Calling in "sick"...

[ChrizJen]

Inspired by an article. I read:
http://finance.yahoo.com/career-wor...ay-bounty-hunters?mod=career-worklife_balance

Seems that some places are hiring private investigators to check up on "sick" employees and catch them in the act of playing hookie.

What do you think, and do you sometimes call in sick when you're really just not in the mood to go to work?

 

[FireDancer]

We don't have our time off broken up between sick days, vacation days, personal days, ect. We have PTO and all of those pull from the same pool. I've never called in sick when I wasn't, at least not post college, but I've called in the morning and told my boss I'm going to just take a personal day that day.

If you just need a mental health day or a day off for your sick kid tell them that, no need to lie. As long as you had the time here no one would care, just don't lie. There is no excuse for that.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

We don't have our time off broken up between sick days, vacation days, personal days, ect. We have PTO and all of those pull from the same pool. I've never called in sick when I wasn't, at least not post college, but I've called in the morning and told my boss I'm going to just take a personal day that day.

If you just need a mental health day or a day off for your sick kid tell them that, no need to lie. As long as you had the time here no one would care, just don't lie. There is no excuse for that.

Same here - I ask for mental health days when I need an unscheduled break.

 

[Minnesota!]

Well, prior to kids - YES. I would call in for a mental health day. But now since my kids are at home with a nanny when I work...if I called in for a mental health day...I would still have to stay home and take care of them! Not too much mental health going on there with running them to school, picking them up, etc. etc. etc.

So no - I don't do it anymore.

If one of my kids is sick I would stay home. But my kids never get sick *knock on wood*. In the 3.5 yaers we have had this nanny they have never been sick to where I need to stay home with them (other than minor colds and stuff).

Immune systems of steel apparently!!

 

[ChrizJen]

I agree with both of you. Our company does break it down into so many days for sick time, so many for vacation, and so forth. But I feel that the time allotted for each is adequate, so if I feel like I need a day for mental health, I take a personal day. Otherwise, sick time is for when I'm sick. I get plenty of vacation time, so as long as I use it for recreational things, I usually don't feel the need for extra "mental health" days (as I've heard them referred to).

 

[kwelch10377]

I have called in sick on days where I really just don't feel like going in. I'll wake up just blah. One those days though I don't go out and do anything, I usually just lay around.

If I ever had anything come up like a funeral or something I would just use personal or vacation days. My job and boss are pretty flexible.

From the sounds of it these people either were denied vacation days when asked and called out sick to do whatever they wanted to do or used up all their vacation/personal days and wanted to use sick days for something other than being sick.

 

[Acklander]

I make my own schedule so just schedule around being sick (or many times work while being sick, but just do a light day) or personal day offs. But, if I don't work, I don't get paid.
That being said, I think hiring private investigators to check up on sick employees is a complete waste of resources.

 

[Robinrs]

I'm the boss so if I want to take a day off I do... and that's rarely. It's never broken down by sick or not sick.

My staff has to call in with what their reason is. I don't check on it, if they have the time they can use it, if not they lose the money.

 

[hereyago]

One time my co worker called in said she would be late because she had a flat tire waiting for AAA to come out. My boss who often didn't take her anti nuts meds, actually went out and drove to see if she was where she was and the co worker was sitting there waiting for AAA.

This co worker had never been late or called off,but boss was a nutcase from the jump.

 

[JVelasquez]

I personally don't waste my sick days on days that I'm not really sick. I only get 3 a yr (which isn't much) and I'm afraid if I did that karma would come back to get me and I'd b really sick and have no time left and I can't afford to take a day off unpaid. On that note I do think that companies who spy like that on their employees are wasting their money!

 

[soccerchick]

leave is leave. who cares why you take it if you have the days to take?

 

[NMAmy]

I can use half my vacation time for family care. When dd was younger, I used it to care for her if she was sick. Now I tend to use it more to care for my mother when she's ill. I'm very grateful that we have this option.

So, I do call in sometimes when I'm not ill but I am caring for someone else and it's not a secret.

 

[MomRN]

I have to call in 4 hours early for the night shift. There have been a couple of times I have woken up in the afternoon not feeling great. Not sure which way it was going, I went ahead and called in later to find out it was just a little bug. But I didn't call back in to say "Nevermind, not sick after all" I went with it as a mental health day.

 

[scrapquitler]

leave is leave. who cares why you take it if you have the days to take?

My job figures this, too. We still have "sick time" and "personal time" (which accrues by the hour, not by the day) and we can take it any way we want....in fact, if we are running late because we are stuck in traffic or something, we are supposed to use it for that, even in 15 minute increments. Time off is time off, and it comes out of your hours bank, regardless of the reason.

 

[donaldduck352]

I make my own schedule so just schedule around being sick (or many times work while being sick, but just do a light day) or personal day offs. But, if I don't work, I don't get paid.
That being said, I think hiring private investigators to check up on sick employees is a complete waste of resources.

I make my own schedule also.I can take off anytime I want,but like you i don't get paid.

 

[ChrizJen]

I personally don't waste my sick days on days that I'm not really sick. I only get 3 a yr (which isn't much) and I'm afraid if I did that karma would come back to get me and I'd b really sick and have no time left and I can't afford to take a day off unpaid. On that note I do think that companies who spy like that on their employees are wasting their money!

This is sort of how I look at it. As I said before, I really don't feel the need to "fake sick", because I have enough vacation/personal time allotted to me. But I also don't have a moral issue with people using a sick day every now and then to regroup and take a break. Especially if they don't otherwise get enough time off work throughout the year. Everyone needs a break now and then, and I consider myself lucky, knowing that not everyone gets the amount of PTO that I get.

On the other hand, I DO have a problem with people who fake long-term issues (claiming short/long-term disability or workers comp). Those are the ones who should be "checked up" on. Those are the ones who are a burdon to their employers. Not the ones who take a day or two throughout the year.

 

[Kimberly]

I set my own schedule being self employed, often with ample breaks in between projects to allow myself to recooperate. If I can't... I take a break when I have the time, or just take one for mental health.

 

[Art 1]

I don't have time to get sick.

 

[marcyinPA]

I picked "other" because I could vote the first two. Only when I'm really sick, or when I have a sick child.

 

[Jennasis]

I never get a day off, much less a sick day. I work 365 days per year. The only exception was the two weeks earlier this year immediately after my back surgery. After two weeks, I was back in the barn working. DH and I take a small vacation every other year.

If I'm sick, the horses still need to be fed, taken care of etc.

That all said. After 7+ years of living this way, I've had enough and I am now scheduling in a one day break every month. Our first day off will be next Friday. DH is using a sick day from his f/t job, and I am having one of our employees cover my duties for the day and cancelling the lessons I usually teach.