sick days
 

In honor of how crappy I feel today :( (sore throat and all that jazz) I want to know ... if you work full-time how many sick days do you get a year? Or if you take classes are you given any days to take off? Would you take a day even if you were not sick and what would make you take a sick day? Ever been caught not actually sick?

I think I am going to tough it out to work today, but I have taken sick days and not actually been that sick, although one day I had bad headaches. Both days, were nights that our alumnae group had either a happy hour or our guest bartending philanthropy... So it was for a good cause.

Rhonda

I get 6.36 hours every two weeks for sick days, but I'm not sure of how that adds up over a year. So far, it's being used for crazy doctor's appointments that I should have made a while ago. Also, I'm using some days for Christmas Eve & New Years Eve.

Hope that you start feeling better, alphachiohmy! :)

I teach school, and we get 9 sick days and 5 personal days a year. The sick days are free, but the personal days cost $50 a day.

I'm staff at UM and we get 12 sick days a year accrued biweekly. We also get 2 floating holidays (you can use them whenever) and at least 10vacation days (depending on how many years you've been here) also accrued biweekly. Plus every national or university holiday!:D :D :D
Not to mention free tution........

Don't even get me started on my vacation/sick day plan. Bear in mind...I work in a hospital...open 24/7/365. We do not automatically get holidays off. Your first year you accrue 5.5 hours every pay period (2 weeks). That is for sick, holiday, vacation, everything. It really sucks (in comparsion to other healthcare facilities and in comparison with the rest of my industry). It equals 18 days over your first year but you must accrue the time before you can use it. That makes it very hard to take holiday time and then have a little vacation here or there because it doesn't accrue fast enough. It's the major gripe from everyone at this hospital. I actually served on an action team for the hospital which helped present ideas to the VP of HR for better PTO (paid time off) plans (among other issues). Next year I will accrue almost 8 hours every pay period (automatic bump to the next level...2-5 years of employment)...which isn't as bad.... :)

We don't get sick "days" as such but rather "ocurrences." If you are sick with mono for 2 weeks, that's one occurrence. If you call in 3 separate times and are out one day each, that's 3 occurrences and will get you disciplined if they are too close together. The point is to prevent people from calling in sick bogusly and keep the really sick people out of the office.

Our sick days and vacation days are grouped together, so altogether we start out with 18 per year, plus a floating holiday. After working 5 years, your sick/vacation days increase. It's not too shabby... And yes, I have used a sick day and not actually been sick... :)

I get 10 days gratis per year, plus the option to purchase up to another 20 days. We buy the extra days with a monthly allowance we are given to purchase our benefits, which is in addition to our salary. I buy the maximum--20 days--even if I don't use it all, because I get the money spent for unused time back at the end of the year.

We also get 10 holidays, which is great. Its nice to know that I have 30 working days in the bank, but the only downside is that those 30 days cover everything--sick, vacation, personal time, bereavement, etc. If you get really ill, or need some kind of surgery...it could wipe you out of your time for the entire year in one fell swoop.

Hope you're feeling better soon, Rhonda!

Let me approach this as a long time manager...

First, as you can see above, sick days vary drastically from company to company and situation to situation.

Here's the most important thing: Sick days are just that -- days that the company allows for unavoidable illness. Sick days are NOT additional vacation. If you're not there, someone else probably has to cover you/your job. That costs the company money, and cut into profits, and, in the long run, the smart company will begin cutting back on those benefits. Your benefits.

Well let me be devil's advocate if I may. This doesn't apply to me b/c my PTO all comes out of one bank with a constant accrual, but....

I know that sick days often do not "roll over" from year to year which means at that end of that year the employee will "lose" the sick days if they go unused. The employee will often feel that this is a benefit owed to them...and just b/c they didn't get sick does that mean they don't get the time out of the office just as their colleague did. If there is no consequence to using a sick day without actually being sick, then what really stops someone from using/abusing this "benefit"? Do you make the employee bring in a doctor's note and decrease the lack of trust in the work environment? Do you offer another benefit for those not using all their sick time so they don't feel "cheated" out of a privelege?
Just some thoughts.

I'm looking to go back to school for Health Administration with an emphasis in HR...so if anyone really does have answers, please share them.

My sick days do roll over indefinitely. Here's one big incentive, for the future moms at least, not to waste them: You can save up a big chunk to really extend your maternity leave.

Right now I think I have about six or seven weeks of sick time accrued. It's good to know if I get knocked into a coma, I'll keep getting paid for a while!

Also, for every six months we go without using a sick day, we get an extra vacation day. That's another incentive not to use sick time indiscriminately; I figure I have to be out "sick" more than one day to make it worth it.

My sick days do roll over indefinitely. Here's one big incentive, for the future moms at least, not to waste them: You can save up a big chunk to really extend your maternity leave.

Right now I think I have about six or seven weeks of sick time accrued. (We get 3.69 hours every two weeks). It's good to know if I get knocked into a coma, I'll keep getting paid for a while!

Also, for every six months we go without using a sick day, we get an extra vacation day. That's another incentive not to use sick time indiscriminately; I figure I have to be out "sick" more than one day to make it worth it.

It doesn't accrue but I believe it's 1 week per year of sick days and 2 weeks personal leave. Management does its best to make sure you aren't told of these things but they're in the employee handbook;)

I get 10 sick days, 2 weeks vacation, and 3 personal days a year. Vacation rolls over for 2 years, sick days roll over indefinitely, and you lose personal days at the end of the year. The catch is that if you quit, you get compensated for accrued vacation time and personal time, but not for sick time. So, if someone knows they are leaving soon, they tend to try to use up their sick time because they know they're not going to get anything back for it.

I receive 10 days per year (not including a professional day), which can carry over to the next year . I carried 1.5 days from last year. I now have 6.5 days remaining. :D

Ladybug,

In a company of any size, a certain amount of overtime, or additional "summer vacation" help is budgeted for. If sick days were meant to be used, a company would budget to cover that amount of time for every employee -- and sick days might as well be billed as additional vacation.

What they are really meant to be is a benefit like health insurance. You hope you don't need it, but a good company will provide it because they value their employees and their families. And, like insurance, that benefit shouldn't be used unless it's necessary. It drives the cost of doing business up, which, in the end, drives up prices, and we all end up paying for it.

And, in reality, the company doesn't "owe" any sick days to anyone. It could just as easily be "no work/no pay." If your company is good enough to allow time off for illness, etc., and particularly if you can accrue it for more serious illness, injury or pregnancy -- be thankful.

Also, if you misuse your sick time, remember that one of your fellow employees will probably have to do both of your work -- or in the case of 24/7 kinds of business (like TV, where I've spent most of my career), someone will be forced to come in on his/her day off.

I don't get sick days. I'm a student assistant. We are paid hourly abd have no benefits. So if I'm not there, I don't get paid. It sucks.

Which underscores the point I was trying to make above:

"And, in reality, the company doesn't "owe" any sick days to anyone. It could just as easily be "no work/no pay." If your company is good enough to allow time off for illness, etc., and particularly if you can accrue it for more serious illness, injury or pregnancy -- be thankful."

This situation is not unusual. It's also not unusual for part time people to have no company benefits whatsoever.

I'm working on a contract basis, so I don't get sick time, or vacation time, or holiday pay, or anything :(

At my last permanent job, we got 3 weeks vacation, 3 floating holidays, and I think 9 fixed holidays. If you were sick, you called in and stayed home for the day - there wasn't a bank of sick time that you earned and then spent - but if you abused it, you would be subject to disciplinary action.

Feel better, alphachiohmy :)

Actors get no sick days. What's up with that cough? I don't know. I'll try not to do it stage. It turned out to be pnemonia. I'm the most hardcore person alive.

Even in my performance class cannot miss it. I'm the only one who can do what I do. Its like that for everyone. If one person misses then the whole thing gets behind and is not as good. I think that's why its required to give money to AEA health care fund if you hire a union actor.

DeltAlum---

I'm not speaking from personal perspective on the sick day issue. I was playing devil's advocate as to why people abuse the system. It seems that there is no instant penalty for abuse...and many times those that have abused the system are long gone by the time new/stricter policies have taken affect. I think this is part of the reason why my company has gone to a "one bank" system. If people want to take vacation they'll know not to call in sick when it's not really needed.

Here in the United Kingdom they take a much more employee-friendly approach to vacation time.

On average, employees get 23 days for vacation in addition to the 9 days for public holidays. As a university employee, I would also get 6 extra days for university holidays. Apparently sick leave is not tabluated - that is, if you're sick, you don't come in to work. You still get paid, but if your boss gets suspicious you could get busted. My boyfriend works for a bank and he gets 30 vacation days per year plus the 9 public holidays!

.....Kelly :)

We receive 5 days of "personal time" and two weeks of vacation per year. Our personal time is for any sort of last minute time off - doctor's appointments, sick days, "mental health" days, etc. We are actually encouraged to use all of them, because if we don't, we get paid for any unused time at the end of the year, and that means the company pays us twice (and they sure don't want to do that!)

Our vacation time is pretty much that... they prefer if you sign up for it ahead of time, but if you're out of personal days and you are sick, it's not a problem to call up and use a vacation day. Those we don't get paid for those if we don't use them.

I work at a community college. We get 15 sick days a year. Of course, the college will need to see documentation if you are close to exhausting them all. (I've only taken two this year.)

Depending on your union, you get a minimum of 10 up to a maximum of 22 vacation days a year. (That doesn't count Fridays during the summer, when we are also off.)

I have reviewed HR files here, and if a manager knows/suspects you've called out for a bogus reason, they will not hesitate to add a memo to your file. Example: a manager informed her staff in advance that everyone needed to be in on a particular day. The receptionist called out that day. The manager found out that the rest of the staff already knew she would be out, and she had scheduled a student temp to cover for her! This chick's lucky all she got was a letter in her file.

That's true sometimes.

Another thing to consider, though, is that sooner or later the abuser is going to need a recommendation, or for a former employer to confirm his/her employment. Would you, as a manager, hire someone who took every possible second off every year.

Actions sometimes speak louder than words.

I think calling in sick is a cop out. Especially if you hate your job. That way you can infect your coworkers. "you okay to be here? *coughs in face* yeah i'm fine"

That is a very valid point. One that I think a lot of people should (but don't) take into consideration. Although the type of individual who takes every second off is usually the one who is in the door right at 8:00 and out right at 4:30....what about the ones who bust their butts working late consistently and taking on extra work...who then also take all the vacation time offered to them because they need it for their morale/sanity/whatever. These are the ones who abide by the "work hard, play hard" philosophy...

I wrote the following yesterday, but GC wouldn't let me post. I KNOW none of US would abuse the system, so I'm NOT pointing any fingers.
>>>May I join your band wagon Delt Alum?

We are a VERY small business-3 including me (I pretty much leave around 10:00). We are open 4-41/2 days per week. We pay for you NOT to take a sick day. That's right-at the end of the year, if you didn't take a sick day, you get a weeks bonus on top of a friendly Christmas bonus. We hired a new assistant last year and honestly I loved her...as a person. She missed the equivalent of 4 work weeks!!! ALWAYS a problem. We were getting ready to have the old "heart to heart" when her father took ill. This is a terminal situation. She had to leave that day. Of COURSE that was different, but she had to quit because she knew she would be even more sporadic than usual. So we hired another...out of desperation. She was late to the interview, late the first day, late coming back from lunch and late this morning. I placed an ad in the paper a few hours ago. We used to be all soft and understanding, but in today's work climate the employee is going to have to prove they WANT the damn job! Be very careful out there, because if I can become a little ruthless (I can't even ask for payments or sell a raffle ticket for that matter) , a more seasoned employer will replace you in a heartbeat.
As a PS, I will acknowledge that some work situations don't fret like we do over missed days because they have a large enough staff to cover. To this I say reread Delt Alum's post.

Something to be said for that, too!

I think I feel that way because my mom would never let me miss school unless I had a fever or threw up. In either case they send you home. I've only called in sick ONCE in my entire life. I'd much rather be sent home.

So why can't I get hired???

I don't use many of my 10 sick days-- maybe 2 or 3 a year. In 2000 I had walking pnuemonia and was out for almost 3 weeks, and that was not written up or even discussed. My bosses didn't want me at work, andn I was more or less working from home anyway.

But I do believe in using every ounce of vacation and personal days given to you. They ARE a benefit and often, when not used, employee productiivity suffers, burnout happens, etc. However, preparing and planning for a vacation and recovering from a vacation can spark productivity like nothhing else.

for ex: i leave next wednesday and will be out of the office unttiil jan 2... i'm so energized and busy thiis week trying to get stuff done, anticipate needs in my absense, etc...

I have been known, once in a rare while, to call in sick for a "mental health day." Once in a rare while, I believe this to be a legitimate use of my sick time. But abused, or someone who calls in sick once a week/every other week/whatever--yes, that would be cause for question.

I just guess I've never given my bosses cause for concern. ANd in a company that's gone from 160 to 9 in 3 years and I'm one of the remaining 9 and now 2nd in command... well, i'm a valued employeee, i get my work done, so they allow me liberal amounts of time off and flexible work hours.

Company policy is 3 weeks plus the week between Xmas and New Years off, 2 personal days, 10 sick days-but if documented illness puts you over, its OK (like my walking pneumonia).

You are always welcome on my band wagon, or soap box or anything else, JAM.

We more "mature" (although I'm sure you're much younger than I am -- nearly everybody is), GCers have to stick together.