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?

7 months is a new starter OP.

how bad sick were you ? you said a cold ? could you have taken lemesip etc. I have endo horrendous pain every month but life goes on. yes I can work from home if I can but some days I have to go into the office and can't get out of it so I dose up on painkillers. your procedure in work sounds very normal.

I also don’t know anyone who takes sick days for a cold, you take the tablets and you go in.

I think your last job were very lax - if people being off regularly for long periods. I can’t think what kind of business would be able to sustain the loss of staff like that. However new one maybe slightly too harsh!

The answer to your question is ‘zero’ though - we are all contracted to work our contracted hours whatever job we do.

Are you in a call centre OP? It seems a very high turnover of staff.

Despite the sickness thing many of my colleagues have been there 30+ years.

I personally don’t take much sick leave (2 days for a d&v bug this year, I think the last time before that was in 2020 - again a sickness bug so work wouldn’t have me back sooner anyway) - but even I don’t think 2 periods of 2 days sick in 7 months is that high!! I wouldn’t be judging a colleague for that. Some of my colleagues have way more separate absences than that and as far as I know no one’s ever been in trouble. And I work in a school so it’s a pain the bum if someone is off as you have to find someone to put in front of the class - no option to work from home and no catching the work up at a later date. Yet I still can’t imagine SLT being cross about 2 illnesses.

This is good practice.

Oh this really fucks me off. The Bradfield Calculator is great BUT what about if you're disabled? Because it doesn't consider disabilities. So you've got cancer and you're employed and in-and-out of hospital, you've hit the "limit" in weeks. All these policies assume the person is healthy but people aren't always. Chronically ill people aren't healthy. It's not "taking the piss" not to be at work when you're seriously ill, it's actually just bad luck. And in my opinion - in the same way schools still have attendance awards - discrimination. Imagine if they banned maternity leave as it was too long. And, sorry to be brutal, but in most cases having a child is a choice.

More than 3 days of sick leave in a year would get you a verbal warning at my work

It's not how many you are allowed to take, that sounds planned. And not everyone gets sick regularly. Lots of people don't.
In my work there's an interview after every instance & 4 days in 7 months seems a lot.

This is bollocks. And a red flag if attrition is that high.

Bradford scale so three absences lead to review. Back to work after each one. However management are really nice.

we have targets for clients dealt with, individual and office as part of a national contract. Don’t meet the targets and office may lose the contract and redundancies. If you are off sick the rest of the office had to make that up or the office is under special measures.
Just thinking about sick leave makes me feel guilty. I’m struggling with work stress and my MH but worse knowing others will need to work harder. Everyone is worried and stressed. My actual office is great but target is still there.

It's not based on days with my employer. I was off for a few weeks following a gall bladder operation this year. If I had been off 3 separate days that would've been a trigger.

In most workplaces (every one I’ve worked at), the Bradfield calculator wouldn’t be used for employee’s with a disability for exactly this reason. It’s a reasonable adjustment to remove this calculation for that employee, to do otherwise would be discrimination.

They couldn’t apply the same rules in the case of a disability. There could be rules, but they would have to be reasonable.

Bradford.

I would consider you in new starter category . In our industry at least a year not to be .

I think it depends how ill you are . I suffer with Ibs and have had about 3 days off in 2 years - once i managed to get to work but was too ill . Once I managed till lunchtime . I have had conversations what they expect me to do about it .. She was sympathetic .

i had a week off for Covid .

sometimes people are sick .

however you say a cold - most people dose up and work through a cold although I get annoyed when people are clearly to sick to be at work and just spread there germs

They do, but ultimately - people are paid to do a job. They can't do their job if they're not there.

As I say, in my workplace it would formally trigger a review. It's a very large company and they have a policy in place, for good reason, for consistency and to stop people taking the piss.

In reality, line mgmt understand when people are sick - my boss is amazing and actively tells people to take time off if they're struggling. We get treated like adults and if it's clear sickness is genuine it's not an issue at all.

I stand corrected

No idea. Is there any amount anyone is 'allowed' to take? Surely it depends on why you're off I.e genuine or piss taker.

4 days in 7 mths is a lot. I've had 6 days in 10 years and work with germy kids. I'll admit I'm lucky, but none of my work colleagues are off much either. Well, apart from one.....

You're wither incredibly naive OP (or on a wind up).

7 months is a new starter.

I hope they wouldn't... but looking it up, they don't have to legally.

Well I don't know if it was definitely a cold.

I use the word "cold" to describe any viral infection, as a lot of people do. We dont know exactly what it is, so we say "cold"

In my second sick period I had " a vomiting bug".

I was getting sick all day for two days and had diarrohea.

That was definitely some bug going around as my colleage also came down with the same thing. She said she was vomiting for days.

"Vomiting bug" is obviously not the correct medical term for it, bit it is how we would describe it.

4 days in 7 months is loads.

That's more than i've taken in 7 years. If you were still on probation we would be questioning it.