Would you use all of your sick days if you are leaving a job?

[daughtersrus]

Just to clarify, these are sick days, not personal days. If you don't use them, you can not cash them in at the end for extra pay.

 

[dakcp2001]

Depends on how many we are talking here. How many do I have left and how much longer am I working there? I would never take a sick day during my 2 weeks notice. As someone who never takes sick days, I usually lose most of em when I leave a job. I might take one or two if I know I am leaving in the next month or two. But keep in mind I never take sick days so I usually have a lot left. In the 7 years I worked for one employer, I was out sick 7 days so an average of 1 per year. Even when I am actually sick, I feel guilty calling out. On the other hand I hate people who come to work sick and pass it to everyone else.

 

[Praying Colonel]

Just to clarify, these are sick days, not personal days. If you don't use them, you can not cash them in at the end for extra pay.

If I weren't sick, I wouldn't use them. The only way I might do so is if there's a custom in the company that employees take them. Even then, I'd be reluctant to do so.

 

[cinabug]

Probably not. I might be wanting a reference from that company in the future, and why leave my employer with a bad taste in his mouth? Plus, it just seems wrong.

 

[design_mom]

No. I would not take them unless I was sick. I would take (or expect to be paid for) personal days or vacation days, but not sick days.

 

[ilovemk76]

Not unless I really was sick.

 

[FireDancer]

Just to clarify, these are sick days, not personal days. If you don't use them, you can not cash them in at the end for extra pay.

Another reason why I like our PTO policy instead of separate sick/vacation/personal days. All of our days are lumped into one PTO pool and if we leave our companies policy is all remaining PTO will be cashed out and included in our final check.

If that wasn't the case then no, I would not start calling off to use my days.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I wouldn't use them unless I was actually sick. I think it's bad form to do things like that. Whenever I leave a job (which hasn't happened in many years), I work hard up until the very end and go out on a high note.

 

[tlbwriter]

Another reason why I like our PTO policy instead of separate sick/vacation/personal days. All of our days are lumped into one PTO pool and if we leave our companies policy is all remaining PTO will be cashed out and included in our final check.

That would be nice. We have separate sick days and vacation days, and no, I would not take my sick days unless I was actually sick.

 

[tiggspring]

Dont flame me but yes I would use at least some if not all if I hadnt given notice maybe a day or two if I had.. Why? First this is part of your benifits. Employers determine your pay based in part by how much your benifits cost them. ie I have 20,000 for this employee minus what Im willing to give in benifits (say $5000) so I will offer them 15,000. It is already on the books as an outstanding payment on their balance sheet. You are not CHEATING your employer.

About 10 years into my career I learned my lesson. I was a workaholic never using sick days at the hospital I worked at. Then a coworker who never used a day in 15 years got laid off with 6months in the bank.. The employer took 6 month pay and put it right back in their books. It was a determining factor in layoff..Do you layoff and employee who makes more and you get a 6month salery boost to your books or a young kid who makes less and has nothing in the bank? They picked money over talent and loyalty.

This is a business/benifit decison not a moral one. It is YOUR money.

That being said if I had two weeks benifit and only two weeks left I wouldnt use them all. If I worked for a very small business that had been good to me and would be hurt I would be aware of the impact. However the bigger the business the more they seem to nickle a dime their employees. They treat it like a business decision and so should you.

 

[PrincessKsMom]

When my mother retired from the post office, you could use these accrued sick days to retire earlier. If you had 6 months of sick time acquired, you could use those for your last six months and then retirement would kick in.

However, I have PTO and, like Firedancer, this time would be included in my last check. Otherwise, I would not be using this time.

 

[tiggspring]

When my mother retired from the post office, you could use these accrued sick days to retire earlier. If you had 6 months of sick time acquired, you could use those for your last six months and then retirement would kick in.

However, I have PTO and, like Firedancer, this time would be included in my last check. Otherwise, I would not be using this time.

This is a benifit usually only given to union employees.

 

[Kathi OD]

This is a benifit usually only given to union employees.

And this is a common misbelief. Many private companies are moving to PTO time (as Firedancer has mentioned his company did). Since there is no distinction between sick/personal/vacation days with PTO time, many employers pay this out when a person leaves their employ.

My husband has worked his entire life in the private sector and has always been paid for any days he had in his bank when he left a job, whether leaving was by choice or a layoff.

As for using the time if it were designated sick time, I'd probably use some of it IF I were being laid off and there was no chance of being rehired at some point in the future.

 

[rstout]

Calling in sick when you are not sick, is dishonest. Companies give people vacation/personal days to take however they wish. Sick days are for when you are sick.

 

[SandrA9810]

Dont flame me but yes I would use at least some if not all if I hadnt given notice maybe a day or two if I had.. Why? First this is part of your benifits. Employers determine your pay based in part by how much your benifits cost them. ie I have 20,000 for this employee minus what Im willing to give in benifits (say $5000) so I will offer them 15,000. It is already on the books as an outstanding payment on their balance sheet. You are not CHEATING your employer.

About 10 years into my career I learned my lesson. I was a workaholic never using sick days at the hospital I worked at. Then a coworker who never used a day in 15 years got laid off with 6months in the bank.. The employer took 6 month pay and put it right back in their books. It was a determining factor in layoff..Do you layoff and employee who makes more and you get a 6month salery boost to your books or a young kid who makes less and has nothing in the bank? They picked money over talent and loyalty.

This is a business/benifit decison not a moral one. It is YOUR money.

That being said if I had two weeks benifit and only two weeks left I wouldnt use them all. If I worked for a very small business that had been good to me and would be hurt I would be aware of the impact. However the bigger the business the more they seem to nickle a dime their employees. They treat it like a business decision and so should you.

Wow, good point.

If it would cause you to burn bridges if you're at a smaller company, then don't do it. Unless it's over like the next 6 months or something.
Although when I worked for Disney, if you were to call out sick and not be sick, its grounds for a reprimand. Usually it was the people asking for a particular day off in advance, got denied, then was magically sick on that day.

 

[PigletsPal2]

I retired from the Federal gov't after 23 years with about 250 DAYS of sick leave on the books! I went to work after my kids were born, so no S/L used for maternity leave and a couple of minor surgeries took up a couple of weeks. I didn't take any sick leave after I decided to retire and wouldn't have thought of it unless I was sick. I wasn't paid for these hours, and under my retirement system, they didn't count toward my retirement.

I was lucky enough to be overseas for most of my career, where we got local as well as US holidays, so I rarely had to take annual leave, and I earned 20 days a year. I had 65 days of A/L on the books at retirement, for which I was paid. Thank you, taxpayers, for an exciting and equitably-paid career.

Queen Colleen

 

[FireDancer]

In regards to retiring early with PTO, that would be pretty hard to do here. We do have a maximum number of PTO days (actually we do hours not days so we can take a hour of PTO if we want to leave early or come in late) we can roll from year to year. We don't lose them but we do have to cash them out at the end of the year.

I feel PTO is a much better option not only for the employee but for the employer. When I started here we were on a traditional time off schedule with separate sick days and there was a group of us that put together the PTO idea and presented it to the board. Not only do the employees get all the time they are entitled to but there is a lower chance of last minute call offs if someone wants to not lose a sick day. A lot of people, whether you think it is right or not, will call off as sick to not lose the days. This can cause staffing problems. With PTO they can just let you know in advance they are taking the planned day and you can schedule around it. Everyone wins.

 

[Allison]

Of course not. Sick days are to be used when you are sick.

 

[lillygator]

we can bank 800 hours sick, so yes, I would want to use some!

 

[tiggspring]

In regards to retiring early with PTO, that would be pretty hard to do here. We do have a maximum number of PTO days (actually we do hours not days so we can take a hour of PTO if we want to leave early or come in late) we can roll from year to year. We don't lose them but we do have to cash them out at the end of the year.

I feel PTO is a much better option not only for the employee but for the employer. When I started here we were on a traditional time off schedule with separate sick days and there was a group of us that put together the PTO idea and presented it to the board. Not only do the employees get all the time they are entitled to but there is a lower chance of last minute call offs if someone wants to not lose a sick day. A lot of people, whether you think it is right or not, will call off as sick to not lose the days. This can cause staffing problems. With PTO they can just let you know in advance they are taking the planned day and you can schedule around it. Everyone wins.

Employers who use sick time tend to do it now because they hope to keep the left over money when they terminate or when the employee leave..simple math on their part.