To go off sick in December?

[Sarahbd3]

I've just found out that I'll only been granted one day off over the Xmas and year new period (I mean besides the official public holidays). Names drawn out of a hat about who on the team can have which days off over the Xmas season.
I'm a single mum to two young children under 6 and, for once, I want to be able to spend a proper stretch of time over Xmas being off with them and doing all the Xmas stuff that other families get to do. Their grandparents are going to be away on a cruise so I'd have no child care anyway, unless I was off work.
I have a chronic health condition which is well known at work (although I've never previously taken any time off sick with it). In facet, I have not been off sick since a car accident 4 years ago.
On my team, it's always the same person who goes off sick for Xmas, for several weeks and nobody seems to have an issue.
Wyibu to go off sick with my chronic illness to be guaranteed the festive season with my children? To not make it look too plan I, I'd probably go off in the second week of December, rather than on Xmas eve. Maybe return second week of Jan.

Life's too short, I'd definitely go off sick to be with my children whilst they're young but I'm sure many would disagree with me

"How have you only just found out"?
Surely it's in your terms & conditions so you have known since you took the job?
Yes, you would be unreasonable to use your chronic illness as a fraudulent excuse - that's what causes people to be so sceptical of those of us with chronic illnesses and think we're faking it!

i think you should do it, kids come 1st

Do it. I’ve worked 35 years and only been off sick due to surgery and hospitalisation so yes do it.

If you have a chronic illness I think it’s tempting fate. What if you pull a sickie in December, have time off with your kids and then get genuinely ill with your chronic illness in January and need more time off, what if then one of the kids has a week off school due to illness in February.

As a single mum with no childcare, I would think you need that job more than anything.

You're being ridiculous. You'll have Christmas, as you said you get the public holidays, but you're planning on pretending to be sick for a whole month? Very unreasonable.

How good are you at lying, what will you tell your doctor for a sick note?

How are you planning on conning your doctor into conspiring to commit this fraud?

Yes just do it, it seems very unfair you have only one day off and somebody else is sick every year.

Sick leave is for when you're actually sick... so, obviously you would be being unreasonable. It's also just a dick move to your colleagues (as you know from your colleague's sickies being poorly managed). Why is your need to spend time with your young children more important than their need to spend time doing whatever they do at Christmas that is important to them?

Even if you're just looking at it from a selfish perspective, would you actually enjoy time off in these circumstances? Presumably you would be confined to the house as wouldn't want to be seen out and about when you're meant to be working. As a PP has pointed out, you will be using up any goodwill you have, which puts you in a tricky position if your illness flares up.

MN will be horrified at the suggestion, but in the real world just go off sick

I couldn’t do it but I can understand why you would think about it in your situation. Is your chronic illness something that qualifies as a protected characteristic? Could you start looking for a job with more family friendly hours and holidays? It seems unfair how your employer currently manages this holiday period.

Do it. In the nicest posiible way if you went under a bus tmrw you'd soon be replaced.

I am guessing you get decent sick pay?

Isn't the doctor going to want to do investigations if your condition has flared that much?

The alternative is to start looking for a different job?

To not make it look too plan I, I'd probably go off in the second week of December, rather than on Xmas eve. Maybe return second week of Jan

Don't kid yourself. It'll be glaringly obvious you're at it. How are you going to con your doctor into signing you off? Presumably the plan is to lie to him/her too

You're in a job you know needs cover over Christmas sounds like you need a new job. What's going to happen next year & the year after

With kids that age I’d get a new job. Sounds awful.

Same way as every other chancer does who claims “anxiety” and “stress” because they fancy some time off. If you tell your doctor you feel too sick to go to work they can’t really say “no you don’t “‘.

OP I would not condone this usually but the person who does it every year would piss me off big time and I don’t blame you for thinking if she can get away with it, why not.

And if they find that you've faked it you'll be sacked

Can you afford to only get SSP, and potentially lose your job if you have subsequent illness and a Bradford score puts you in line for being sacked?

Sick leave is for sickness, not for when you fancy the time off. If you think leave is allocated unfairly take it up with your employer or look for another job.

You want 3 weeks off? That’s ridiculous and why people who are actually off with a genuine chronic illness get a hard time, and are disbelieved.

Yeah, fuck it. Do it.
In 4 billions years the sun will expand and swallow the earth and absolutely nothing on Earth will exist, so enjoy your Christmas’s now with your family.

In most jobs if you're off for more than 4 days in a row you have to have to be signed off by your Doctor. Then you'll probably only be paid Statutory Sick Pay which isn't a huge amount. I don't think it would be wise to do this.

MN is also full of people with money problems cluelessly wondering why their career’s seem a bit shit and they can’t earn more… but in the real world people who get on in life generally have integrity and don’t cheat their employer 😉