A Touchy Subject - Sick leave

[Mickyj]

There is one good reason to make sure you use all your sick leave.The last job I had (lasted for 13 yrs) they were getting sold from one company to another or back and forth rather.In the end my section got sold to an opposition company.all leave will be honoured all leave except sick leave I lost weeks or months of unused sick leave.Had a boss who rarely took sick leave in my time perhaps 2 days and he had been with the company well over 30 years and closer to 40 .Imagine losing all that sick leave .

[mighty_tiger_79]

i believe people should use up their entitlements, sick leave is an interesting one, you dont want to waste it if you dont have too, in case of that serious illness that may come up.

[Psyber]

I dont get sick leave and this f****** bitch comes in coughing and spluttering all over me. f****** thanks, a week off with that swine thing means a grand down the tubes. Stay at home if you're sick.

I agree people who are sick should take sick leave and not come in to infect others. That's part of what it is for ..

The final straw that made me decide to employ only casuals back inthe 1980s was a receptionist who started taking regular days off and producing medical certificates saying she had gall bladder attacks.
For some time I'd been noticing Bianco Vermouth on her breath after lunch. She wasn't functioning well in the afternoons, and was making lots of silly mistakes I had to stay back and fix after my working day ended at 6pm. I figured I shouldn't be paying for the consequences of her drinking pattern.
So, I took the only option I had, sacked her because of the frequent serious errors in her work, and employed two part-time casuals.
[It turned out she had also never billled a patient who gave her a Siamese kitten - squeals from the patient when the bill was sent.]
My wife had to work full time during the transition.

People who purchase companies are understandably reluctant to also take on sick leave liabilities given the way, sick leave is commonly abused.
On the other hand an employer may be happy to recognise unused sick leave for someone known to him as a good and reliable worker and allow it to be "banked" in case of serious illness even if not obliged to under law.

[Mic]

I have to admit to going to work often when being sick. When you teach 30 kids who cough and sneeze all over the place it's not hard to get sick. I've only had about 5 sick days in 9 years of work. I often get ill during the holidays (usually at the start).

[dedja]

I can understand some of the the stories here about how some people abuse sickies, but there's always the flipside of this.

I've always worked many, many more hours than those stipulated in my employment contract over the years ... for not a cracker more.

Have to work back tonight until the job is done ... yep, no problems.

Have to work all night because of a serious issue ... yep, no problems.

Get calls at 3am because something has broken ... yep, no problems.

Remember, for a not a cent more.

Feeling sick? ... yep, but I have so much to do so I'll do it all from home anyway. The mobile still rings and gets answered, the emails still come in and are replied to ... in fact most bastards don't even realise you're home sick!

So when it comes to the day every now and again and I think, f***, I feel mentally rooted (but not sick), my employer has got and will continue to get bloody good value out of me, I don't feel ashamed or troubled to 'chuck a sickie'. Sometimes this is encouraged by an employer who knows you well and the effort you put in and the really good senior managers will tell to to have the day off and not record a sickie or leave day.

I'm pretty sure I'm not an orphan here.

[Psyber]

Yes that is what most employers would see as a fair thing, dedja.
You put in, they show understanding and some flexibility.

[Mickyj]

On the other hand an employer may be happy to recognise unused sick leave for someone known to him as a good and reliable worker and allow it to be "banked" in case of serious illness even if not obliged to under law.

Would think that statement is a bit in fairy land Psyber.My employer plays everything by the book if its in the companies favour that is .
If u need a sick certificate u have to produce 1 and if your casual I've seen them make a casual employee get a sick cert .And the casuals have looked at me funny when I have asked why u don't work u don't get paid!

My last sick leave yes I had 2 days off (thursday friday)then went to work Monday and then had four days off.Second lot I was ordered to produce the certificate on the Wednesday. Even though it was not going to be faxed to head office until Monday morning.Of course I took it straight in was told who to hand it to, and got why did you bring this in !!
Now just wait until near the end of September (my next 10 days fall due) and I inform the same boss who demanded the cert I will be having at least 10 days sick leave with a knee operation.Partly due to the fact that I kept going back to work when I should have stayed home.Guilt got to me as it was stock take week .Oh and the Monday I worked 10 hours and every hour my walking got slower and slower(yes the brown noses noticed and made fun of me trying to get out of work even though I didnt ask to go home until Tuesday morning).
And why September well thats the public health system and another topic

[Psyber]

On the other hand an employer may be happy to recognise unused sick leave for someone known to him as a good and reliable worker and allow it to be "banked" in case of serious illness even if not obliged to under law.

Would think that statement is a bit in fairy land Psyber.My employer plays everything by the book if its in the companies favour that is .
If u need a sick certificate u have to produce 1 and if your casual I've seen them make a casual employee get a sick cert .And the casuals have looked at me funny when I have asked why u don't work u don't get paid!

It used to happen with small or family firms and reliable employees, but I agree that as companies get larger it gets more impersonal and more "by the book".
I've also met situation where the CEO of a company OKs something, but someone in middle management, who likes to throw the little weight they have around, undermines it.
I met that in a WorkCover return to work plan about 12 years ago - in the end the middle-management guy got the flick because he kept up the sabotage.

Casuals who show a pattern of not turning up are a pest too. Even if they don't get paid, somebody still has to ring about to get somebody else in or their co-workers have to do the extra. So demanding a certificate from them if they want to keep working there is a discipline issue - like suspending players who don't turn up to essential training sessions. The easy solution is don't say anything, but just don't bother rostering them on again...

My last sick leave yes I had 2 days off (thursday friday)then went to work Monday and then had four days off.Second lot I was ordered to produce the certificate on the Wednesday. Even though it was not going to be faxed to head office until Monday morning.Of course I took it straight in was told who to hand it to, and got why did you bring this in !!

Could that have been the issue I mentioned above - one little Hitler?

Now just wait until near the end of September (my next 10 days fall due) and I inform the same boss who demanded the cert I will be having at least 10 days sick leave with a knee operation.Partly due to the fact that I kept going back to work when I should have stayed home.Guilt got to me as it was stock take week .Oh and the Monday I worked 10 hours and every hour my walking got slower and slower(yes the brown noses noticed and made fun of me trying to get out of work even though I didnt ask to go home until Tuesday morning).
And why September well thats the public health system and another topic

A hospital I worked in in my youth as a public doctor had a policy that you didn't need to produce a certificate for two working days off but did for more. I had a Friday and Monday off, and got my pay docked by the local finance clerk because it was 4 days in his view. I rang his boss in head office and they couriered me a cheque and chatted him, but he still insisted his was the right interpretation.
When one of my colleagues later did the same, I wrote the clerk a note in my position as the guy making the doctors rosters up pointing out that Dr X was sick in Friday and Monday, but has contacted me on Saturday and resumed his normal duties for Saturday and Sunday, "which were rostered off duty". That stopped him playing silly bugger again.

[Mickyj]

[/quote] A hospital I worked in in my youth as a public doctor had a policy that you didn't need to produce a certificate for two working days off but did for more. I had a Friday and Monday off, and got my pay docked by the local finance clerk because it was 4 days in his view. I rang his boss in head office and they couriered me a cheque and chatted him, but he still insisted his was the right interpretation.
When one of my colleagues later did the same, I wrote the clerk a note in my position as the guy making the doctors rosters up pointing out that Dr X was sick in Friday and Monday, but has contacted me on Saturday and resumed his normal duties for Saturday and Sunday, "which were rostered off duty". That stopped him playing silly bugger again.[/quote]

You see you would have had to have a certifacte at my work Friday's and monday's need certificates

[Pottsy]

Well, the title of the thread has turned out pretty correct.

Any thread that gets Hitler in it must have gotten a bit touchy!

[Psyber]

A hospital I worked in in my youth as a public doctor had a policy that you didn't need to produce a certificate for two working days off but did for more. I had a Friday and Monday off, and got my pay docked by the local finance clerk because it was 4 days in his view. I rang his boss in head office and they couriered me a cheque and chatted him, but he still insisted his was the right interpretation.
When one of my colleagues later did the same, I wrote the clerk a note in my position as the guy making the doctors rosters up pointing out that Dr X was sick in Friday and Monday, but has contacted me on Saturday and resumed his normal duties for Saturday and Sunday, "which were rostered off duty". That stopped him playing silly bugger again.

You see you would have had to have a certifacte at my work Friday's and monday's need certificates

Yes.. I guess they are aware of the long weekend "sickie" being the most common.
Back in those days, if a doctor said he or she had been sick, it was assumed he or she was telling the truth. We all worked longer hours than officially rostered just to keep up with patient needs.

Mind you, in my first year I was rostered on duty 130 hours a week for 6 months, after the Superintendent of the RAH had told us they could run the hospital on half the doctors they employed, and they were doing us the favour of taking us all on so we could get the experience we needed. I had a soft roster for the other half of the year - only 84 hours a week - all fixed salary, no overtime, too.
It tends to make you cynical about state governments, and is one reason the public system loses staff to private practice fairly quickly.

My year took the SA government to the Industrial Court and won time and a quarter after 54 hours in a week, and a ban on rostering doctors on duty more than 84 hours a week for the next group - too late for us, but good for those who followed. They responded by rostering people "on call" instead of "on duty", but they had to pay a minumum number of hours when you were inevitably called in..

[auto]

I work at a large manufacturer and the nazis are always on your back about your sickies because it doesnt meet thier targets. FFs you get 10 sickies a year but they only budget for 5 or 6 per person. Sometimes after only a couple you get a "friendly" chat which is in my eyes intimidation. The general view is if everyone only had 5 or 6 the need for 10 in the ensuing agreement can be reduced to 8 or so.

[Mickyj]

I work at a large manufacturer and the nazis are always on your back about your sickies because it doesnt meet thier targets. FFs you get 10 sickies a year but they only budget for 5 or 6 per person. Sometimes after only a couple you get a "friendly" chat which is in my eyes intimidation. The general view is if everyone only had 5 or 6 the need for 10 in the ensuing agreement can be reduced to 8 or so.

Yes my lot scream when people are off .I have caught out my team leader complaining about all the staff off and they cant cover the losses.And I have said out loud but you ok the people on RDO's and Holidays,gets me strange looks .What then happens they start giving out rosters to full time staff to cover the people away .
From what I have heard and seen my mob forget when people are rostered off and they make the rosters up !!!
Off topic but we could have a bit of a fight .One female(well all of them were who were off Friday) worker was texted with the message bad luck on one page then you must work two 10hr days.her hubby went mad at her the entire weekend she got the message.When she confronted our team leader I have to tell u when u are needed to do overtime yes could u please phone me at home instead and she explained what happened.No was the reply please take me off the mobile list "no" again well only call me on my home phone.I told her afterwards to tell them she had cancelled her mobile .This all goes back to the emergency contact list most people put their own mobile numbers down as an emergency contact number. I queried why they needed our mobile numbers to call us ,if we had an emergency at work like a heart attack again it went over like a lead balloon
And I knew about the 2 ten hour days almost took a sickie
I think the best answer with sickies and bosses if u dont take them then the bosses can bank the money and make interest on it

[Jimmy_041]

Sacked a person today that thought they were an entitlement........................

Well done. TOOL .

Get fugged, IDIOT

[Farmy]

People going into work sick causes more lost hours of productivity than people chucking sickies in Australia.

[Dutchy]

People who purchase companies are understandably reluctant to also take on sick leave liabilities given the way, sick leave is commonly abused.
On the other hand an employer may be happy to recognise unused sick leave for someone known to him as a good and reliable worker and allow it to be "banked" in case of serious illness even if not obliged to under law.

I work for a large company and over 21 years with them accrued over 150 sick days up my sleeve, always like to have it as insurance in case I got very sick, had to battle cancer, car accident etc......then about a year ago they changed their policy from getting 12 days a year to unlimited sick leave!

If you use all your sick leave cause you think its an "entitlement" I hope you have Income protection or sickness insurance cause if something major happens and you dont have any "banked" how are you going to pay the bills?

[Dirko]

When I left my place of employment after 17 years, I had taken a total of 20 sick days and 15 of those where when I had a Splenectomy. 5 other sick days over 17 years a fair effort. Vary rare to get a bad cold and never had the flu. Had a mammoth amount owing when I left.....

[Johnny Bowla]

I work with a fair few people that come to work sick, in an indoor environment. Gives you the shits when you catch what they have. I reckon that if you have a cough or sound sick (when dealing with customers) you should stay home, nothing worse then watching them cough or splutter when they are dealing with customers

[Wedgie]

I work with a fair few people that come to work sick, in an indoor environment. Gives you the shits when you catch what they have.

Only if its a tummy bug mate.

[Iron Fist]

where I work
we get 10 days a year but they dont roll over
so if i got a cold or something I dont feel guilty if I have a day off
usually if its one day they wont ask for a certificate, if its 2 or more get a certificate
usually thats not a problem cause if you need two or more days off I think you should probably go see the doctor.
What im curious of is, I had an arthroscapy 3 weeks ago, had 3 days of sick leave for it which is fine and was straight back to work
if my knee doesnt get better, I will need to have a recon
which is supposedly at least 2 weeks off, I dunno if I will be able to use my remaining days of sick leave
and when they are used up, if the days i didnt use in past years will be used or will I have to use anual leave or go unpayed??
its something I will sit and discuss with the boss when i get to that bridge!