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[stainsteelrat]

Inspired by nicnac...

Poll

Comments

[stainsteelrat]

Q3. Only if an employee abuses it, or is long term sick (many months) and is a financial millstone around the employer's neck (mostly for small businesses).

Q5. Mostly I don't, because it annoys me when others go to work and are infectious. I have recently, simply because things need to be done.

[jadedflame]

I've seen people time and time again abuse the sick leave and that's what makes me angry. Especially when they stay off pretty much every Thursday and Friday and don't ever go to the doctor...
Mainly because if I'm genuinely sick (which only happens maybe once a year if that), I get paranoid then thinking that people will think I'm just pretending to be sick to stay off work.

I often go to work while I'm sick, mainly because I don't feel THAT bad that I need to stay at home (ie, litterally can't get out of bed) because like you, there's stuff that needs to get done. I think because I started working as a contractor, where if you don't work, you don't get paid, I get twitchy staying off work when I'm not completely incapacitated while being sick...

[stainsteelrat]

Definitely things like contracting and self employment change the perspective.

[zoefruitcake]

I've pretended I'm still at my job, because it is too depressing to think I am now unemployed

[stainsteelrat]

Fingers and toes crossed it isn't for long!

[nyecamden]

I work directly for a disabled person as her carer/cleaner/general dogsbody. She is very flexible and wants me to look after myself. I don't get paid when I don't go in though, I only work a few hours a week and don't have to be paid for time off sick/holidays. I don't have any colleagues, it's just me and my boss/friend.

I work when I'm in pain as long as I'm not doing anything that makes me worse. I work when I'm depressed or hypomanic. I tend to work when I have a mild cold as #boss rarely gets colds.

[eithnepdb]

The way it works here for most people is that the ten days (two working weeks) are given as a bridge - that is if you will be off for more than two weeks but less than 3 months, you go on "short term disability". After three months you go on "long term disability". These disability plans still pay your salary (at a pro-rated term) during your leave

[pne]

Here in Germany, the limit is, I think, six weeks, after which you get paid not by your employer but by your health insurance (and health insurance is compulsory if you are employed and make less than a certain, fairly large sum). I think you get paid in full for a certain length of time and then a percentage of your previous salary for an additional length of time, but am hazy on the exact details.

As far as I know, my employer has no specific limit beyond this legal one.

[vvvexation]

There's a situation that isn't covered, though: the one where you're often sick, but never for more than two weeks at a stretch. At my old job (which is the one for which I answered the poll), I was sick for several days every other month, and only got one paid sick day per month -- so if I hadn't just sucked it up and come in sick a lot, I would have had to take a lot of unpaid days off.

I don't think that's at all fair.

[nicnac]

You missed the self employed option :o) I have deadlines to meet and met them even with suspected swine flu last year because I have to.

I'm ambivalent about whether sick days should be limited or not. I think they're obviously necessary when people are 'properly' ill, but I do think a lot of people abuse them when they have a mild cold or are just feeling a bit crap.

Also, why should the employer carry the can for people who don't take care of themselves? I know this is a bit contentious, but if people eat crap and don't exercise, they're bound to attract more low grade sickness than people who do.

Just to be clear, none of this is directed at you, just my thoughts in general. I swung the lead as much as anyone in my younger days, but I think being self employed has led to a more responsible outlook.

[stainsteelrat]

I'm in two minds about whether the employee's at fault for getting ill. If the employer wants healthy employees then they ought to assist as well, a 50/50 thing. I went through a phase of cold after cold in the late 90s, and was relatively healthy at the time, so there was no real fault to attribute. Just one of those things.

I think a lot's to be said for employee motivation as well. A happy motivated employee will want to give 110%. An unmotivated miserable employee's going to give 10%. Again I think part of this lies with managing an employee the right way.

[nicnac]

True, but some employers do try to look after health and well-being by offering subsidised gym memberships and confidential stress helplines etc.

Also true re: motivation, but at the end of the day the employee is still being paid to be there. If they don't like it, they can seek work elsewhere.

[stainsteelrat]

From my experience it's a lot of talk and little action. It's the day-to-day manager/employee relationship where things tend to go wrong, and little is done, probably because it's hard to fix.

Yep, you can always leave...