Calling in sick morales
 

My employer currently pays me my sick leaves (paid sick time off gets accumulated). As of next year, the new contract will state that first 5 days per calendar year will be unpaid.

I usually call in sick 2 or 3 times per year. I feel guilty to get paid and leave my co-workers short staffed. During mornings when I wake up feeling 50%, I force myself to get to work all time.

In the future when sick time off is unpaid, should I feel guilty to call in sick if I am feeling 50%?

Nope, I've callled in before when I wasnt THAT sick, but I honestly dont feel I could've managed 8 hours. Ive also worked a full 8 hours while sick, and it was hell.

I'm sure your employer would rather you be 100% and be productive than be 50% and be doing hardly anything

with H1 viruis going around if you are 10% sick you should be staying home.... otherwise the whole office might get it.

^ ya. if you're sick, stay home. paid or unpaid. don't feel bad, you're doing everyone a favour.

When I say 50% sick, i dont mean physically sick but emotionally sick or stress-sick. It's more like waking up and feeling a little bit of a headache.

....with or without the H1N1 going around

If I stayed home everytime I had even a little bit of a headache or was stressed I'd miss at least a 5 or 6 days a month. If you're to ill to work stay home but if just have a headache, sore throat or something small you should be there.

Getting paid or not shouldn't really wouldn't effect it one way or the other for me. I missed a full week the week for before last because of the flu but I'll admit I did feel bad about it because I know I was screwing the other PM over.

It varies since it's also job dependent. For me, I always go to work unless I know I can't do anything (migraine headaches) or my sickness will cause major distractions to my work (stomach flu).

depends on the job.

if you've got a sore throat and your job is based on communicating (ie. call centre) or
if you're body is very sore and you job is labour intensive or
if you've got a runny nose, bad cough and constantly sneezing, and your job is in the foods industry, then i'd call in sick.

if i'm feeling 60%, i'd rather take one day off to get better, rather than run my body into the ground and end up taking 3-4 days off.

Meh I love getting sick days, about twice a year I take a "murd0c" day just to sleep in sit around and relax :D

i definitely agree.
Absenteeism is a bad but Presenteeism is worse because going to work sick can snowball the whole office and its all downhill from there especially in call centers or any place where you are in close quarters with your workmates and this time of year you tend to have a lot more forgiveness because its flu season.

I loved sick days. Got 15 of em a year. But for some reason they always fall on the thursday of a 3day long wknd, and my berry batteries explode. Odd. Very odd indeed.
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lol...

I tell my co-workers every year.
Use them or lose them.
I certainly will use them.

I've never taken a sick day in my life. Hate the feeling of letting my team down. Just take better care of yourself when you're sick and wait for the weekend to come.

i can't speak for everyone but my personal morals when it comes to having sick days are if i'm really that unwell where i'm suffering from something that requires bedrest..then i will stay home. but if it's just a "headache," due to periods, just not "100%" then i will go to work because i don't want to let my staff/managers down.

it really bothers me when people call in sick becaue they are hung over, something with their s/o's (like a fight) or their cat has been missing for days and they need to find it. i mean yeah, it sucks but work is work. if you're not going to put in the dedication, then don't become part of a team and let everyone else take on their responsibilities.

i don't like posting on these types of things, but i have to put my two cents in. for years i NEVER missed a day of work. i've worked through head aches, colds, flus, i once worked with a throat/chest infection. then i realized, one day no one appreciates it. your boss or supervisor says those empty "thanks for working, or i really appreciate it." and they don't really mean anything.

i guess what i'm saying is hard work is rarely if ever rewarded anymore. you put in 8 hours, they want 8 and a half. you work good friday, they want you to come in easter monday. you work late on a christmas eve, they want you to come in boxing day. you just cannot do enough to please people anymore. so you have to put your health and well being before your job or co-workers. because when you reach 65 not only is anyone going to remember or appreciate that you never phoned in sick, they're also not going to remember that you phoned in sick when you were under the weather.

bottom line is if you're good at what you do, and work hard. its not going to matter if you phone in when you're sick. just don't make it a chronic thing

If you can get others sick than don't come to work. You'll be doing more, by doing less.

ya depends on what it is i guess. and if your sickness is infectious...

dont pass on germs!

but if a company gives u sick days, u might as well use it. its just business.

i usually take a monday or friday off if the weather is nice

Here's a twist - what's your thoughts on it if you work from home? You can't get anyone sick - so if you're coughing up a lung or stuffed up from the flu, is it OK to take a sick day off?

It seems the general consensus is that people want you to stay home so you don't infect others. I tend to only agree partially with that statement - I've always thought of sick days as days for you to recover from any sick (health) related issues so it shouldn't matter whether you work in an actual office or from home.

I just wanted to get general opinions on this. I've had this discussion with co-workers and it seems to be divided 50/50 on whether work from home folks should take a sick day for stuff like colds, etc.

That being said, I think I've only taken a handful (less than 5) sick days in the entire 10 years I've been working. We can carry over 5 sick days a year so when you get a really bad case of something, we have a bit of a buffer.

It really irks me when people blatantly abuse sick days though. I tend to think of sick days as a privilege and not a right. Sure they're there as a benefit but it should be used only when they're supposed to. A Monday hangover or an "extended long weekend" isn't a sickness so a sick day shouldn't be used for them. It just means others have to pull your dead weight for the days you're gone and that's far from being fair to your team.

Bah, If you can get out of bed. Then you can work!

:thumbsup: no idea why ur post has no thank button

cause its over the 7day timelimit or w/e.

I've used it blatantly at times when I'm not sick. However, I do this because it's getting a little stressful at work or I'm getting a lit overworked and I'll use it. Sometimes it's great to take a breather in the middle of the week, it can help quite a bit.

I've been sick, 10 times in the last 2 or 3 years? Oh well, mine doesn't carry over, so may as well use them.