Calling out sick from work

[LilyWDW]

I text my boss when I wake up and realize going to work isn't going to happen. Just a quick "Hey, sorry, but I won't be in today." Luckily my department realizes that we are all adults and illness happens.

 

[_19disnA]

Probably varies by company and whether you are salary, hourly or contract employee. Typically, if salary you still get paid when out ill but if hourly/contract you do not. Some companies have a specific number of 'sick' days you are allocated each year. Others feel like this rewards those who are ill vs those who aren't. Just depends on where you work.

 

[Kitty 34]

I'm out sick right now. I manage the organic chemistry labs at the University and also teach one of the lab sections. I have to be in the building when labs are in session, to monitor the sections, replenish missing/broken items, and "put out fires" as I used to call it (until we actually HAD a fire in one of the labs that I had to put out.. now it's not so funny). Anyhow... I am on IV antibiotics for an infection so once diagnosed I knew I'd be out all week. It's basically up to me to make sure my responsibilities are covered for the time I'm out. I had to find a TA to cover my lab section this morning, make arrangements for someone to physically be present in the prep room when there are labs the rest of the week, and send a detailed document outlining what someone needs to do for each day for the rest of the week to do what I'd normally do. It's a pain, and it took me about 4 hours to get everything in place. However, labs and classes go on even if faculty/staff are out sick, so arrangements must be made for coverage.

Leebee, being on IV antibiotics you must be in the hospital right? s to you and feel better soon.

 

[hereyago]

I text my immediate boss(at least 2 hours before shift) and the dispatch then I turn the phone.

 

[EveDallas]

I work in a small preschool/childcare so there is no calling out. Unless I can get a coworker to work for me, I have to go to work. It really sucks sometimes. I'm pretty flexible with coming in for coworkers but they aren't so much for me.

Same here.

 

[LSUmiss]

I work in a small preschool/childcare so there is no calling out. Unless I can get a coworker to work for me, I have to go to work. It really sucks sometimes. I'm pretty flexible with coming in for coworkers but they aren't so much for me.

So you’re expected to go to work sick & spread your illness to young children . I certainly would much rather my preschool tell me they’re closed for the day then have me send DS to be exposed.

 

[bcla]

Probably varies by company and whether you are salary, hourly or contract employee. Typically, if salary you still get paid when out ill but if hourly/contract you do not. Some companies have a specific number of 'sick' days you are allocated each year. Others feel like this rewards those who are ill vs those who aren't. Just depends on where you work.

Depends. I've had recruiters contact me about hourly contract positions. A few actually said that the client mandated that there be sick/vacation time and benefits comparable to what they provided for their own employees.

As I noted earlier, I've been in situations where all vacation/sick time was accrued in a single pool of "paid time off". Others accrued sick time, while one had a single number per calendar year, although they'd probably be flexible if I needed more than that.

 

[LSUmiss]

I email that I won’t be in.

 

[wgeo]

I am independant contractor that works exclusively online - nobody cares if I show up or not, but if I don't show up I don't get paid.

 

[ronandannette]

I so wanted to call in with a case of "disneyplusitis" today!

You could definitely do so at my workplace and never even have to make up an excuse. Over the past couple of years we have centralized all our HR functions to our head office in another province and gone to some whiz-bang software that does everything on-line. Our policy is 7 paid sick days per calendar year, which don't roll over. Managers are also not permitted to ask about potentially "sensitive personal issues" or require any verification for any absence of three days or less. What that means at this time of year, is that practically every morning I've got a notification or two saying my staff members are out sick. Or more to the point, not sick - just making sure they exploit the paid-leave policy to it's fullest before the end of the year. Grrrr - it po's me to no end and this kind of thing never happened when they actually had to lie directly to me to fake a sick day.

 

[DisneyHardin]

I'm a teacher. School starts at 9, we have to have called in by 8. I put in the sub job online, then I text the principal to let her know I'm out and I call the school and leave a message on the secretary's voice mail.

Usually it isn't worth even calling in after I do all that plus e-mail in plans for the sub.

 

[hereyago]

Protocol is at least 2 hours before shift: to text my immediate boss and dispatch.

 

[tvguy]

Current policy is to call and talk to a manager. As early as possible. Texts and e-mails are not acceptable because the person yoy select to text or email may not be working that day.
We have a manager on duty Monday thru Friday pretty much around the clock, only gap is 1130 pm to 2 am. And the lawyers say we can't say someone is "sick". They are just calling "out."
As early as possible is new in the last few years, used to be 8 hours in advance.
My wife's place is the same, you have to talk to the manager on site,

 

[Disney_Alli]

We have to call out to the manager at least 3 hours prior to the start of our shift. It's nice to also give a heads up to the staff in the room. Our department if 6 people plus a manager (who is currently on a LoA for a surgery) so calling out is a total PITA for everyone. I've worked here just shy of 6 years and once I arranged the day before that I would be sick the next day (I was having an allergic reaction on my legs and was covered in hives, another employee was bringing me ice that night to make that shift bearable but I saw a trip to the doctor in my future) I arranged with the other overnight person to cover my shift the next day. For some reason despite it not giving anyone OT to have him cover my manager forced us to treat it as a shift change instead and I had to cover his next shift to take my sick day.

 

[leebee]

Oh wow, hope you feel better soon! IV antibiotics sound serious!!

Leebee, being on IV antibiotics you must be in the hospital right? s to you and feel better soon.

Thanks for your good thoughts. It is pretty serious, but as long as the infection doesn't seem to spread, we're going on the "it's getting better" train of thought. I go into the clinic every morning for a dose of IV clindamycin and am also taking it orally. My fever has broken, so that's also a positive sign. My eye itself isn't involved yet, which is the best thing of all. I have consults with the ophthalmologist and the oral surgeon to make sure everything is OK with my eye, jaw, and gum line. I guess this can "go south" fairly quickly, which is why they are seeing me daily and I'm monitoring my temp. As crazy as this all sounds, I don't feel really awful and it isn't very painful. Mostly it's just boring, as reading is quite challenging (there is a bit of double vision) and daytime TV stinks! As long as things don't spread or there isn't a new symptom, I won't need to be hospitalized. Fingers crossed!

 

[nene0182]

I just send an email to my supervisor as soon as I know I won’t be in. We don’t have any official policy as to when we are supposed to contact her or how.

 

[indimom]

The policy for the main hospital is to call the nursing supervisor 3 hours prior. But, we have a smaller department outside the main hospital (hospice); and, we don't have subs or other departments to pull from. If one of us is out, we try to move visits to other days; or, the rest of the nurses pick up visits to take up the slack. I call our intake coordinator about an hour before work because there's no point waking her up when she'll have to coordinate with the other nurses to make whatever changes to the schedule are necessary. We're pretty good at adjusting our schedules on the fly since we never know what kind of changes or needs our patients may have day to day.

 

[Katie Dawn]

With the jobs DH & I have had, I've noticed that how it is handled/perceived is very dependent on whether or not you're filling a "spot". If you're working in Nursing, Retail, Teaching... Being out sick is a big yucky deal and you'll likely get the stink eye over it because they have to scramble to figure out how to fill your spot. There may be peer pressure from co-workers who have to pick up the slack because you're out. On the other hand, if you have a job where it's your responsibility to get a certain amount of work done (or if you work independently in an office), which means you just work harder once you're better to accomplish the task... In those cases, no one cares if you're out because it doesn't personally impact them.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

Call your supervisor or HR before you miss. If you miss more than 2 days in a row you have to have a doctors excuse.

 

[MrsDuck]

I teach high school so when I'm out a sub is needed. I try to put in for a sub as early as possible.