How many sick days are you allowed to take?

[Abigail47]

In my last job, they didn't really care that much about sick leave. They would let people take up to about two weeks uncertified sick leave, and if you were certified for sick leave, you could take months of sick leave. They also didn't do return to work meetings for sick periods of less that five days.

I only took about four days sick leave in a year in that last job.

I started a new job seven months ago and I'm in shock.

I've taken four days sick leave in the whole seven month period. Two different periods of two days. I was sick. They were uncertified (as I had moved to a new area and hadn't registered with a local doctor in time) and I didn't get paid.

After each period I was called into an office with a manager and made to do a return to work meeting.
I was told in each meeting that too much sick leave can leave to contract termination.

My colleague just took five days certified sick leave, and on her return they said the same to her, that too much sick leave can lead to contract termination.

Aibu to think that four days sick leave in a whole year is not a lot.

Like we are going to get sick . Everyone does.
In one of my sick periods I totally lost my voice with a chest infection. I couldn't speak at all and I have a customer facing role.

What is sick leave like in your organisation?

Good for them for being in a union!💪

Unions protect workers, they don’t cost citizens money😂

I was just about to say this!

Gosh! That sounds quite harsh, I used to hardly have any sick days but since covid I’ve definitely had a lot more, the last time I got covid it completely knocked me out and I couldn’t get out of bed for about 3 days even if I tried, it sounds like they have trust issues with employees, might not be a great place to work long term or maybe they’ve had a lot of issues with people taking the p!ss?! Health is wealth!

I also think that 4 days in 7 months is a lot of sick days. I have had 1.5 days off sick in the last 4 years.

I get 5 months full sick pay followed by 5 months half sick pay then SSP.

Sickness procedures can be triggered after 3 periods of absence in one year or 2 weeks continuous absence whichever is first. I say can be as this is at line manager discretion. Sickness procedures must be initiated after 5 absences or 4 weeks.

Let's just say my new employer was a total shock.

I won't say they're wrong and I'm right.

They want a different kind of employee, and I want a different kind of workplace.

they don't suit me as a workplace. Sometimes people and places don't match.

I have an interview for a new job next week.

If I get offered the job, I'll definitely be looking at my contract extremely closely.

Amazed at some of these responses. Pretty much everyone in my team has had at least one period of sick leave this year. COVID, chest infections, stomach bugs etc. As a hormonal migraine sufferer I went through a really bad year of being incapacitated with a migraine nearly every month. They are a little better now but usually strike badly at least a couple of times a year. I also had a flu type virus earlier in the year (despite having had the flu vaccine) and couldn't get out of bed for 3 days. I'm not sure our sick leave is even monitored?

The point is if all you have is cold symptoms- you take medication and go to work. Otherwise the world would grind to a complete halt Nov-Mar every year.

Also I never appreciate people coming into work when they are clearly really sick, they’re not productive and I don’t want them making me or others ill either!

I wouldn't work under some of the regimes described here. Fortunately I'm a contractor on a day rate and manage my own schedule. If I feel OK to work, but have something I don't want to inflict on my co-workers, I WFH. If I'm below par (so unlikely to be as productive as usual) and have no urgent deadlines or I'm properly sick and can't work, I take a day off.

I had Covid a few weeks ago, and really wasn't feeling brilliant. I kept working for one of my clients because I'm freelance and if I don't do a day with them I don't get paid (and I wfh so no risk to anyone else). However, what I achieved over the two days when I was at my worst was pretty minimal - I was basically sitting in a lot of zoom meetings and turning off my microphone every time I needed to cough. I'm not sure whether employers who insist on presentism are actually getting a lot back from people.

@Sheri99 the idea that you think a person should work a full year without any days off is insane but American work and absence policies have always seemed crazy to me like lumping sick days into holiday days so a person is too scared to take their holiday in case they need to be ill - no way to live!

You (OP) give the impression that you think this is time your are in some way entitled to take off work. That isn’t quite right. Think again.

I've had colds where it'd just coughing and sneezing and I'm fine.

I've had other colds where I have a fever, can't speak at all as my throat is so sore, feel dizzy, feel terrible. When I have those, which is only occasionally, maybe once a year or once every two years., I feel too sick to go in

Not in the UK. Here you need a doctor to sign you off from day one. Its all digital these days, natkonwide system with no paperwork involved. First three days used to be unpaid, now a person is paid around 60% of usual pay. First two weeks paid by the employer, then national sick pay kicks in.
No back to work meetings or warnings. People generally stay at home when sick. Its considered normal to take a week off sick if you are sick with cold/flu type of thing.

I am entitled to move job.

I've an interview for a different job next week.

Where I work, 4 days in the. O this would be considered quite high.
Someone who'd worked at the company for 7 months would be considered 'new'. Probation is 6 months so they'd only be 1 months outside of probation.
And staff stay far, far longer than 1 year. Any organisation that has such high staff turnover needs to look at their culture - it must be costing them a fortune in recruitment.

We are unpaid for the first 2 days. Then SSP. Return to work interviews after each absence,

However, illness is acknowledged as being inevitable. Serious illness is dealt with compassionately. After having built up a history of being a good and valued worker, it's unlikely anyone would be taken to task for a poor absence record. They'd instead be supported, referred to OH and given flexibility. But this history takes time - years not months.

Third sector.

Precisely, where I work if someone came in very sick they’d probably be made to go home, it’s one thing if someone isn’t bothered about looking after their own health but they shouldn’t inflict that onto others. Obv if you have employees that really take the p!ss then there are wider issues at play!

Yeah, I wouldn’t cope with the US way, and isn’t it 2 weeks of mat leave?!

I have very young children, I have been on mat leave but DH has had to take 2 bouts of sick leave in the last 6 months because of sickness viruses caught off the kids. Not sure how you are supposed to avoid those sorts of things with young children and you absolutely cannot begin to work from home.

That's such a bad attitude. Find a job you love.

Three periods in rolling 6 month period, five periods in rolling 12 month period or a certain number of days would trigger a monitoring period.

The monitoring period has conditions attached, such as only one period of sickness permitted in 4 months then if you ‘fail’ monitoring HR interviews and threat of dismissal.

its not really a completion to not get sick 🙄 it can’t be helped.

im so glad that since covid our school has stopped giving out attendance awards.

Good luck! There are definitely places better suited to you 😊 you only get one life!

Hmm it's interesting that you say people stay at your workplace for a long time.

My friend works in a completely different industry to me, and the longest that she has stayed in any job, is a year too.

In one of my workplaces. , I stayed there for two years. And I was there the longest

No allowance as such but that's a lot of sick leave in a short time... Dh taken 4 sick days in 8 years..I took 2 in 4 years...

And 7 months is relatively new. You have no job security until you've been in a job for 2 years.