Calling in sick to work

[mi*vida*loca]

Where I work used to require a drs note even if they sent you home sick lol. They don't do that anymore. I do think how it's treated depends on the type of job you have and the hardship it causes others when you are not there. For a while I worked in an office where the switchboard had to be covered from 8-5 no matter what. In the year I worked there the switchboard person called in 27 days. And that did not include the 4 weeks she took off scheduled during the year, or the days she left early or came in late. How do I know? Because I was her back up. Which meant since I worked 730-430, I would be late picking my kids up from daycare those days (closed at 530) which cost me $15 every time. The bosses didn't care, but it did cause some issues with other staff in the office. If your job requires someone else to pick up the slack in addition to their own work, then I can see the issue with frequent callins (I know you said you didn't call in often). However if you have a job where the work just waits until you get back then it's not as big of a deal.

Unfortunately, in many situations, too many employees call in when they aren't really sick at all and ruin it for everyone else. And sometimes those call ins can result in businesses having to close for the day, which costs the business money, so yeah, I can understand why they'd be crabby about that.

Calling out 27 times would be an automatic termination after the 8th or 9th time where I work. I forget the actual number since I rarely ever call out. Did your job not have limits?

 

[dez1978]

nope. It was a state agency. They make it incredibly hard to fire anyone so most bosses dont even try unless they really don't like the person or it's a safety issue.

 

[ronandannette]

I hate that it's become a badge of honor to show up to work feeling sick, and that management has put fear of job loss into people over concern for their health. I'm actually sick right now, left early Friday and was sick all weekend. Messaged my boss that I'm sick and will be working from home, probably not at full capacity but at least staying on top of my projects. If I didn't have the option to work from home I would have had to take PTO and I hate wasting PTO for being sick lol, I want to use that time for vacation!

eta: Not Covid, I got tested. I DO have a lot of the symptoms thought and I'm sure no one would appreciate me being in the office right now while coughing my head off.

As a boss I dislike the expectation that employees can sort of/kind of work from home when they're sick instead of taking sick days. It's really a bit of gaming the system. One can either work or they can't. Taking at least a 1/2 day sick would more honestly represent the situation. I am so glad we don't have one big lump of PTO and our sick days are use-or-lose.

 

[Christine]

No offence, but as a boss I dislike the expectation that employees can sort of/kind of work from home when they're sick instead of taking sick days. It's really a bit of gaming the system. One can either work or they can't. Taking at least a 1/2 day sick would more honestly represent the situation. I am so glad we don't have one big lump of PTO and our sick days are use-or-lose.

Depends on the job. I can do my job 100% from home already (even though pre-pandemic I did not). I have IBS. My job is 30 miles away in traffic. Not good if you've got cramps and getting-to-the-toilet issues. Also, who wants to go into a office where you need to be in a public bathroom every few hours having cramping diarrheah? It's embarrassing. But in between the time, I'm feeling okay. So at home, I don't have to worry about a commute and I have my own private bathroom to take care of matters.

Same with a bad cold or cough. I might feel well enough to sit up and work but staying home lets me cough and sneeze with abandon and I don't have to worry about annoying or infecting my cube mates.

 

[AndreaDM]

As a boss I dislike the expectation that employees can sort of/kind of work from home when they're sick instead of taking sick days. It's really a bit of gaming the system. One can either work or they can't. Taking at least a 1/2 day sick would more honestly represent the situation. I am so glad we don't have one big lump of PTO and our sick days are use-or-lose.

Maybe in certain industries I can see your point, but I am a project manager and if I don't at least check in throughout the day and take care of what needs to be done, an entire project can stall making it difficult for other people to do their part. It's different with planned absences as I assign my tasks to another PM.

 

[ronandannette]

Depends on the job. I can do my job 100% from home already (even though pre-pandemic I did not). I have IBS. My job is 30 miles away in traffic. Not good if you've got cramps and getting-to-the-toilet issues. Also, who wants to go into a office where you need to be in a public bathroom every few hours having cramping diarrheah? It's embarrassing. But in between the time, I'm feeling okay. So at home, I don't have to worry about a commute and I have my own private bathroom to take care of matters.

Same with a bad cold or cough. I might feel well enough to sit up and work but staying home lets me cough and sneeze with abandon and I don't have to worry about annoying or infecting my cube mates.

But that's not what the post I was replying to said. It specified only being able to work at reduced capacity.

 

[SteveH]

...saw your employees who called in "sick" posting pics on FB of whatever they were really doing that day...

We really don't go looking at FB, but I will tell you we get a number of submissions to our anonymous HR email showing just this. We do use the opportunity to have a meeting with the employee. Some will fess up and be honest others make up more stories, those generally don't stick around long because they know their coworkers won't cover for them.

No offence, but as a boss I dislike the expectation that employees can sort of/kind of work from home when they're sick instead of taking sick days. It's really a bit of gaming the system. One can either work or they can't. Taking at least a 1/2 day sick would more honestly represent the situation. I am so glad we don't have one big lump of PTO and our sick days are use-or-lose.

The advantage of PTO is that it discourages taking random days off as most want to save their time for full vacation days. But I do agree with the work from home, we allow PTO in half day (for exempt employees) but need to talk with your supervisor for approval, otherwise its just a full PTO day. One of my team members gets migraines. She will take a 1/2 day of PTO and if she can't handle it she's good about letting me know she needs the full day. Key is communication, but that only works for employees that are bought into their work.

 

[Christine]

But that's not what the post I was replying to said. It specified only being able to work at reduced capacity.

Ah, got it. I've worked at reduced capacity when sick and I've taken leave. So instead of 8 hours leave because I couldn't make it in, I might take 2 hours leave working from home to account for my reduced capacity (like too much time in the bathroom). But I tend to be on the side of always being super honest about that stuff.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

As a boss I dislike the expectation that employees can sort of/kind of work from home when they're sick instead of taking sick days. It's really a bit of gaming the system. One can either work or they can't. Taking at least a 1/2 day sick would more honestly represent the situation. I am so glad we don't have one big lump of PTO and our sick days are use-or-lose.

My XH worked in law enforcement and had 15 sick days a year that you had to use as a call out. Every single person used all 15. It was part of their benefits package. So yup 15 call outs a year. And with their jobs they needed them.

I feel that PTO banks bring less call outs (especially if your job has a limit on call outs). I know I would rather use my time for vacations or days I actually have something planned rather than calling out randomly. But if I had a bank of sick days that I would either use or lose I would definitely call out instead of losing them.

 

[OhDannyBoy]

So for some TMI. I am having a bad day for my medical issue(IBS). I usually have mostly good days, but today is not one of them. I called in sick to my part time job and let my boss know because, anyone with any knowledge of this stuff knows how it is impossible to do anything on bad days, that does not revolve around a toilet. I hate how they act like they don't believe you and get ticked off. I rarely call in sick and I don't usually talk about my medical issues because it's not their business. Anyone else have their boss act as if you are lying sack of poop for calling in? And why do grown adults act like this?

No and I wouldn't tell them why if they asked. I have sick days and I intend to use them. I don't call out enough to suspect I'm abusing my sick days.

Bosses or owners rarely miss work due to illness. So I guess it’s hard for them to believe. One thing is feeling ill and another is being sick. So many call off feeling ill but are in the next day. If a person is going to not feel well they might as well feel that way at work. Another is being sick and under a doctors care.

If I feel ill or sick, I'm not coming in. If that puts my job in Jeopardy, I have the wrong job.

I hate this idea that I somehow owe my company something and need to come in no matter what unless I'm on my death bed. LOL no. If I'm that important to you, you better be paying me acordingly otherwise I'll either see you when I feel better or not at all.

 

[Mysterian]

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[Wendy1985]

I think working remote is fine instead of pto taking any kind of over the counter medication makes you comfortable enough to work but you are still contagious

 

[lifesavacation]

I am a small business owner and I don’t want anyone to show up for their shift if they are sick. If they get other people sick then I have more people off work. Especially now with COVID, call in sick if you aren’t feeling well. The only time I have questioned an absence is if someone has frequent absences. We should have a discussion about it if that’s the case. My biggest worry would be a job related injury or something that requires an accommodation.

 

[bcla]

But why does it matter why someone called out? If someone wants to use their time to call out and sit on the beach that’s their business. PTO or sick time is part of your benefits package. Businesses aren’t paying people out of the goodness of their hearts. And if you don’t have sick time as part of your job I assume when you call out sick it is unpaid.

If there's a law mandating sick time (there is in my state for anyone on the job over 30 days) then there are requirements that the sick time be for specific reasons relating to medical issues. Of course employers aren't generally supposed to ask what it is.

I've rarely worked where my pay wasn't salaried. Only did it once where I was hourly in a contract job. I took exactly one holiday off so I could go on a trip with my family. I was even there during Christmas and New Years Day even though the office was almost abandoned that entire week. However, I think I probably was entitled to sick pay although I never used it.

 

[Lilsia]

My first question is: Does your boss have any knowledge?
If you have a chronic condition, all you can do is explain and educate them on your disease. If it is impossible to do anything on the bad days, your boss needs to know. Only then they can help. I would say: it is their business to keep you as a happy employee.
You cannot expect anyone to have knowledge of every disease and know what they can do to accommodate you, without information from you.

I did explain it to them that I did have it, but they did not seem to believe it anyway. This is my part time job in a grocery store doing online shopping. So this is my extra money to help pay for my kid's college. It's not like I am saving the company by being there. And I also am one of their best workers and do not call in sick, more then what I think is a normal amount. Basically maybe 3 days a year. So that is why I don't understand the animosity of these people. It's a crap job with crap pay, but they act like you are they own you. But that is how many of these types of jobs treat people I have found.

 

[dclpluto]

I try to take good care of myself and don’t get sick. In 28 years where I work at now I never called in sick one time. Called off about 10 times during them years. Five for my dogs. Two when son had a car accident. One for colonoscopy couldn’t get the vacation day. Two when Disney plus came out. Where I work iif you give them a three days notice and you have the pto time it doesn’t go against your record. Under three days it goes against your record. Doesn’t make any sense to me they way they have it. Someone could come in Monday say they want to get drunk with their friends on Friday nothing happens to them. Someone who is actually sick or parent or kid or pet you don’t get the notice it goes against your record. They have the three days notice so they can get someone to fill your spot but it doesn’t make sense to me.

 

[ronandannette]

No and I wouldn't tell them why if they asked. I have sick days and I intend to use them. I don't call out enough to suspect I'm abusing my sick days.


If I feel ill or sick, I'm not coming in. If that puts my job in Jeopardy, I have the wrong job.

I hate this idea that I somehow owe my company something and need to come in no matter what unless I'm on my death bed. LOL no. If I'm that important to you, you better be paying me acordingly otherwise I'll either see you when I feel better or not at all.

I love that our system works like this. Sick days max out at 7 per year and a doctor's note is required for 3 or more days in a row so the abuse aspect takes care of itself. Most employees are smart enough to realize that if they take their sick days when they're not really sick they may end up burning their holidays or going unpaid if they do get legitimately ill.

 

[tasha99]

I had a job years ago that didn't allow for any sick time from January through April. You could take it and get paid, but you'd be written up. I got sick at work, and had to leave. I just didn't want to throw up at my desk. I got a written warning, so I couldn't change departments or get promoted for 6 months. That was a key factor in my leaving about a month later for a different job.

 

[ronandannette]

I had a job years ago that didn't allow for any sick time from January through April. You could take it and get paid, but you'd be written up. I got sick at work, and had to leave. I just didn't want to throw up at my desk. I got a written warning, so I couldn't change departments or get promoted for 6 months. That was a key factor in my leaving about a month later for a different job.

That is pretty ridiculous - people don't get sick on a schedule. I can see not allowing any vacations or personal days during the busy season but getting sick can't be helped.

 

[CdnCarrie]

I try to take good care of myself and don’t get sick. In 28 years where I work at now I never called in sick one time.

Wow that's amazing! But lots of people take good care of themselves and still get sick. Kids are germy. Workplaces are germy. It's not like we get sick on purpose.

I phone in sick maybe 2-3 times a year. So far this year I only took the day off after my first vaccine shot as I was feverish and nauseous. Second shot was much better.

My coworker has a chronic health issue and takes up to 15 sick days a year. It's very random - seems fine Tuesday and Thursday but calls off for Wednesday. I noticed working from home she only missed 5 days so far this year.