Am I a bad employee?

[Dinner]

Originally posted by germanos
Can't you just aply for a day off to do stuff like this?

I don't get paid leave until after my probationary period. This is unpaid leave. I likely should have waited but my friends were going now and my choice was either to go with them or risk never going on a trip I've been dreaming about for years.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by JohnT
See, you shouldn't call in sick. You should just say "I'm taking a day." Your employer isn't your parent, and they don't deserve an excuse beyond that of "I have X days-off and I need to take one today."

Likely true.

[JohnT]

Definitely true. Just tell them you're "taking a sick day." That way you don't have to "worry" about lying to them, because you didn't.

[Japher]

Defiantly true.

[germanos]

Originally posted by JohnT
Definitely true. Just tell them you're "taking a sick day." That way you don't have to "worry" about lying to them, because you didn't.

Do I understand right:
'taking a sick day' basically means you are taking an unpaid day off?

[Chemical Ollie]

Well, if you're not sick when you leave, you probably are when you come back.

[Imran Siddiqui]

No, it's usually a paid day off.

[Japher]

"sick" of work

[JohnT]

Originally posted by germanos


Do I understand right:
'taking a sick day' basically means you are taking an unpaid day off?

Depends upon the job. I'm assuming, from what I'm reading here, that's what Oerdin means. If he's hourly, and new, then likely. If he's salaried, he gets paid his salary on his sick days.

[Arrian]

That is one advantage of the way my company handles time off:

There is just one bank of days, not sick days vs. vacation days. There is just "PTO" - Personal Time Off.

In most areas, you need some advance warning to your boss to take time off... in fact I believe the official policy is that you shouldn't take have more than 4 instances of unplanned time off in a year (this, IMO, is kinda bull**** - an example of management picking the best part of the old, "occurrence" based sick policy and the new policy - for THEM).

My boss, however, doesn't care (unless there is a business reason that means I'm needed that day - which there never really is - it can always wait until manana ). Thus, I can call her at 7:30 in the morning and tell her I need to take the day. No problemo.

The old policy was that you got your vacation time and then you got a certain number of sick "occurrences." An occurrence was between 1 and 4 days of being out sick... once you hit 5 days it became sort-term disability - a which point you would need to prove it, of course They felt, apparently, that this was too often abused, with people staying out extra days after they were no longer sick. I know SOME people did do that, but I don't think it was as bad as mgmt feared. The problem is that they also killed off dependant care days and stuff - it all got folded into the bank of PTO days, and for those with kids, this may have been a bit of a raw deal. For me, it's a bit of a wash overall - but there is less guilt on days where I'm not really sick, but feel crappy and just need to not go to work.

Now for the ****ty part. This year, the way short-term disability worked was that once you hit 5 days out, STD would kick in AND you would get your 5 PTO days back (STD would cover that). Effective 1/1/06, however, that will no longer be the case. You will not get those days back. Meh, whether or not it's "fair" or "right" it is a reduction in benifits. Blah. I guess I was lucky I had my herniated disk THIS year, instead of next year...

-Arrian

[Zkribbler]

Not true. A lot of hourly employees accrue sick time.

[Dis]

Originally posted by Zkribbler
Not true. A lot of hourly employees accrue sick time.

but only after their probationary period.

[Ming]

Sounds like a classic "mental health day"... a must for most people

[Provost Harrison]

Yeah, I have required those in the past, especially during incredibly stressful periods where I just need the time to veg. I do get full sick pay though

[Sava]

funny story... well sort of...

when I tried committing suicide in 1998, I overdosed on a lot of meds... but I was supposed to work that day, deliverying pizzas for Pizza Hut... now, I am a very good employee, I never call in sick or go in late or anything... so when I was not in to work, my boss (who I was kind of friends with), called my house... he talked to my sister, 2 years younger.

the conversation went something like this (according to what my sister told me). My sister's name is Liz. It was also a busy Friday and they were shorthanded already.

Liz: Hello?
Boss: Hi, this is Mike from Pizza Hut, is Sava there?
Liz: uhhh... no.... he's... uhhh... unavailable...
Boss: well... do you know where he is? he's supposed to work today
Liz: He can't come to the phone... he's... unavailable...
Boss: Can you tell him it's really important? He needs to come in today.
Liz: ***muffled*** (MOM!! SAVA'S BOSS IS ON THE PHONE, WHAT DO I TELL HIM?)

*waits

Liz: He's in an ambulance right now... he'll call you back

CLICK