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What is the ATOT consensus on sick days?

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woke up with a migraine today and toughed it out even with 3 conf calls. Then again I'm at home. Zomig rules regardless.
 
DrPizza said:
I accrue sick days and never think about it.
I'm pretty sure i am 140+ days. (153 days.)

They get paid out in the end.

I would use a sick day, but can't because i give a shit.
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yeah, but don't you get long swathes of summer off?

:colbert:
 
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tokie said:
Is it okay for to take a sick day under the following situations:
- blowing chunks - always
- sore throat - depends how serious
- simply tired but not really sick - never
- need to do household chores - never
- hungover - never
- need to help family (kids, parents, etc) - never
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^My answers in bold.

But I don't get sick, so I don't have this issue.
 
Have unlimited - use them when you're actually sick (ex. fever, coughing nonstop), use them sparingly for mental health days if you aren't actually sick very often

Have limited/integrated with vacation days - use them whenever you want. They have already been budgeted for
 
If I'm considering taking a sick day, I ask myself the following questions:

a) Will I maybe infect someone else?
b) Will I actually be productive?

Once I have an answer to both of those, the decision is made (Hint: if A="yes" and B="no", I'm calling out).

Example: I just took off two days last month because I caught a fairly serious tonsil infection and I couldn't speak or swallow. I had a few doctor appointments and I was on a bunch of medication, so I thought it was wise to use sick days.
 
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Fritzo said:
There is an advantage to having sick days and personal time off: you usually get paid for unused sick time, where personal days are not compensated if you don't use them.
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false. never been in a place like that in the 10 years i've been in the professional work force. sounds like you've just worked for shitty companies.

if anything it's the sick days you don't get reimbursed for.
 
Probably any of those.

But you only get 10 sick days a year so you'd probably run out if you took one every time you had a hangover.

Ours don't accumulate do if you don't use em you loose em. 🙁
 
I guess it would really just depend on the deal you had with your employer. I worked for a company once that gave out paid sick leave based on accrued hours. Most people would just add that time to their vacation time. I would just take the occasional Friday off.
 
purbeast0 said:
false. never been in a place like that in the 10 years i've been in the professional work force. sounds like you've just worked for shitty companies.

if anything it's the sick days you don't get reimbursed for.
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LOL- I've worked for two fortune 500 companies and they were both like that (Eaton and Owens Corning). I think it's more of you work for places that have a lot of overlap, so it doesn't matter if people take time off. What happens when you just have personal time is people start calling off at the last minute all the time, or they'll disappear in the middle of the day if the sun is out. Companies that run a tight ship hate that, thus the separation of vacation and sick days.
 
My position almost mandates being in work at least 80% of the time. If I don't show up nobody else can fill in and then at least a dozen people sit around doing nothing. So I work unless I'm bleeding profusely or unconscious. My boss knows that and doesn't mind when I call in sick when I'm not sick, as long as it's on the 20% days when I won't be missed.
 
Fritzo said:
LOL- I've worked for two fortune 500 companies and they were both like that (Eaton and Owens Corning). I think it's more of you work for places that have a lot of overlap, so it doesn't matter if people take time off. What happens when you just have personal time is people start calling off at the last minute all the time, or they'll disappear in the middle of the day if the sun is out. Companies that run a tight ship hate that, thus the separation of vacation and sick days.
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correct, and that is how it is at my job. the company is not uptight and understands people have lives outside of work. they encourage you NOT to work more than 40 hours.

as i said, you must work for some crappy companies (as far as work environment, not the company). being fortune 500 doesn't mean shit.

glad i don't work somewhere where they understand what value a good work environment adds to the company.
 
Fenixgoon said:
so what do you all do when you need to go to a doctor's appointment or something?
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not sure what you mean really. i just go to it and let my job know where i'm going to be

i tell my job that i will be out between X and Y at a doctors appointment, or that i will be leaving early to go to it, or that i will be coming in late because of it. and if i don't make 40 hours for the week i'll use PTO to cover whatever time i am short.
 
purbeast0 said:
not sure what you mean really. i just go to it and let my job know where i'm going to be

i tell my job that i will be out between X and Y at a doctors appointment, or that i will be leaving early to go to it, or that i will be coming in late because of it. and if i don't make 40 hours for the week i'll use PTO to cover whatever time i am short.
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Why not just use a sick day?
 
I use them sparingly as they look at that when you're applying for another position. I like to keep as many doors open as possible and put as much in my favor as possible. Between two equal candidates, who will they choose? The one who uses all his sick days, or the one who only uses a few when actually needed?

If I need time off for some other reason I just say so. Either I have a paid personal day I can use, a vacation day, or last resort is to just take an unpaid day off. With all the various types of time off there is really no reason to take BS sick days.
 
Fritzo said:
There is an advantage to having sick days and personal time off: you usually get paid for unused sick time, where personal days are not compensated if you don't use them.
Click to expand...

The advantage for our sick days is that they don't expire at the end of the year like our vacation days.

To the OP, I will use sick days if I (a) am too sick to work, (b) am contagious, or (c) have to take care of my son because my wife is sick.

If I absolutely had to take a day off for your other stated reasons (like having to help family), I'd use a vacation day.
 
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