done when looking after him)

[honeylulu]

risinghighinapril
"Some people place their children and family above their colleagues in terms of importance.

As much as I don't like leaving my colleagues in the lurch, my children's welfare does come first."

My children do come first. I am the main breadwinner and my job keeps a roof over their heads and them feed and clothed. Keeping it is absolutely about their welfare.

[Thinnestofthinice]

People are so black and white on here at times! yes, you are not sick. But unless you go shouting it from the rooftops that it is your kids who are instead, how on earth will work know that?!

[ilovesooty]

I suppose they might not know or find out if you're the kind of person who can lie brazenly in return to work interviews.

[Thinnestofthinice]

A back to work interview for one day

[ilovesooty]

Standard practice in jobs I've done in the last 20 years or so.

[Thinnestofthinice]

Really? Seriously though, what on earth do they ask you if you've had something like a stomach upset?

[ilovesooty]

Yes, seriously. In my company - standard questions. Duration of absence? Dates? Cause? Did you report your absence following the company procedure? Did you have to consult a doctor? Is there any support you need from the company or any reasonable adjustments? Has your absence triggered any formal review?

You fill it in with your line manager, s/he asks you how you're feeling and tells you to let them know if there's anything else you need on an ongoing basis.

[IYonicAllAndIYonicNow]

That's uncommon for one day off, sooty

[PetalMettle]

They're bringing sooty'S policy in at my place and hr woman Doing it says it's fairly common

[Bringmewineandcake]

We have sooty's policy at my work too - large, multinational company

[Princesspond]

We are allowed 5 days carers leave at full pay and 5 additional days unpaid per 12 months.

[AyeAmarok]

Same at my work too, also large multinational.

Any absence, even one day, and you have a return to work interview.

Form has to be completed by manager, details of all medication taken, whether a doctor was consulted, whether you feel able to do your normal duties, your current Bradford Factor score, etc.

[PageStillNotFound404]

The last three employers I've worked for, spanning almost 20 years, have all had return to work interviews as standard regardless of the duration of the illness.

In fact it's often the people who take one day's sick leave at a time who are the ones to build up exactly the sort of pattern (e.g. every Friday/Monday off) that the RTW interviews are supposed to help identify.

If you'd been my employee, OP, I would expect honesty and in return you would have been given the choice of taking annual leave, flexi leave, unpaid leave, working from home (if appropriate) or working a different day. Pretty much anything bar sick leave, since you weren't sick. It's rarely in anyone's interest to make their sick record look worse than it is, since monitoring is ever more common and it's something a prospective employer may well consider in the event of changing jobs.

[ilovesooty]

My company is a medium sized charity. I've been there nearly 13 years and the procedure had always been in place. It's seen and generally experienced as supportive rather than punitive.

My previous job was in teaching and return to work interviews were mandatory even after one day's absence.

[NashvilleQueen]

Only read first page so apologies if this has been said. I'm a manager and in your situation would be sympathetic. I would ask whether you could work from home or swap a day. I would consider paid special leave if there was no one else to take care of the children but you. If these options didn't work I would allow annual leave or unpaid special leave. Businesses need parents in the work place and parents often have to deal with sick children. Work places need to be family friendly and be flexible where possible.

In any event being willing to adapt (on both sides) creates a lot of good will for the future. It's just very important to be up front

I appreciate small businesses or certain jobs can't function well with people away here and there so I'm not saying this will always be the approach.

[ChestyNutsRoastingOnAnOpenFire]

My workplace also has back to work interviews after any length of absence. Huge company.

Seems lots of places do.

[IYonicAllAndIYonicNow]

Gosh.

[PetalMettle]

To add I work for a NFp with 30 staff so it's not just mncs

[TheNaze73]

I think you should tell the truth

[LittleLionMansMummy]

We have parental leave similar to compassionate. However, with that comes the expectation of flexibility. In my work it's sometimes difficult to take a day off at a moment's notice, but we have very flexible working arrangements (I largely work from home anyway) so I'd deal with urgent stuff while looking after ds. If this wasn't possible I'd offset it with annual leave instead. Dh also covers childcare when they're ill - why should it automatically be the mother who covers it?

[JC23]

Interesting.
Irrelevant but over here in Australia it's called sick and carer's leave. You get ten days a year and you can take it when you are sick or to look after sick children.

[allegretto]

In my contract I have the right to (paid) sick days for children up to the age of 12.