Pulling a sickie

[TwinTantrums]

Basically, I’m planning to pull a sickie from a job that won’t let me use annual leave for a day off. I’m leaving anyway. New job secured. Reassure me it’s not the totally unreasonable thing to do!

Most companies will calculate and process their payroll at least two weeks before payday so it may be that your annual leave entitlement has already been calculated into your final pay. If you then try to take an annual leave day it will be refused as they cannot recalculate the payroll.

Seeing as I’m at the company for 11 more weeks that’s not the case! They’re just being total cunts about the entire situation, they led me down the garden path to believe another role was going to be available for me and then lied to my face about it. They’re punishing me for handing in my notice

Imagine if you got covid? Had to check because your DP/DC/friend caught it and you have painful sinuses and checked because you visit someone old/fail/immucompromised.

At my place that would require minimum WAH

You feel ok but would hate to risk vulnerable colleagues... 3 - 4 days at least.

Good point! Although I don’t know anyone who tests for Covid anymore..

Not unreasonable at all, love. If they won’t let you use your earned time off and you’ve got one foot out the door anyway, pulling a sickie for your sanity is hardly a crime. You’ve done your bit — take the day, breathe, and don’t feel guilty. xx

I’d call in sick for your whole notice period, see how “disruptive” that is! 😂

https://www.boots.com/health-pharmacy/covid-19-information-products-and-testing/covid-test-kits

I did last october. Had symptoms and a relative i was due to visit was due to start chemo (all ok now thank god) so I tested thinking nah. And it was. Didn't feel too bad, but i had to avoid the office for 10 days to minimise expose to colleagues who may be vulnerable or have vulnerable relatives.

3 days is usually good as doesn’t arouse suspicion….is that a croaky throat you’ve got OP 😏😏

My one brief stint as a civil servant was like this. I gave notice, they wouldn't let me take leave but took all my work off me because it would have had a conflict of interest with my next job. I had to go in every day, no WFH, and disrupt the others in the office. Wasn't allowed to attend meetings because conflict of interest but could share an office with people working on projects competing with where I was going to. No gardening leave, its the civil service, 3 months notice period. 3 months sitting reading books, surfing the internet, going for lunch time runs, chatting shit with colleagues. No amount of blatant fart arseing about was enough to let me take my owed leave.

Of course you can pull a sickie if they’ve been treating you like crap and you’re leaving anyway! I wouldn’t dream of doing this to a good employer but I’d have no loyalty to a company who purposely made my life difficult because I chose to hand in my notice. Serves them right. Enjoy your leave OP 😎

Petty minded and vindictive fuckers, take a few days off and enjoy it

Just check your absence policy. One place I worked for would only pay SSP (if you qualified) for sickness during notice period. That said if they’re paying you for holiday not taken anyway you won’t be out of pocket.

They’re making deductions from my pay anyway so I don’t think I’d even notice!

Tbh GP might give a work related stress fot note and that wouldnt be pulling a sickie but a reflection of your wellbeing based on how they treated you

I don’t really think this would go down well, and I don’t want a week. Just a day or two to reclaim some time. And, in a really petty move, as a middle finger to them.

Just do it! Migraine brought on by the hot weather. I spent years breaking my back for different companies - life’s too short.

To whom? Your new job? Your current one does not care. Can you go to HR about the leave, what if you weren’t leaving, would you be able to book time off?

Current job. There’s a culture of everyone must be overworked and busy. As much as I dislike the current job, I don’t want to rock the boat

And yes if I wasn’t leaving I’m sure I’d be fine to do what I want. I’m being punished

Of course it makes sense, they have to pay for your leave either way, so they rather others have their choice of leave as they don’t care about keeping you happy anymore.

Why do you want the day off and are others off at the same time meaning colleagues will be stretched when you don’t turn up? What you’re doing is unreasonable anyway but the answer to those questions determines how much.

1. It doesnt matter if it goes down well they cant discriminate
2. In that case self certify. They might think youre lying and pulling a sickie but they'd be hard pressed to prove it and if your sick record is decent unable to take action because of it without risk of come back

Life is too short , get out and enjoy the sun 🌞

That is the problem, you are still thinking like an employee of this company and you need to let it go. Go to HR and raise it as an issue or just take a week off with stress. It really doesn’t matter if they are upset with you, they do not care about you at all. Not. At. All.

they don’t care about keeping you happy anymore

Exactly, so why should OP care about them.

And colleagues won't be stretched as OP has already said she'll pick up her work when she returns.

As I’ve said, other colleagues won’t be stretched. Nobody else will be expected to do my job, and in any event, the work I’m doing is well below my pay grade. I’ve gone from a senior associate with a 75 strong case load to doing secretarial work. It won’t impact anyone if I’m off for a day. I want a day off because they’re treating me like shit and I’d like to relax in the sun instead of being stuck in an office that’s 30 degrees, on my own, without even a fan!