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.

I think it’s utterly unreasonable to call in sick because you’d like that time off with your family. Sometimes you can’t have the time you want off. It’s rubbish but it’s part of the job and you did sign up to it. I also often can’t have various school holidays off that I’d like due to work pressure in those periods and it’s a pain but it’s pretty normal and most people have times at various points in their career they can’t take the time they want.

On the other hand I would acknowledge that over the Christmas period childcare is very limited and I think employers should offer some flexibility to parents to get leave if needed to cover that. It’s not their colleagues fault childcare options over the Christmas break are rubbish and it would suck if you ended up bottom of the list for time off but ultimately think it does start to become a kind of discrimination for women if there is nothing in place to acknowledge the reality that they overwhelmingly get left responsible for bulk of childcare and there are very limited options to outsource in that period. It may differ in some areas but where I am any other of the 13 weeks school breaks there are numerous holiday clubs but absolutely nothing runs Christmas week and there is a massively reduced provision vs other school holidays for new years week. Not to mention most of these clubs only cover 9-5 type jobs. If you have extended family or friends who can help that’s great but it’s not the easiest time for that either with lots of people travelling round to visit extended family. With the increasing insistence even older kids shouldn’t be left alone, rise in single parent families and tendency for more people to relocate for work it is probably more of an issue now than it was for the prior generation. What’s their position likely to be on requesting unpaid leave for dependent care? If you genuinely don’t have others than your parents who can help and they are not available then it’s really challenging and while it’s easy to say just get a different job I think you’d run into these kinds of issues in quite a lot of workplaces & also accept your training/qualifications may mean you have limited options to pursue that without taking a significant pay cut that you likely can’t afford.

OP has already said there's a colleague who they think does this every year, which she resents - but is now thinking of doing it herself, which is massively hypocritical.

Have I missed the OP saying she's a nurse? Or works in the NHS at all?

Some right frothing going on on this thread about patient care but as far as I can see, OP hasn't said what she does, she could work anywhere!

I agree!

There are so many bank holidays this year as Christmas is mid week. You get both weekends plus Christmas and Boxing Day off plus your additional day off!

Grow up!!

If you cant get childcare can you take unpaid carers leave?

You need to start looking for another job as this one is not working for you (a company that shuts down over christmas), in the meantime, do what you need to do for your kids, but this is assuming you don't actually mean all of December!

Right? And I suspect she does if she's off the bank holidays.

Yes we had a pisstaker used to take the same fortnight off 'sick' at Christmas. She didn't even try to hide it and took a weird pride in it. The managers were toothless. It was just one of many reasons I left that very toxic workplace!

I think "luck of the draw" is a really bad way of doing it. One person could get lucky year after year, and another never!

When I was on a team where only a few could be off at any time, first dibs at time off over Christmas was reserved for those who hadn't had any the previous year.

Request parental leave? It’s statutory.

Could you apply for unpaid parental leave?

You will be spending Christmas with the kids though but you want more??? What about your colleagues who would have to cover for you? What do you think other parents do. You are being incredibly selfish

I’m not going to comment one way or the other about whether you should or shouldn’t do it, but how will you be able to go out and about and do all the Christmas stuff you want to do, if you’re pretending to be too ill to go into work? Someone will see you. They always do. And nobody will keep quiet about it if they’ve had to work and you’ve pulled a sickie. You’re playing with fire.

To be honest, although you can't say anything, as a line manager I would be very suspicious of someone going off sick under these circumstances, and so would the rest of your colleagues. Depends if that bothers you.

I's get a different job where I could guarantee the time off with the kids. You are definitely right to prioritise being with them over the holidays so not sure whey you took a job where this wasn't necessarily always going to be possible.

A very fair and sensible way of doing it.

It is rarely difficult to prove sick leave abuse.

Wow your an employer and use language like that, how unprofessional are you.

Unless the employer can get a medic to state in writing that the OP is faking her symptoms of an illness that she’s already been diagnosed with, then your assertion about her getting sacked is clearly bollocks designed to distress the OP.

Did it make you feel all superior to post such nonsense?

Take some time off sick, but not a month, perhaps a week. I’ll health is not just physical, take the time out.

Sorry, morning brain missed that! I agree that its hypocritical.

It's fraud and doctors have enough to deal with without you adding to their workload by wanting a sick note. The colleague who is being off sick repeatedly is unreasonable, but you are probably unaware of any action that has been taken if that is the case (my unproven suspicion is weak manager or the person knows something and keeps quiet in return).

Time to look for another job. I think that making the decisions about Christmas leave and a random draw are at least a positive, better than some companies who have no system or leave it until almost the last minute.

Under the Equality Act employers are required to make reasonable adjustment for those with conditions qualifying as a disability under the Act. This can include not counting any sick leave taken which is entirely due to the disability, as sick leave - it’s recorded as disability leave and doesn’t count towards disciplinary action.

As someone with a severe disability I really object to the idea that a disabled person would have so little respect for the fact that they actually have a job and an employer who is inclusive of their disability, that they would even consider going off sick unless they were genuinely ill. Faking in this way betrays all those who fought so long and hard for the rights disabled people have in the workplace now. If you’re finding the job too much because of your child care responsibilities then I’d suggest you find another job, not commit fraud to get around it.

In this instance I’d be trying to get your employer to work out a proper rota for Christmas leave. Drawing names out of a hat is unfair - some will be lucky year after year and some won’t.

Presumably if you stay off work, someone will have to cover for you?
Unless that's not how your job is. But whichever it is, the work won't be done by you.

On another note, what message is this giving to your kids?

Okay you may say they won't know the truth- but you do. And you know you'd be lying.

Does that sit with you okay?

Presumably you asked here because you wanted everyone to tell you it was fine.