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?

So your company has really shitty HR.

What was I saying about red flags????

statistically speaking that isn’t widespread. It would be naive to think it doesn’t affect hiring choices even if employers aren’t legally allowed to discriminate on that basis.

Backwards? Your company gives the bare minimum annual leave and next to no paid sick leave.

We have a different society than you, and it works very well.

Most employers would see 2 periods of absence in a 7 month period for a new start a bit of a red flag to be honest. Someone being off for 3 months was presumably much more unwell with something serious than someone taking 2 days of twice in a short time frame. Frequent periods of 1 or 2 days absence throughout a year is more likely to trigger the sickness policy than someone being signed off for many weeks with stress, cancer etc.

oh I misread that as “where I work” not “where I live” apologies.

im curious if you don’t mind sharing, which country do you live in? I always hear the Nordic ones are good for this…

I think if you work in H.E./ for a University, then you will find tales of draconian sickness policies a bit bemusing.

At my red brick, some people have made an art form out of the sickness policy, which I believe is a formal meeting after three incidences of sickness in a 6 month period. It's not a disciplinary meeting, more of ' what can we do to support you' meeting.In some teams it appears there is almost an off sick 'rota' in place.

You honestly have to be royally taking the piss or off for about 18 months before Occupational Health or HR will get involved to assess whether you can actually do your job, need to be transferred elsewhere or offered a redundancy package.

I genuinely can't remember how many sick days I have had off in the last 3 years, but recently I have been signed off for a month and at no stage was it an issue. We have great phased return policies as well.

One big no-no is trying to fudge the issue by working from home if you are ill. Whilst I guess it is possible that you are too ill to do public transport and work in an office with people, but well enough to work from home ( gastro problems, mobility issues) , it is not allowed. If you are ill, you're ill - no half measures.

I think it’s really sad that people say four days is too much or too high or are boasting about not being off sick at all.

My children have had at least four sick days off school in the last academic year, and I think that’s perfectly normal.

When my sibling and I were children, we never “allowed” to be off when we were sick, being off was some kind of moral failing. I think that leads to an unhealthy burnout mentality - that the job is more important than your health. It isn’t. I think it’s culturally dangerous to have that stance.

Yes I do not appreciate their presence at all, and they are coming off as anything but positive

That’s dreadful, I’m feeling very thankful, much more motivated, loyal to my employer after reading some of these comments, my goodness!

You are absolutely right, Scandinavia.

I am customer facing and sit with around 100 people a week across a desk as well as travelling by bus every day so some years I get a lot of illness. It can't be helped. I was last off 18 months ago but for 2 weeks as flu turned into a respiratory tract infection. If I am ill I can't struggle in to work as it's not the sort of job you can do whilst coughing and spluttering everywhere.

I think our policy states that you hit triggers if you have more than 3 separate absences or 2 weeks absence in a rolling year.

We have to complete a return to work form after each absence, and then if you do hit triggers, you go through disciplinary measures - verbal through to written.

Of course this all depends on the sickness, so if someone was diagnosed with something and they needed 6 months off, they'd be paid in full for that and it wouldn't result in disciplinary procedures.

Am I reading some companies give 1 day of sick leave per year? Others only SSP.

Our staff get 10 working days sick leave per year, no questions asked on FULL pay (a full two weeks)
Four weeks per year on full pay annual leave.
7 days carers leave

Not UK based.

Furthermore, if we are on annual leave and get sick, we can claim back our holiday. I wouldn't dream of doing that, and I'd gladly take the odd day sick out of my annual leave. We aren't allowed to do that, and rightly so, but I'd prefer to do that than stressing about being sick if I'm near the trigger point.

IF I needed it I’d get six months full pay, six months half pay. Obviously that would have to be medically certified and depending on the nature of illness occupational health may get involved.

That’s a legal requirement.

@DeclutteringNewbie the being able to claim your holiday back? If so, I didn't know that, but still wouldn't do it 🤣

That's not anything specific to your company. It is a legal requirement that all employers have to abide by.

Yes.

We have paid carers leave for that….up to 2 weeks at managers discretion

you wouldn’t claim it back?? Why don’t you get paid?
its a given that you do it at my place of work…..in fact it’s already been taken off your leave card by the time you return to work when you off sick

Is that public sector in your country?
because that is way below U.K. public sector

we get 6 months full and 6 months half pay for sick
paid carers leave up to 2 weeks at managers discretion
compassiontate leave for funerals dependant on the closeness of relative as to how many days
33 days Annual leave
8 bank holidays
and 2 volunteer days

@Kitkat1523 yeah I get paid sick leave, but I also get what I think is a decent holiday allowance.

I wouldn't claim back my holiday and take it as sick leave because of our sickness policy, which triggers at 3 separate occasions or 2 weeks in a rolling year. You can't predict and have no control over being ill, so I'd be relieved I was sick whilst I was taking annual leave, rather than having to phone in.

I'm not a martyr, and will phone in sick when I'm too unwell to work, but I hate doing it and I hate not knowing when I might be sick in the future.

You said the U.K. was backwards……

Some U.K. private companies are very tight on sick pay e.g Statutory Sick Pay (£116.75 p/w) only. Local authority, civil service and NHS etc get 5-6 months full salary pay sick leave dropping down to half pay for a further 5-6 months.
20 days (plus bank holidays) annual leave per year is the legal minimum for everyone anyway.