Do you use your sick days?

[rich m]

Do I use my sick days????...

... No. My kids use my sick days. I go to work sick in order to conserve "off-time" for them.

 

[Bigsaint]

We get 15 days per year and the unused days carry over to the next year. When I was single, I hardly used any, now I average 9 per year. Some are used for when the kids are home from school sick (my wife works as well), some are for the days when my back is acting up and a few are 'mental health days', put aside just for me on those days (usually the summer months when we are really rocking at work) when I'm just too burned out from one too many domestic dispute or the plain old heavy work load to function as a professional.



Scott W.

 

[Cooker]

Re: sick, you bet!

Originally posted by '956Wheel

In closing, I feel loyal employers are a thing of the past... for the most part.

I couldn't agree more. If you've got 'em you better use 'em, because that is one of the few things they are still giving us. Soon we won't even have 'em or paid vacations. Shoot, we probably won't get vacations at all paid or otherwise.

 

[tgbol]

I get 40 hours per year of sick leave and another 40 hours of "personal business" . What I don't use during the year we get paid for. I like the check for 80 hours every year so I don't use them unless it is a dire emergency. I haven't use my sick leave for 8 years and only 4 hours of PB in that time.

 

[The Sequel]

Sound like I've got it good compared to you all. We get 120 hours of sick time per year. If, at retirement after 20years, you have accumulated 2080 hours of sick time, you are paid for 60% of your final wage. Comes out to a pretty healthy check if you do it right. I agree that sick time is to only be used when you are sick. It's nice to know I have around 1100 hours of sick time that I could tap if I were ever out for an extended illness or injury.

 

[roycrown]

Work in a steel mill, no such thing as a "sick day", never was.

 

[illflem]

Montana state employees get 8 hrs paid sick leave per month that carries over. One long time coworker has accrued over 2000 hours. After leaving work with the state you are paid for 60% of your sick leave. Using sick leave when you aren't truly sick is one of the few reasons for immediate dismissal. You can also use sick leave and get paid for routine visits to the doctor or dentist, this includes driving time.

 

[WOWZY]

My Dad has been working for the county EMS for over 30 years and has never used a sick day. Best part is they all have carrried over and the last time he figured it up, he could take over 2 years sick time and get paid for it. He gets 10 days a year sick pay and works a "1 day on 2 days off schedule".



The county offered to buy his sick time. He said that he might take them up on it and buy a new 'vette. Pretty good pay for 30+ years perfect attendance.

 

[barryg41]

Yeah I use them. I can get up to six months off on one occurrence with full pay. Then 1/2 pay for the next three months. Come back to work for a month and it starts over again.



We also have SIF (sick in family). Thats the best way to get long weekends. Does not contribute to sick leave or vacation.



My company dosnt carry over sick time but you cant have everything!

 

[SS]

Seems to me the guys taking sick days when they (or family) is not sick are the same guys *****in' about the cost of their trucks (or any other product).



I've seen people call in sick on a Friday or Monday when it's clear thet they are out of state on vacation. A few years ago I also heard a couple of guys yukkin' it up that the union contract says they get 8 sick days, but they really get 10 because they don't get written up. This kind of stuff can infuriate any decent employee.



Not trying to throw stones from my glass house, but this one is pretty black-and-white. Sick days are for when you are SICK. I've probably taken 3 1/2 days in the last 10 years, and trips to the emergency room were involved for 2 of the days. As a matter of fact, I don't even know what our policy is - never had the need or desire to look into it - but if I'm sick I'm not going to be there.



JMHO

 

[BigMike]

My sick days accumulate as long as I work and when I retire they add the equivilant months my sick leave is worth to my time in service for retirement calculations. So there is some real incentive to come to work and, with rare exceptions, I do. However, if you lose your sick days each year, I think you could make the case to use some of them, sick or not. I think you're paying for them one way or another. Probably through reduced wages. My wifes company doesn't have sick days. If you're sick, they just say ok and pay you up to a certain point. After a few consecutive days, they will put you on temporary disability, which only pays about 75% of wages. In a couple of years, I won't care any more because I'm retiring.

 

[DHatfield]

I never use my sick time unless I am deadly sick which only happen once (1) so far in the last 9 years that I had a day off because of sickness. I do take off about 15 -20 days vacation each year to get away from it all to make up for not using the sick days.

 

[RBrunson]

6 sick days

They give us six days a year. Use them or loose them. I once went 24 days short of nine years without missing a day till I ruptured a disc in my neck. Seems like after that I could never get on track again, but then again I get older everyday and don't bounce back like I used to.



I used five of them last year. Some of you guys have a nice plan going for you, 180 days a year. . WoW. On the other hand if I have something big like I did in '97, I took off twelve weeks to recouperate and my regular check kept comming in the mail. I am just thankful that I have a good boss that appreciates what I do and a place to go to work everyday. I can live with six days a year.

 

[Jeff H]

We don't have sick days anymore. We have employee managed time off. You don't need any excuses too use at all. It your sick time and vacation time rolled into one. They do give us more time since it is just one. I get little over 3 hours of time everyweek. Its nice cause I don't get sick very often.

 

[NVR FNSH]

I hope I never have to work in the same office as any of you guys. If you are sick STAY HOME - I don't want your darn bug. Nobody thinks any better of you if you come into work hacking & sneezing.



I've worked under two systems. No 'sick time', just stay home and after a week you get kicked to short term disability. I was out three weeks for knee surgery - 1st week the company picked up my full salary, weeks 2 & 3 the company picked up the diff between disability and my normal salary. Under this system people seemed less likely to come to work if they were a carrier. Flexible Time Off (FTO) - sick and vaction lumped together for you to decide when to use it. Since sick time cut down on vacation time people come to work sick as a dog. I don't care for this part of the system, I rarely get sick (no kids to bring the germs home ) and I don't want your sorry butt making me sick.



If your company counts sick time as a benefit (included in total compensation calculation) then I say use it - you earned it.



Brian

 

[JSoloman]

Say Brian,



I am the world's worst at showing up at work so sick I can hardly hold my head up. I get nothing but grief. I have nearly 7 months of time racked up, yet I feel guilty laying around home. I keep waiting for that REAL illness that's lurking out there. Chances are I will retire with over 2000 hrs hanging on the books. Do I care... . NOPE, not if I'm kicking back drawing that pension.



Jen