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?

These people boasting "we go years without getting anything".... 🎊. But not everyone is that lucky. It's really dismissive and actually quite indicative of attitudes towards disability in general. So much of health is luck. If you were diagnosed with a serious illness tomorrow (and I hope you're not) you'd realise that. Don't congratulate yourself on being well or belittle people who are ill.

I honestly think if you’re so sick you have to take time off regularly, especially if you’re young with no chronic health issues, then you need a health check. I’ve had four days off sick in 30 years. I know it isn’t a competition, but some people take sick days off for trivial stuff. I class being too sick to go into work is if you can’t actually get out of bed or leave the house because you feel so ill.

No allowance for sick-am teacher. Ee have a return to work interview even for 1 day .

I work on tills and still worked when I lost my voice. Most customers found it amusing. I really didn’t see the need to stay at home.

This post is also unhelpful to someone with a disability who will sometimes be unwell as a result.

It's difficult to 'healthy eat or handwash' your way out of being disabled.

It is ridiculous. I’ve been constantly ill since beginning of June, with cold after cold. I’m not sure how I was supposed to avoid this ti be honest

A good employer will offer support not threats

Good for you.

But as you know, everyone's health differs and you also have no control over a lot of your health.

In my last job, one of my managers who had been extremely healthy for years, all of a sudden got cancer and was signed off work for a very long time

re laryngitis/bronchitis, I wrote stuff down or pointed to a screen. I got by. At worst, called a colleague. It was pretty dire but I'd have beens sacked or put on disciplinary where they 'performance manage' ie micro manage you.. What pisses me off is the just having had to do a whole year of not being sick, even with injuries. I'd understand if i was new or taking the piss but I'd been there 5 yrs. So now it stands at 6 yrs with 6 days sickness.. one day per year that works out..and still not acceptable to them

I hope you didn’t pass your illness on to any vulnerable members of the public.

God loves a trier though... 😂

Agree!

I actually have a chronic disease which my employer is aware of. I have to be extra careful as I take medication which impacts my immune system. But I’m careful, follow the medical advice I’m given and keep healthy.

@Abigail47 such a predictable response

Which one?

You are doing a lot of comparing your minor ailments (such as a sore throat and a cold) to serious illnesses such as cancer and someone needing three months off with something unspecified (but presumably serious). Why can you not see how absurd this is?

Got a cold? Have a lemsip and shut the fuck up. Ask to be put on reduced or different duties. People with cancer SHOULD have protections at work to cover them so they don’t lose their income. People with colds should just get on with it and go to bed early. The two are not the same!

If you would describe it as a cold, then it’s really not worth taking time off work for. I don’t know anyone who would take sick days for a cold. Max strength cold & flu tablets, honey lemon water, lemsip.

Are you just referring to physical health. What about mental health??

I know someone who was just signed off for two months on certified sick leave for stress.

There’s been a report published this week about sick people going into work and costing the economy £26m or thereabouts.

Infecting others, underperforming due to illness etc. They should shove presenteeism and Bradford Scales where the sun don’t shine.

People get sick. Stop persecuting them. It’s losing you money.

Then you should understand not everyone can. It's sometimes impossible to control your health. And people saying "I've had 2 days off in 30 years". Great! I would love that. Attendance records are bullshit, they don't consider the individual.

In our society we call every viral infection "a cold".

We don't know exactly what it's called.

We also call every stomach bug a stomach bug or a vomiting bug. I don't know exactly what it was called.

One of the times that I was sick I was vomiting and I had diarrohea.

There was no way I was going into work and embarrassing myself by getting sick or worse in front of my colleagues

Exactly!

People get sick.

OP I think people are being a bit harsh here!

Where I work we 'officially' have 5 days per year sick, but it's always discretionary and unless there are serious red flags it tends to get paid. I took ~12 days last year (covid/pregnancy sickness) and never faced a RTW interview or was made to feel uncomfortable about it.

One of the new starters on my team took 2.5 weeks in his first 2 months, only then did we have an unofficial chat about anything underlying that was going on (it turned out he had undisclosed MH issues which we were v sympathetic to). He left after 4 months and was paid for those sick days.

Life happens. Sickness happens. You cant limit it to X amount of days just because your contract says so.

In the States it depends on the employer and when shopping for a new job, one always asks about sick leave and personal day leave, and holiday leave. Sick leave is usually frowned upon in our first year in a new job, as is personal leave or holiday leave. Is just part of coming on board and proving one's worth here in the US. Having said that government jobs, who are unionized for certain pay grades (non-managerial) here get ridiculously long and generous benefits. All those benefits cost us Americans loads of money and causes the inefficiencies of our government. Am somewhat from the management side of the tracks (though have also been blue collar a great deal) and really dislike unions and the way employees get used by them ($$) and against good, efficient business accomplishment and employees getting EARNED rewards.

I get as many sick days as I need. I work from home 4 days our of 5. So unless I am bedridden or really can't focus, I can still work. If my voice is gone I simply move some online meetings till I can speak again and I focus on other work in the mean time. If I am sick long term I have a total of 2 years to recover, although after one year my pay will be lowered and after two years the company can severe my contract.