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?

I don't think 2 episodes of sickness in 7 months is a lot.

There are two issues here. One is that you have to go through a return to work process when you have been off sick and the second is whether you get full pay (as opposed to SSP) when you're off sick.

In respect of the pay many organisations will have a sliding scale. So new joiners may get two weeks full pay for sickness absence (total in 12 months) which increases by increment to five years at which point it reaches 26 weeks. Where I work you can be off longer before the five year point but you will just get SSP and not full pay.

In terms of oversight it is not uncommon for there to be a return to work conversation even for very short term absence. I think the situation you described in your previous work place is very unusual.

Sickness absence in my organisation sits at around 3.4 days average in a 12 month period. You're above that already at just over the half way point. So I would say it's higher than I would expect bar any long term health conditions.

Your annual leave is your annual entitlement to rest and relaxation, when you're sick you shouldn't have to give up your A/L. And if you have an appointment you have an appointment, your health and wellbeing should come before work always!

How nasty.

I'm sorry that I had one bad cold and one vomiting bug ( which is totally beyond my control) in seven months.

You're glad I don't work for you because I got sick a couple of times?

People can't control getting sick you know.

Again. Workplaces are not concentration camps. Human life happens

I work in a school in America. We get 10 paid sick days per school year (instead of calendar years). A school year is 180 days.

And any unused sick days carry over to the next school year, so I currently have about 40 paid sick days that I can use

I’d much rather work than be sick.

You need a system to pick up actual shirkers who are randomly "just a bit under the weather" when it suits them and don't call in until midday. As opposed to people who do have genuine illness they can describe to you. But I think you need to judge it in light of overall performance.

I’m so glad I’m not in the UK when I read things like that.

If you have a disability I'm sure they cannot discipline you for sick leave and must allow you to attend appointments. Under reasonable adjustments?

I can't find any specific policy for the company I work for. I have had 6 days in 2 and half years. It was full pay, but I've been told it's discretionary, and they could pay SSP only.

If you aren't off again within the year then I don't think 2 short periods of absence is a lot, no.

If I had been off twice in 7 months I would be conscious of it though and be worried about taking anymore time anytime soon. Some comments on here are harsh.

You sound rather immature and as though you think it's some sort of allowance to be used, akin to annual leave allowance

If it’s four absences for the whole year, I think that’s OK. But you’re only just over halfway through and you are, despite you saying you’re not, a new starter. So I think you need to be careful.

It's shit OP, I agree.

I used to work in the public sector, people were literally off for months and months on full pay, there was seemingly no limit. I was hardly ever sick as in my 20s, but the times I was off sick were all on full pay. I also had time off for a miscarriage where it was more emotional sick leave - on full pay.

Moved abroad, had kids, moved back. Now I work in a private sector organisation. Not as bad as some, 5 days on full pay, then it's SSP. SSP is a fraction of what I earn.

I ended up in hospital a few months ago for a week and a half, if it hadn't been for DH I don't know what we'd have done. What do people do if they have a heart attack or serious operation and their company only pays SSP? Do they have to give up their house? It's insane.

Needless to say, looking to get back into the public sector - DH is public sector and he has colleagues off for months and months on full pay too. Unfortunately the last few illnesses have been me not him (now I've typed that it sounds bad.... but you all know what I mean - from a financial point of view!).

Back to work interviews at the moment are important as we are also asked whether the sickness is work related. In my case recently it has been and I think it’s the same with a couple of team members. At least they know what is happening. (Not in an emergency service or job traditionally associated with extra high stress).

If you are not actually sick, then the correct answer is zero. You don't get an "allowance" for sick leave, like annual leave. Otherwise, look at your company policy - multiple one-off days would be very suspicious, tbh.

I haven't had so much as a sniffle since going self-emplyed in 2018, so no, we are not necessarily all ill for a couple of days per year. But I did have to rearrange two days worth of appointments when I dislocated my shoulder last year, and I was "lucky" that my eye injury this year covered three non-work days and two quiet days 😅

Yeah I know, I've contributed nothing to the discussion 😂

I certainly didn't think it was an allowance.i just really don't like the threatening talk in my workplace of "too much sickness can lead to contract termination". And it's hard to know how serious they are about it. And they're vague about it too. They don't even say how many days they see as too many days of sickness. Its not in our contract. There is nothing about sick leave. I wouldn't mind the return to work meetings but there is no need for them to be so nasty.

My colleague took a couple of days off sick last month. She had a return to work meeting when she came back, and after it, she went to the bathroom crying. I went in to chat to her and she said "am I going to get fired? But I was vomiting all day?'

Every employer I've worked for before were totally fine about taking one to two days off. I got used to that. I now see that some employers are not like that.

A couple of days in a year was seen as no problem.

I've been applying for other jobs , and I have an interview next week for a new job, as this current workplace definitely doesn't suit me.

Sick leave isn’t an entitlement as such - it’s there for if you are too ill to work.

OP people are being ridiculous, of course 2 bouts of sickness in 7 months isn't an insane amount. With all the winter bugs that were around I was barely well for about 3 months...no employer I have ever had has done return to work meetings and sick days have never really been commented on (unless long term)

My DH if you want another example - he gets 2 weeks in a year and after that he will be asked to take annual leave, but there is never any disciplinary aspect and certainly never a dismissal threat - that's bonkers! I would have a good read of your contract because I'm sure legally they are on dodgy ground if they keep threatening you. People get sick!

OP, 4 days sick in 7 months is a huge amount. I have been lucky, but my last sick day was in 2011.

Very strict at my workplace. 3 instances in 12 months leads to a first meeting. If you have 1 more sick day in the next 12 months it goes to a first warning and so on from there. Then again I’ve known people take the piss and definitely have more than that in a year and never known anyone actually get sacked. I’ve only reached the first meeting stage once and one of those absences was when it was mandatory to stay at home when you had covid symptoms (yet they still counted it).

Im conscious I’ve had 2 periods of illness in the last 12 months (one was being signed off due to surgery) and if I have one more day before the 12 month mark I’ll get pulled into a first meeting again. It doesn’t seem to work as it just encourages presenteeism in the ones who care (none wfh so rest of the team can get ill) and the ones who don’t never seem to get any repercussions anyway

Thank you for that.

Yeah I definitely won't be planning on taking any more sick leave his year.

But then you never know what will happen regarding your health. Some things you just can't plan for.

No return to work interviews after sick leave unless was long term (eg a colleague who was off for a year undergoing cancer treatment), which really was about what they needed to be able to return. Full pay for first 6 months of sickness in a year. If long term illness beyond that, 50% of pay (via insurance) until recovery or State retirement age, whichever comes first. Private sector, finance.