@electriclight
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.
There are plenty of people who turn up for work and aren't off sick that often, who slack off a lot, and do fuck-all at work, and expect people to 'pick up the slack.' Salaried slackers we used to call them. There are plenty of bone idle fuckers who don't skive off work. They come in and do fuck-all!
Good for you if you are respected a lot at work. Many employees are not. Many are over-worked and tired and taken advantage of, and their manager takes the piss. They overload them with work, don't allow them the holiday leave they want, badger them in out-of-work hours (this happens to my DH!) and mithers them to see when they're coming back if they're off sick.
Not every employer is a fragrant, shiny, lovely breath of fresh air who is kind and thoughtful towards their employees. You're deluded if you think that's the case. Some employers treat their employees like shit, and they deserve people calling in sick for some time off. Also, many employers give a very basic amount of holiday leave/no flexi-time/flexibility.
My friend wanted Christmas off (in her job that does 24/7) a couple of years ago, and she was given it by the manager (signed off in July.) Off 22 to 28 December, then back in for New Year. Manager left, and a new one started in September, and he retracted the leave. Said she HAS to work Christmas/no-one can have it off etc etc, but she also has to work new year too as it's 'too late to get cover.' Everyone else has one or the other off. She had worked over Christmas Eve/Christmas day/Boxing day for the past 5 years and just wanted some time with her children (all 3 under 13 at that point.)
It made her very low and miserable, and started to feel quite depressed. She went to the GP a couple of months later - in early December, and asked if she could get a couple of weeks off for her mental health. GP gave her 4 weeks. Didn't return til 7th January. So the manager was then forced to cover her for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day, AND New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, and the Bank Holiday Monday that followed ... Really struggled to get staff in, and had to cover half the shifts himself. Utterly deserved it.
Treated unfairly? Treat unfairly in return.