How many sick days per year do you think is reasonable?

[Earlybird]

How many sick days per year do you think is reasonable?

I've been following the news of the possible 2 day strike by British Airways cabin crew next week. At this point, BA has cancelled 1300 flights next week in anticipation of the strike going ahead. The dispute is over the policy regarding sick leave policy and pay. The average worker currently takes off 12 days per year due to illness, which is a vast improvement to 15 months ago when, under their old absence policy (and their previous chief executive), the average worker was out due to illness for 22 days per year.

Don't know what I'm expecting people to say, but I'm aghast to think their workforce (accidentally typed "workfarce" ) is so unhealthy - and/or so unhappy - that they have such a large number off work due to illness. Your thoughts?

overrun, if your sickness is due to a disability (and that could include asthma) then it is illegal to discriminate against you in that respect.

I think you should only take a sick day if you are actually sick. I think if people did this then there would be no need for sick days because your boss could trust you.

I work for myself and I never have a sick day. cant afford to.
However i do not sit in an office full of other peoples germs either.

wotzaname - my DH is like that and hardly ever takes a day off sick. Can't afford to. Many people have genuine reasons for sick leave but IME there are people who cheat the system and who think that because their employers allow x number of days per year sickness absence then that means they should take them - they treat it as an extension of their holiday allowance.