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.

This 👆

No need to go sick, just hand in your notice and then you can have a much time off as you need without being unfair to your colleagues and your employer, and with no risk to ongoing employment either.

Will co workers then have to work extra to cover it?
I think if you're not sick it's risky but also quite selfish if it involves you potentially spoiling somebody else's Christmas.
Also, in terms of having fun with your kids, would you be looking over your shoulder on days out and activities in case you were spotted and reported (I guess that does depend on what you call in sick with)

Yes they will or patients will recieve less and worse care. Bank nurses over Christmas is a fantasy.

And btw the tax payers pay for the fraud like this. If people wonders why NHS and other services lack money this is one of the issues. Money spend on nothing.

Ha! Tell me you have never done a low paid job without telling me!

Please don't do this, OP.

The lack of leave over Xmas does not sound ideal, but you should have checked this before taking the job.

As a long-term strategy, try to find a different job which allows at least a little bit of extra leave over the Xmas period, if this is important to you.

Short-term, talk to your employer if you are going to struggle with childcare over this period, and ask him or her for advice and perhaps some accommodation given your status as a LP with young children.

Taking almost a month off based on a falsehood is really piss-taking behavior, sorry, and if you get found out you will be deep in the doo-doo, and rightly so.

I think you need to ask yourself, do you need the best part of a whole month of non-working to "do Christmas" with your children anyway?

I am wondering if you have had a lot of Xmases where you did not feel very present with the kids (work, lack of money, breakup, health, if you are a lone parent of two young kids and a chronic illness, I am guessing the last few years have been tough) and have built up this kind of idealized image of Christmas in your mind, believing that if only you can spend weeks on end intensively "doing Christmas," it's going to be this absolutely incredible experience.

In reality, taking three weeks off to intensively "do Christmas" sounds like the perfect way to create a lot of really over-hyped expectations for both you and the kids; the actual Xmas stuff itself will never live up to the hype, and trying to eke out three weeks of long kiddy-centered days-out on the average parent's daily budget sounds exhausting and stressful.

Complete and utter bollocks. All of it.

You mentioned that there is a precedent within your team for colleagues taking extended sick leave around this time without significant repercussions. This context is crucial. If others have successfully navigated this situation, it may be reasonable for you to do the same. Reflect on the culture within your workplace; it appears that taking sick leave around the holidays is a common practice. This observation could provide some comfort as you contemplate your decision. and you know that how exactly? Just because people aren’t being told what is being done, don’t think that it isn’t.
Management know who the piss-takers are.

No wonder this country is fecked, when so many people are dishonest like the posters on here saying go for it.
Every CF who fakes a sickie has an impact on the genuine, as employers look to crack down on the cost and impact sick leave makes.

It's like claiming benefits you are not entitled to, it ruins the system for those that genuinely need it.

Is this a job you generally like and want to stay in long term? Are you looking to advance?

If that's a yes, I wouldn't. I can remember the Xmas leave piss-takers I've worked with for the last decade at least - none of them ever moved up the ladder afterwards, most were managed out at the first opportunity. This sort of behaviour is normally a small part of a bigger picture, anyway.

For goodness sake. You're getting Christmas itself off with your kids. It's setting no sort of example to them if you go off sick because you just don't want to go into work!

I think taking a month is risky as others have pointed out what if you need to take leave for other reasons? Is it not possible to have an honest conversation with your employer, that you genuinely won’t be able to work due to childcare. Presumably if they’re able to cover sickness they’d find a way of coping if you weren’t there. Also presumably they want to retain you as an employee they’ll make this work, else you may have gone elsewhere. Should this not work I’d just phone in the days you actually need and rather than your own health I’d say a child is sick and whatever childcare you had arranged now won’t be able to have them.

Alternatively if you wanted to arrange childcare try childcare.co.uk lots of nursery staff will be on holiday then and looking for work

I could understand if you was working over Christmas and new year but your not it's sounds like your getting more time of then most as it is. Theirs only a few jobs like teachers who actually get a Christmas break.

you can’t go off sick if you’re not sick and you won’t know if you’re sick you won’t know till a lot nearer the time. Planning it in is deceitful

But her health is not causing a problem at the moment.

She just wants to use it as an excuse.

This is why many employers have three periods of sickness in a rolling year- get disciplinary.

I got annoyed at my just left job when colleagues who have all of their family living nearby and finish 1-2pm, got the days off between Xmas and NY. Yet when all my other family who I still in contact with (not my parents) live 60 plus miles away. These colleagues mentioned above can get home, get changed and still be able to visit family in the afternoon and evening.

Finksh work at 6pm. I’m sure relatives in their 80s would appreciate a visit at 8pm.

Also if you ask colleagues to swap shifts and explain to managers that you need more time off due to child care. Then neither help you and you decide to ring in sick that date. Looks dodgy.

And this ladies and gentlemen is why employers prefer to hire men.

Why are you in a job where you work christmas and object to the fact its your name out of the hat? If people are off sick then it impacts on others who are working. If you genuinely have no childcare options, then you need to speak to them, and look at getting another job.

I agree! Life is far too short- but id definitely spend next year looking for a new job with more flexibility around the holidays too as you still have alot of special years upcoming with the kids!

I’d usually say no don’t do it as someone else may loose their break as a result. However you’ve not had time off ill for years and seemingly conscientious at work so go for it.

I would but I'd also be prepared for work to be suspicious and for things not to be right when I went back. If you're willing to make that sacrifice (I absolutely would for my kids) then do it.

Oh I don’t know, your colleagues, you’re putting them further in the trenches at Christmas. Could you talk to your manager and try to negotiate more days?

To me it depends a bit on your job and reasonable expectations

The OP and those in support are exactly the types that we 'note' when it comes to restructuring. Trust me, as a senior HR leader, this will count against you eventually. Its not as clever as you (and your ilk on this thread) think.