To take a sick day?

[catlover564]

I haven't had a sick day in over 5 years. My manager will pay everyone up to 3 sick days a year. Every other member of staff have sick days even when I know they aren't genuinely sick. Should I have a sick day? Am I missing a trick? The only reason I haven't is not wanting to ruin my track record

Save it for when the weather is icy and cold, be sure to have stocked up on food and drink and have clean sheets on the bed. Plan what you are going to watch/read and then go for it.

Take 2 days

Wow....really? Do you realise how fortunate you are to have not been ill for 3 years? 7 years ago I had cancer followed by 4 major abdominal operations. That ended and I got Bells Palsy. I was off work for around 2 years in total. It has been a struggle back to health for me and I have lifelong issues as a result of the cancer. This last year i have only been off twice which is great for me. We're "allowed" to be off sick twice in 12 months. If I wasn't off in 3 years I'd be delighted. Be grateful.

Simple answer is if you are sick than take a sick day, if you're not sick then don't.
I do have sympathy, sometimes you can just feel exhausted and run down and really feel like you need a day off and if colleagues phone in sick you can feel like a mug. There's no prizes for martydom and unless you are continually off sick there's ( thankfully) no repercussion at my work place. I was in the same position as you but I always thought knowing my luck I'll be genuinely ill the following week so I never did fake it. I'm currently off recuperating from an operation and now the pain has subsided I'm enjoying putting my feet up without feeling the slightest bit guilty!

Sick days are for when you're sick
The clue is in the name

@Bbq1 I don't think your illness has anything to do with op not knowing how lucky she is.

Of course she knows how lucky she is.

”It’s laughable all these people with a deep sense of moral obligation to an employer that would replace them in a week if they dropped dead”

It’s odd that you think not ringing in sick fraudulently involves having a “deep sense of moral obligation”. Isn’t that just, you know, being a normal honest person?

And however supportive an employer is, I’m not sure anyone would expect them to observe a mourning period in the event an employee unfortunately passes away...!

Absolutely...I would, but I do have dubious morals 😕 Just be aware if you are actually sick you'll be unpaid.

Well, maybe op does know how lucky she is then having good health - because she's considering rewarding herself for never being off sick by calling in sick!! When it comes down to it, when you're sick you're sick and she's on wobbly ground because she could easily be genuinely ill next week. In the past I hated phoning into work to say I had a "stomach bug"(which was genuine) because it just sounds fake and vague even when it isn't

Sick leave is an entitlement if you are sick and it isn’t if you aren’t. It’s simple to understand.

I'm off sick. It's shit. I'm in pain, lonely, miserable and feel useless and guilty.
I'd far rather feel well and be at work.

@Wattagoose90

"People who call in sick with a cold or minor illnesses take advantage on my opinion. Sick days are for when you're physically unable to fulfil your duties due to being unwell."
A bad cold can often mean you are unable to fulfil your duties. It is also passed on to loads of others and can make their lives utterly miserable.

I've felt far worse with a bad cold than with Breast Cancer.

@Spied

That is what holidays are for.

@Smilebehappy123

What else do you expect employers to do if an employee dies ? Allow the business to fail and put all other employees out of a job ? Or perhaps replace the employee to ensure the business can continue ? What a ridiculous statement to make.

Sick days are for sick people who cannot work. Holidays are for rest and relaxation.

I think taking “mental health / me” days as a skive is actually offensive to those who have genuine MH issues making them incapable of work (either short or long term).

OP - if you are not sick, do not take a sick day. Take a holiday. You can see above from PP who know of people bring found out one way or another. People are living in cloud cuckoo land if they think employers don’t know the difference between hard workers and those looking for any excuse to skive.

And it’s also not the point but what happens if you do need genuine sick days later - your absence record will be shot (and it is something that is common for new employers to ask is put on a reference). It will also go against you in redundancy situations.

I think the OP is fully aware of when sick time should be taken. They also aren't being critical of anyone genuinely ill taking time off. They are a bit peed off that they don't take sick time yet know others who take time off sick when they aren't and just treat it as holiday supplement.

OP, if your company has to shed staff then your attendance record will stand you in good stead and, assuming you are as good as each other at your job, you would be retained in preference to them.

When I worked for BT years ago we got paid for up to 15 days sick per year and loads of people treated it like holiday supplement. My BIL was a bank manager and he always used it up as an entitlement too. I know people who were sick for one day but took two off sick because they thought it looked like they were more ill (if they said 24hr tummy upset they thought they'd be seen to be skiving).

I genuinely don't understand why so many people are so uppetty about the fact OP is considering having a skive. And I'm the kind of person who goes in unless a limb has fallen off.

Where I work, people have six months off sick at a time on full pay with made up conditions. Then there are the martyrs who come into work despite having the black plague and make sure the entire building gets a good dose of it.

For the sake of three days in five years, just have a duvet day OP.

Yes, take all three every year. That's what they are there for

@Fatted

Perhaps because the cost of covering sick leave is something that has to be paid by someone.

Generally employers will look to try and pass such costs on and high sickness costs will be one factor in not increasing wages, benefits etc...

As someone who doesn't get paid for being ill and have had to go to work and struggle when really I should be at home I find it very annoying when people take sick days when they just want a few days off and have run out of holiday or don't want to use their holiday. I don't want to go to work and make others ill and shouldn't have too. Sadly I cannot afford to lose the money and it also means it takes longer for me to get better. Paid sick leave is a privilege.

@sas1879

Yes. One that will disappear if too many abuse it !

Murphy's law says that if you take a sick day without being sick, you will get norovirus at least 3 times this winter. I am superstitious though and hate vomiting.

Are you enjoying your sick days OP ? Make sure you take them all , afterall they are just extra holidays and there to be used up

afterall they are just extra holidays and there to be used up

You must have shit holidays if you think they are the same as a sick day.

This is one of the many reasons I love employing others!

I’ve occasionally thrown a sickie and have no qualms. In the whole scheme of life it doesn’t matter. What effect did taking a day off sick at an employer I worked for 10 years ago have on anybody’s life? Zero effect.

Yes, I definitely would take a.sick day,.and have done several times in the past. Don't most people?