To skive off work this week ?

[IKnowItsNotMine]

Posting her for quick traffic - I’ve got 10 mins to decide !

Relevant :

• Im literally never off work with sickness - I’ve had covid twice and loads of other illnesses but will power through 😷
• It’s lovely weather this week (UK) and I want to enjoy it before we’re back in winter.
• No one covers my job.
• I need annual leave for childcare in summer hols.

YABU - Get to work you lazy loser
YANBU - Life’s short, you deserve a week in the sun with no pesky kids.

I'm chucking at some of the replies on this thread. You'll be first out the door if there's a recession? Won't get a promotion? LOL.

I actually wouldn't do this myself probably. But I don't think you're the worlds worst person for doing it 😂
I don't think your work will know, as so many other posters are suggesting. There are lots of illnesses, including mental health that wouldn't prevent you from spending some time outdoors if you were off work sick. In fact, it could probably be quite good for you if you were actually sick.

Is it easy to just get the annual leave right now, without noone covering ?
sunshine this half term has been glorious

Realistically skiving off is a NO. But it is tempting. (And loads of people do it including many of the naysayers bashing you on here!) Enjoy your week at work @IKnowItsNotMine Hope it's super lovely and sunny when you are off next!

When my two kids were little many years ago, I worked three days one week and four days the next ... and for six or seven weeks in a row, whenever I was off, it was always pissing down, and then beautifully sunny on my days at work.

It got me down so much that I actually rang in sick for two full weeks. (Can't remember what I said it was now.) This was the first two weeks in August and me and the kids went off day trips to the zoo, nature parks, the beach, theme parks, woodland, playbarns, parks (swings and slides,) and walks by the river and canal... and a couple of city trips. It was awesome.

There was no Facebook or anything then. Nobody knew. I worked 12 miles away from work and there was no chance of anybody seeing me out and about. One of the best two weeks of my life. Nearly 100% wall to wall just me and the kids. (DH came on a couple of things but it was mostly me and them two.) Amazing time, and I did really envy SAHMs at that point! Oh it was sunny nearly every day too! (Except two days, when we went bowling one day, and to the cinema the next!)

I was 'salaried' and still got paid in full, but all my work was waiting for me when I got back. A two week backlog. Totally worth it!

Local business going through restructure process, employees put in a pool system to work out who is going to be made redundant. One criteria is attendance record @GracePalmer33

The only time I took a week off work was when I was diagnosed with something very serious. Had a doctors note to back it up obviously. Have you got your story straight? Because a week off work with a bug or even flu seems excessive. Do you have to ring everyday and put in a performance of a croaky throat? It’s just embarrassing! I presume you work from home if you said you carried on working through COVID? Can’t you just take 2 hour lunch breaks everyday this week and sit in the sun? Won’t you get spotted if you need to pop out?

Even when I’ve had jobs I’ve hated, I wouldn’t do this. I can’t lie. It’s just really dishonest. Karma is a b*tch, you’ll take the week off and one of the kids will break their arm at school. That’s how my mind works anyway.

“I'm staggered at the number of posters encouraging OP. It's taking advantage of the employer, it's effectively theft, and it's lazy”

Do you actually think that everyone works in the same job for the same employer as you?

I don’t work but if DH pulled a week’s sicky (or was really sick for a week) he would get precisely £43.76 in SSP. How the fuck is that taking advantage of anyone? Or “effectively” stealing? Not everyone gets company sick pay. In fact, vast numbers of the workforce can’t afford to be off sick.

His employer doesn’t give a shit about his staff. He actively employs agency workers on 12 week rolling contracts to avoid paying sick/holiday/maternity pay. So do many, many others.

If DH takes a week off for genuine reasons or not, one of the “floaters” picks up overtime (which they are happy for) and DH goes back to a shit-show of extra work the replacement couldn’t manage to complete because his employer won’t spend the money to certify an extra person to cover parts of DH’s job.

It must be great to work for a wonderful company who care about their staff and deserve the kind of loyalty shown on this thread, but a large percentage of people just work to pay the bills.

You ‘powered through’ two lots of Covid? Does that mean you went into work with it and spread it around? Thoughtless. Yes, that was the first thing I thought of but secondly I think you would be unreasonable to take the week off if you are perfectly fit.

I wouldn’t take a week off sick, but a 24hr sickness bug … well that happens.

I used to be someone who never phoned in sick. Even the days I was incredibly poorly I would drag myself in then go home at lunch instead. Then 2 years ago I pushed myself into a massive breakdown and mental health crisis, and realised I gained nothing by putting work above my health and now wouldn’t think twice about taking a mental-health day. Not taking the piss, but once per term I think is fine

I agree with @CouldIHaveThatInEnglishPlease - mental health days are very essential and to my view permissible if you don’t regularly use sick leave.
There is the added possible benefit of avoiding getting physically run down.
However you must be able to keep quiet about it to your colleagues if you are to maintain your credibility.

So many bootlickers on this thread

I would take the week sick if I really needed the break on the basis my absence isnt impacting others.

If you being off for a week doesn't impact anyone else I would be worrying how many weeks off wouldn't impact anyone and how important my role was

Why would the op lose leave for having sick days? Ask the OP, she put in her opening post "I need annual leave for childcare in the summer" as one of the things to consider about taking this week off.

I used to work with a guy who would always take all his sick leave entitlement each year he was quite open about it in our lunch room and would tell us he wouldn't be in x week because he would be off sick.

I like my job and am treated fairly, so I treat them fairly in return.

I wouldn't seek to artificially inflate my AL by a week more than my colleagues get.

Surely we all know who the skivers are and dislike them for it? The ones who think they should get preferential treatment over everyone else, who don't care if their colleagues have to pick up the slack?

Rarely progress, rarely respected.

I would compromise. Two days off! 🌻

This thread is depressing! Has nobody got a sense of humour anymore? It’s clearly lighthearted.

Just shows how many rats on a wheel there are. 'Work will set you free types.'

YABVU.

You don't have to be a rat on a wheel OR someone who thinks you deserve an extra paid week off at your employer's expense.

There's a spectrum of middle ground in between. Most people opt for expecting fair treatment and giving that in return.

I wouldn’t. You never know when you may need to be legitimately off sick, even if it hasn’t happened up until now. Things happen, you might need an operation and time off to recover, you really don’t know. If you just want time off you should book annual leave and apply for unpaid parental leave for a week over the summer.

Op is at work today....I’m pretty sure she saw next weeks forecast and decided to skive off then instead 😂

This. Some of these replies honestly.

😆

You can tell who the brown-nosers are can't ya?! 💩