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?

My daughter going into year 10 and has never had a day off sick from school. I don't think it's that uncommon either. My son, a year older, no sickness in primary school, but has been sick about once a year for a day or so at secondary. No broken bones/injuries despite them both doing competitive sports and cycling daily. I think they've been lucky in that respect though.

My workplace sickness policy is pretty good I think. There's no threats of terminating contracts etc. We do have to fill in a self certification even if off for half day sickness though. Over a week needs to have a doctors note I believe. We get time off, no need to make up the time, for any medical or dental appointment. Also, at the discretion of our manager we are allowed up to 5 days paid parental leave in case of emergencies relating to kids. I haven't had to use this yet. My DH has a teacher also gets paid leave for kids sickness.

We have to go to work, COVID or not. You'll find that's pretty normal in most places now. You may think people stay home with COVID but I'll bet there are some who have come in thinking it was a cold and haven't tested.

You went to work knowing you had COVID? What type of workplace do you have? Rules or not, anybody in my workplace would stay at home if they knew they had an extremely infectious virus that can knock people out for days, just out of common courtesy.

Even if they're on a final warning for poor attendance? Of course they wouldn't stay at home.

(Or are you in the public sector, maybe?)

I've had COVID 3 times, each time I was rough as a dog and couldn't possibly have done even half a day's work.

Fortunately we've been allowed to wfh once well enough (but still coughing/contagious) but isn't it logical to keep away from folks if you can whilst suffering from any illness?

DP has just had 6 weeks of certified sick leave. During his probation period. Fully paid. Passed probation. Boss came and picked him up and took him for a coffee for their "back to work meeting" which was to make sure they didn't put too much on him when he returned. He's due to go on paternity leave shortly, 3 months full pay. There has not been an utter of any of this being an issue. Granted he suffered a major injury that required surgery and is an amazing worker when he's there. But they have gone above and beyond, his last employer would have left us in the shit, in fact they still owe him his last wage packet. Octopus energy, literally the best company ever. We both recommend them to everyone.

@Abigail47 If I were your manager you'd already have been given the heave-ho.

B&Q three absences in 18 month you're fired. (Obvioudly exceptions for long term conditions). My daughter had one day upset tummy, two separate days migraines and was fired after 8 months

13 weeks then pay starts reducing 75/50/25%, and just as well I’ve had cancer twice.

Law firm.

Legally you can self certify for a week. No Dr will give you a sick note for 2 days.

I was just reading this. I'm in a end of life and vulnerable people type job. I had the actual flu in February and had 6 days off. I had 1 day of in july with a fever
I had 2 days off in August with a stomach bug. I've just woken up with fever and chills. My throat is burning too.Everyone at works had it! So I have called in sick for today. But I've had 10 days off now. But I pick up most of it at work and I could potentially kill somebody with my germs or give them it and itl lead to pneumonia etc. Yet our work still use Bradford scores and warn us. It's a tricky one!

Four days in seven months is a lot. Personally, I don’t think having a cold is a reason not to go to work. Take some Lemsip and get on with it. I would only stay off work if I was vomiting or I had a high temperature.

Surely that depends on where Madarinaduck lives? Not everyone lives in the UK. You can't self certify for 7 days where I live. From day 3 onwards you need a doctor's note.

That depends on one's situation - I've worked in a setting where we were explicitly told not to come in if we had colds, because we saw people who were clinically vulnerable or immunicompromised. It's why making it possible to WFH is such a good idea. My current role is hybrid, it means that if I'm snotty, I can WFH, be as effective and not share my viruses with other.

I don’t think 4 days off in 7 months is a lot. I would barely notice.

6 days / 3 occurrences for us

You seem to struggle with rules OP. Your workplace sounds like they have rules and structure to stop people taking the piss. Because most people take the piss, if you let them.

We always have a return to work meeting so we can have any adjustments made.

If we have 3 absences it triggers the first stage to check if there is anything they can do. Or if it's longer than 4 weeks.

It's what they do to cover themselves. It started for me in 1996 when I worked in Greggs. So for me it's normal x

I can understand that if you work in this situation, you have to be careful about germs. However, it doesn’t sound like OP works in such a place. 4 days in 7 months is a lot and if I was their manager I would be concerned that this may become a pattern. Sounds like the OP feels that’s ok though, so I’m not surprised their both is taking a stand.

To be fair that rather depends on what you do for a living.

if you mainly work alone and don't have to speak much that's fine, if you work in a control room or call centre where you talk all shift eg. for me having a cold and throat infection for a 12 night shift where I'm dispatching emergency services and giving constant verbal instructions to my units or taking 999 calls is rather different to someone working on an admin function in a bank back office for 8 hours 9x5. I can't do my job from home and I work in an air conditioned control room where one person's Cold will easily spread round 50-60 people in a matter of a couple of days.

I think ‘allowed’ is the wrong word. If you are ill and cannot work, you self-certify and then get a fit note if it continues. Individual companies will have sick absence policies, some of which are draconian. Others will hopefully have a more realistic policy, but eventually poor attendance, past a certain point, is unsustainable, both for the company and the employee.

My most recent workplace had statuatory sick pay, so they weren‚t questioning you being sick, but ultimately you weren’t paid or used your annual leave. I think sickness pay policy in the UK is outrageous

Exactly. It’s like having a cold in i.e. November and sickness bug in February. What’s so weird and excessive about it.

You haven't had a really bad cold! You can't get on with it when you're sneezing uncontrollably (literally) , aching all over and feeling too ill to sit up straight. Colds are all different.

Exactly. And there’s no medals in life for working through illness and subjecting your colleagues to you sniffling and coughing or prolonging feeling shit because you can’t rest.

99.9% of the time there is absolutely no productivity or work ethic difference between someone who has taken 5 sick days in a year and someone who has taken 1. It’s completely arbitrary.