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

[goofy!]

Yes I would use them. I don't feel like I owe anything to my employer.

Really? If you do not owe anything to your employer, then why are you so concerned that your co-worker is taking longer lunches than you approve of in your delicate situation at work thread?

 

[FireDancer]

You have a company this still gives references? Most of them do not do that anymore for fear of a lawsuit.

I would use both my current CEO and COO as personal references as opposed to the company in general.

 

[mjkacmom]

DH has worked for the same large company for 20 years. I can't remember the last time he called in sick (he doesn't get sick a lot, and usually has a lot of scheduled clients during the day). I have no idea how many he gets, because it's not an issue. It's also very rare that he uses all of his vacation days (and he doesn't get paid for those that aren't used). He is in sales, and has numbers that need to be met. I think he gets 6 weeks of vacation, and some personal days. Again, not sure of the amount, because he doesn't use them.

 

[cm8]

I would utilize those days till I got sick from being sick
Especially if it won't be paid out at the end of the employment

 

[ols386]

Really? If you do not owe anything to your employer, then why are you so concerned that your co-worker is taking longer lunches than you approve of in your delicate situation at work thread?

Good catch.



To the op's question, no I would not use "sick" days unless I were sick. There is a difference between sick days and personal days.

If I call-in sick and use sick days, and I'm not really sick, then I'm lying.

 

[eeyoremum]

When I retire I will use as many as I can. We can accumulate so it is often weeks and weeks worth which we can't cash out. It is common practice in my workplace to do this.

It is always an indication someone is getting ready to retire when they are suddenly "sick" every Wednesday.

Management must know it goes on but turn a blind eye.

 

[Big Cuddly Bear]

I would use both my current CEO and COO as personal references as opposed to the company in general.

That's fine... if they know who you are. Ours never left Los Angeles. And people - bosses - in our building were subtly nudged to not offer personal references. But if you can get them, go for it, FD.

 

[tlbwriter]

Really? If you do not owe anything to your employer, then why are you so concerned that your co-worker is taking longer lunches than you approve of in your delicate situation at work thread?

I take it this thread is gone now?

 

[ols386]

I take it this thread is gone now?

Yep, it was poofed.

 

[FireDancer]

That's fine... if they know who you are. Ours never left Los Angeles. And people - bosses - in our building were subtly nudged to not offer personal references. But if you can get them, go for it, FD.

I'm pretty sure they know who I am. I am in both of their offices just about every day and have gone out with them socially. I'm running the Akron marathon with the CEO and have gone biking with him in the past.

 

[Allison]

Really? If you do not owe anything to your employer, then why are you so concerned that your co-worker is taking longer lunches than you approve of in your delicate situation at work thread?

Because this poster's intent is to just stir things up.

 

[GinnyEmma]

No. I pretty much think anyone who does take them without being sick is a liar and cheat, also. To use them for another purpose is no better than stealing from the register.

 

[A_Princess'_Daddy]

No, I absolutely would not use sick time before quitting.

My employer is rather unique, in that it is still extremely generous (too generous) in sick time, vacation time and personal time. All employees receive:

17 paid holiday (I never knew there were 17 holidays until I started here)
Closed the weeks of Christmas and New Years (10 days)
160 hours of vacation time (80 for hourly employees)
160 hours of sick time (this can accrue up to 800 hours, and also functions as our company's short term disability policy; 66% LTD kicks in at 12 weeks, but you can keep your full salary for longer if you accrue more sick time)
16 hours of "personal time", and I've never understood the difference between this and vacation time
Half days on Fridays during the summer.

On the flip side, we are not paid out for anything if we leave the company (we have shockingly low turnover, however, and most people don't leave "willingly"). That includes not being paid out for vacation, sick or personal time. Because of this, none of the vacation time is kept on the books as a liability.

Also on the flip side, it is effectively impossible to use anything remotely close to your allotted vacation time and succeed in your job. I'll end this year (our corporate fiscal year ends Tuesday) with 80+ hours of unused vacation time and 550+ hour of sick time in the bank. I have never taken a sick day here, although I have take a few days off for sick kids and used vacation time for that.

Lastly, on the flip side, my team works insanely hard in a very high pressure industry, so they need some vacation time to stay sane. Most, like me, don't come close to using it all, but I encourage them to not let their work consume their lives, as a burnt out employee will cost me, and my employer, far more than somebody taking a week or two off to unwind.

ETA (because I'm waiting for a delayed flight home): The 10 days at Christmas include 2 of the paid "holidays", so the 17 paid holidays include three days at Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, President's Day, 2 days at July 4th, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, MLK, Valentine's Day (yes, that is correct, we are to "share the love" that day), Good Friday, Easter Monday, Columbus Day, and one that I'm apparently forgetting.

 

[VickiVM]

Check your company's policy on sick pay and termination. If you end your employment using sick hours or vacation hours, you may not get credit for time worked and your term date could be made eff. after your last day physically worked. This could potentially impact benefit availability, especially if it crosses into a new benefit month.

I've seen examples of employees giving notice and then calling in sick the last few days of their notice period - could backfire if you're counting on being covered with health benefits through the end of the notice period.

 

[gbp02]

I used one sick day for this reason last year but not a bunch of them.

 

[tlbwriter]

Check your company's policy on sick pay and termination. If you end your employment using sick hours or vacation hours, you may not get credit for time worked and your term date could be made eff. after your last day physically worked. This could potentially impact benefit availability, especially if it crosses into a new benefit month.

I've seen examples of employees giving notice and then calling in sick the last few days of their notice period - could backfire if you're counting on being covered with health benefits through the end of the notice period.

I worked someplace where you had to be working on your last day. Not on vacation leave, not on sick leave. You could take a week (or two or three) of vacation time before that last day, but you had to be there on the last day. If you weren't there that day, your official "last day" would be the last day you were actually physically at work. And yes, that could definitely mess with pay and benefits.

 

[VickiVM]

In that case, I prefer having dedicated sick leave. When I took maternity leave and when I had surgery, I had enough sick leave banked so that I could get full pay during my time out of work.

Not all companies provide STD, but medically-related protected leave (FMLA) is federally mandated and available for up 12 weeks per rolling year and is unpaid. An employee can fund their own FMLA via sick or vacation pay available. That's why it is a good practice not to use up your sick hours unnecessarily - you just never know when you may actually need it for a severe illness. Also, some companies will let you use sick hours to tend to the medical needs of your immediate family, like for dr's appts, ortho visits.

Many companies carryover sick hours up to a maximum amount and if you plan on having children, then you can potentially fund your entire maternity leave @ full pay.

 

[DeaverTex]

Carry over sick leave? I remember those days. Small employers frequently don't even GIVE sick leave, and I don't know of any personally that let you accumulate it. If you weren't sick, then you didn't need that sick leave. Great! Welcome to work, that's your desk, sit down and stay there.

 

[VickiVM]

Carry over sick leave? I remember those days. Small employers frequently don't even GIVE sick leave, and I don't know of any personally that let you accumulate it. If you weren't sick, then you didn't need that sick leave. Great! Welcome to work, that's your desk, sit down and stay there.

Thankfully, mine still does. It caps off at 9 weeks, I believe. I have several weeks of sick available and went into my 5th year, so I now get 3 weeks vacation. This year I did not elect to pay for STD...figured I have enough paid time off available to cover what I needed (barring sever trauma)! I guess this is where I say 'knock on wood'!

But you're correct - employers, especially smaller companies, are not in a position to offer but the bare minimum of benefits, if any at all.

 

[ols386]

Yes I would use them. I don't feel like I owe anything to my employer.

That's certainly not the attitude you projected in your thread that was deleted.

Right that is the key thing. If you know you're going to quit, use all your sick days (tell them you have Mono). They won't question it.

Neither is this.

Then once you come back to work, give your 2 weeks.

Nor this.

You are either a troll or one of the biggest hypocrites I've ran across. You should really get your stories straight before posting.