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Original poster

Time off when kids are sick

18 replies

Jackie2kids · 22/12/2006 12:30

I have had 2 take 5 days off as ds had impetigo and dd chest infecn (needing steroids!) I have been told by manager that I can't have 5 days carer leave and will have to take holiday (leaving me 2 days left til April). I have no one else to look after them when sick. What do other people do? WTF do I do if they get chicken pox? J

OP posts:

choosyfloosy · 22/12/2006 16:01

Sorry, dunno. Grandparents. Cousins. Random students on 'reading weeks' off the bus.

Or of course you ring in sick.

kid · 22/12/2006 16:02

I had to take time off when DD had chicken pox and was told I am only entitled to 3 days paid leave. Next time I will be saying I am ill too.

morningpaper · 22/12/2006 16:19

I've always taken Annual Leave - I assumed that's what everyone does?

Never heard of Carer's leave

7swansaswimmingup · 22/12/2006 16:21

i only work 2days so if possible i make up the time on another day or i say im sick.

incy · 22/12/2006 16:30

If you are an 'employee', you have the right to unpaid time off work to deal with emergencies involving a ?dependant? ? a husband, wife, child or parent, or anyone living in your household as a member of the family. A dependant may also be anyone who reasonably relies on you for assistance.

You are allowed ?reasonable? time off. There?s no set amount of time allowed to deal with an unexpected event involving a dependant ? it will vary depending on what the event is. You?re allowed to take a reasonable amount of time to deal with it and to make any arrangements that are needed.

There?s no limit to the number of times you can take time off, provided it?s for real emergencies. If your employer feels that you are taking more time off than they can cope with, they should warn you of this.

The right doesn?t apply if you know about the event in advance. For example, if you want time off to take your child into hospital in a week?s time the right doesn't apply.However, if your child is under the age of five (or 18 if he/she is disabled), you may be able to take it as parental leave instead. You?ll need a year's employment with your current employer to be eligible for parental leave.

Your employer doesn?t have to pay you for time off for dependants but they may choose to do so. You can check your contract of employment to see if there?s a policy about this.

incy · 22/12/2006 16:34

As you can see from below you are allowed a 'reasonable' amount of time off (very vaugue!) and your employer does not have to pay you.

If you have been offered to take holiday and don't want to take it, could you request unpaid leave? I am taking it your employer only allows a maximum of 3 days paid leave to care for dependants which is why they are offering holidays.

Would totally agree that although it is law to have time off, most people tend to call in sick themselves to avoid pay issues.

Chickenpox is a nightmare I agree - presumably if nobody else can share the care you may have to consider unpaid leave

Quootiepie · 22/12/2006 16:40

You can take parental leave... unpaid though. I can do a link if you want? Think they have to be under 5 though, can't remember.

Quootiepie · 22/12/2006 16:42

here's abit on it

flack · 22/12/2006 17:08

Do people really tend to have employers who are understanding about taking carer's leave, though? Some aren't but many (I would gues the majority very much) aren't, in my limited experience.

JollyOldSaintNikkielas · 22/12/2006 19:46

I work in a school , they are very understanding and for planned stuff I usually try to swap days with my job share but have been paid before when attending kids appointmenta at the hosp.Otherwise it tends to be unpaid leave(occaisionally paid but depends on how much time off you have)as we don't have the option of taking annual leave.

hulababy · 22/12/2006 19:48

I think I can have 3 or 5 days off paid for this. DH can sometimes wangle time with her by working from home.

JollyOldSaintNikkielas · 22/12/2006 19:49

I am lucky as my childcare is my parents so its only for appointments/more serious illnesses that I need to stay off

FrayedKnotRoastingOnAnOpenFire · 22/12/2006 20:17

I would have to take it as unpaid leave and sod the money for the month, or from my annual leave - I knew this when I decided to go back to work.

If I work overtime I get lieu days so I try to build up a couple for emergencies.

But I have trained DS to only get ill at weekends, and have chicken pox when we were on holiday

drosophila · 22/12/2006 20:29

HArdest thing about working I think. Especially when yo have bugger all support.

DeckthehallswithboughsofhollyL · 22/12/2006 20:39

Absolutely drosophila! Dh and I are in the same position. I am a full time nursery nurse, so obviously DD comes to work with me. DH works 15-16 hour days, earns in 2 days, what I earn in a week, so it is not viable for him to take time off from work to care for DD in cases of illness. My parents run their own business and MIL lives quite far away so we have very little support so its me that takes the time off to care for DD when she is sick.

This week for instance, I was off Monday and Tuesday having taken DD to hospital with breathing problems. Turned out she has a windpipe infection that required medication and rest. Called into work and not only were they pissed off because I wasn't in, they didn't believe me about DD.

It has now transpired that because we have already been paid for this month, I now owe them 16 hours. They won't let me give them the two days money back, nor take it as annual leave, so god only knows how I am going to squeeze in these 16 hours!

I think some employers can be downright unfair about the whole illness thing. I understand that because of my qualifications I am needed at work, the added stress of staff shortages doesn't help, but my daughter comes first and foremost above any work commitments I might have. I have walked out of jobs for the same reason (though I'm not proud of that) but these people need to realise that some things are more important. If the boot was on the other foot...

choosyfloosy · 23/12/2006 00:29

Carer's leave is up to 68 days for under fives IIRC, but there can be a lot of rules about the number of days you can have off together, and the notice you have to give - i assume that's what you have fallen foul of jackie2kids. it's grim though because, most of the time, it's the random unexpected weeks off you really need.

drosophila · 23/12/2006 12:30

The joke is that this economy NEEDS women out working (whatever you say about the effects on the kids) and they make it difficult to do it. Working PT helps a little as you can reshuffle your days a bit but not that much.

Original poster

Jackie2kids · 28/12/2006 12:53

Thanks girls. Back in work today and have checked out your advice and talked to my manager. She is letting me take 2 days carer leave (paid) and 3 days annual leave this time. The trouble is when the kids are sick, I still have to pay nursery fees (and its a work place nursery) so if I take unpaid leave, I'll owe them money! Next time I'll get the student off the bus. J

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