What is your employer's attitude to sick days? [Archive]

Toaster

31st May 2007, 08:23

merv

31st May 2007, 08:25

I'd sooner sick pricks stay home and don't infect others.

An employer really isn't meeting obligations under HSE act if not taking all practicable steps to avoid problems for the other staff if you're not sent home.

Toaster

31st May 2007, 08:27

Good point regarding the HSE. I added a poll for ya too.

Babelfish

31st May 2007, 08:37

Well I'm home and a bit crook today. Works policy is definately for me to stay at home and keep the bugs away but really it isnt practicable. Tomorrow I will probably feel better and go in, but that isnt to say I am not cunt-ages. Its a pisser but the main thing I believe is to feel supported when you feel shite. This said, for my personal view on me being home sick I'd have to refer to my mate chopper.

slinky

31st May 2007, 08:40

Well, Toaster is sick at home today after picking up a heavy cold/cough blah blah, you know the one. Typical stuff this time of year it seems and missed another potential good night out last night in the end only to sit at home feeling like poos.

While in the office yesterday, myself and a couple others were all spluttering and coughing, when the senior manager piped up "would you all go home, I don't want your germs" or something to that effect.

Thoughts on taking sick days - I hate them - I feel bad for being off when I should be tied to the desk with just enough slack to reach the plunger coffee.

It would be interesting to see what others find their employers like regarding booting 'sickies' out of the office, or whether you are encouraged to work on regardless of spreading the love around the office so to speak.

It's an intereting test of an employers persective towards what is best for the office as a whole. Thoughts/experiences please....

Im the same, i feel bad and i don't like taking them.
When i started here, work said nothing about sick days. I would prefer to be kicked out of the office. I hate ringing up and tellign them im not well and that i can't come in.....
Pro - everyone including managers knows your actualy sick.
Con - How inconciderate of you to come to work while you are sick, you are going to infect us all.

Unfortunately not everyone looks at it in the sense of - you are contageous and going to make other ppl sick. You get your Co-Workers who are just bitter about you not coming in, and think your a slacker.

Toaster

31st May 2007, 08:43

I remember riding my bike with a heavy cold.... dude, not a good idea. It was like a "Mel Smith sneezing over his space suits helmet visor" all over again. Classy.

Drum

31st May 2007, 08:46

I prefer not to waste my sick day allowance by actually being sick. Sick days are for riding. When I'm sick I go to work. Selfish I know.

Toaster

31st May 2007, 08:52

I prefer not to waste my sick day allowance by actually being sick. Sick days are for riding. When I'm sick I go to work. Selfish I know.

Are you saying I should go the long way to get the milk today then?!:scooter:

Beemer

31st May 2007, 08:58

You forgot the other option: "I'm self-employed so when I am sick, I can't work and I don't get paid either!"

I think anyone with illnesses that could be spread to others (the runs, colds and flu, etc) should go home and not return until they are no longer infectious and can put in a full day's work.

I tend to get sick at the times of the year when I am flat out and can't really afford to take the time to look after myself. But then most of my work is done from home so it's not like I'm spreading any germs!

dnos

31st May 2007, 09:04

My boss always asks if the swell is up when I ring in sick (and sometimes it is;) )
I have my own office so I cough and splutter away in here with the odd shut up directed my way, but the boss really leaves it up to me to decide whether I should be here. I find that when I'm feeling really crappy I am not very productive so there is no point being at work anyway.

Toaster

31st May 2007, 09:11

Besides.... it's really hard to stand quietly outside peoples windows when you sneeze and cough.

sisterecho

31st May 2007, 09:42

My employer prefers people to stay away when they are sick but when they don't think to check your in tray for urgent matters and you come back to work to find there is a messy issue to sort out... you think twice about staying home the next time you are sick.

lb99

31st May 2007, 09:48

NighthawkNZ

31st May 2007, 09:52

in my 23 work history I have never had a whole day sick leave. I have only have a half day and was told to go home...

my problem is when I get sick its usually saturday morning and I better by monday... :(

sisterecho

31st May 2007, 09:55

my problem is when I get sick its usually saturday morning and I better by monday... :(

Ain't life a bitch? :yes:

It's even worse when you've had a holiday planned for months and months and you get deathly ill the day before you go! :angry:

Toaster

31st May 2007, 10:06

I hope not, I'd rather have a non-bitch filled life.

Trudes

31st May 2007, 10:22

Ain't life a bitch? :yes:

It's even worse when you've had a holiday planned for months and months and you get deathly ill the day before you go! :angry:

Hell yeah! That always happens to me, apparantly it has something to do with the body winding down and getting rid of toxins. Doesn't help much when your first real holiday in two years is spent in Sydney feeling like shit and not being able to taste a thing, eh!

Toaster

31st May 2007, 10:27

Hell yeah! That always happens to me, apparantly it has something to do with the body winding down and getting rid of toxins. Doesn't help much when your first real holiday in two years is spent in Sydney feeling like shit and not being able to taste a thing, eh!

Stink for you being sick on holiday :( My Doc has told me my liver needs 6 months of no alcohol.... yeah right. Lots of exercise and healthy eating too.... I can do that, but no alcohol??!! Anyone have a gun so I can put myself down right now? :shit:

Trudes

31st May 2007, 10:54

Due to my line of work (Nanny, or Child Care Technician, as my hubby calls it), if I'm sick and can't come to work, it's a major inconvenience to my boss, as she can't go to work, meetings have to be rescheduled etc etc. So I tend to spend sick days at home feeling guilty for not toughing it out and going to work, and often I do just have to tough it out, go to work and hang about feeling crap. I also pick up on a touch of "oh having a mental health day eh" tone from my employers too, which is not surprising considering every time they decide they can't be arsed going to work they use me as a scapegoat, by calling work and saying the nanny's sick so they have to stay home!!

sisterecho

31st May 2007, 11:00

My Doc has told me my liver needs 6 months of no alcohol

I had to do that in my last year of Uni. I blame it on that cheap Kristov vodka which was the only thing I could afford at the time. :)

Its hard but the long-term benefits outweigh the temporary torture of forced sobriety.

Toaster

31st May 2007, 11:02

I had to do that in my last year of Uni. I blame it on that cheap Kristov vodka which was the only thing I could afford at the time. :)

Its hard but the long-term benefits outweigh the temporary torture of forced sobriety.

Yep - it was a basic warning - keep fit and healthy or face the consequences of a busy life and being mid-thirties!

magicfairy

31st May 2007, 11:04

I've taken about 5 days sick leave total in the last 11 years!!
As I teach 5 day computer system courses, so if I take even 1 day off, the whole course has to be cancelled if no one else can teach it (usually they can't) students from out of town have to cancel hotels, change flights, course has to be rescheduled - huge drama.
So generally unless I am too sick to teach I dose myself up with chemicals and soldier on. More for the students than the employer.

Nasty

31st May 2007, 11:13

I am a team leader and keep an eye on my staff to make sure if they are unwell they go home .. and then redistribute work to make sure things get done when they need to. I personally believe that if you are sick go home and be sick .. don't give me ya germs ... but also you have to watch for other kinds of sick e.g. mental health cos that makes people way worse than germs do.

sisterecho

31st May 2007, 11:15

and then redistribute work to make sure things get done when they need to.

Well I wish you were my team leader then! That's the worst part of having a sick day, coming back to deal with the mess that built up while you were lying in bed, blissfully unaware.

tri boy

31st May 2007, 11:31

I have a crappy job loading containers with 28kg cartons at high speed all day, but I have pulled some muscles in my shoulder so have scored 4 days off :)

they went all queer about it though, even though I pointed outh that I have like 90hours of sick leave accumulated, that I havn't used, but noooooooooo thats not good enough....Fuck I hate my job

Your NOT sick. Your company is flogging you without consideration for your wellbeing.
Request/demand an onsite work assessment related to the duties that you do. I have been medically retired from the mechanical industry because my previous employers paid scant interest to my requests to have work conditions brought in line with standard practise. 25yrs of experience couldn't prevent these injuries because of there f**ked attitude.
Don't let it happen to you.:mellow:

slinky

31st May 2007, 11:39

I prefer not to waste my sick day allowance by actually being sick. Sick days are for riding. When I'm sick I go to work. Selfish I know.

thats a good point.
leave sick days for riding.
Or if you hospitalised and seriously can't go to work

Stirts

31st May 2007, 11:49

thats a good point.
leave sick days for riding.
Or if you hospitalised and seriously can't go to work

Heee heeee me "sick" today. I go to work when I am actually sick (not very often) and leave my sick days....well....now that I have bike.... to ride. Which I am doing now...well not right now....coffee break...hmmmmm

We are allocated a certain amount of sick days - use it or lose it....I am havin a mental health day....if I don't ride today...I will go mental! :yes:

timorang

31st May 2007, 12:03

I have a crappy job loading containers with 28kg cartons at high speed all day, but I have pulled some muscles in my shoulder so have scored 4 days off :)

they went all queer about it though, even though I pointed outh that I have like 90hours of sick leave accumulated, that I havn't used, but noooooooooo thats not good enough....I hate my job

If you want a change and are genuinely a good employee make contact with these people:

ARA
We are winepeople on a path
to create a new world standard in wine

Bridie Johnstone
HR Officer
mb: +64 21 487 257, dd: +64 3 572 6020

WINEGROWERS OF ARA LTD.
1003 State Highway 63, PO Box 77, Renwick, New Zealand
Tel: +64 3 572 6020, Fax: +64 3 572 7298

or PM me if you would like to know more.

Kflasher

31st May 2007, 12:20

stay home dial up via VPN and carry on working.
Office with over 260 persons on one floor, sickness spreads very quickly, but apparently you are more infectious days before you get the symptoms, so the spread had already started.

Gremlin

31st May 2007, 12:58

Haven't had a sick day yet in about a year...

My job is a bit different tho, I work when needed, so sometimes its long hours, hard work, so when it gets quiet, I just take a day off to get personal stuff done etc. Can also do any remote work from home. I love the flexibility :yes:

Spittie

31st May 2007, 15:17

My personal experience is that when ppl are told to go home cos ther'e sick, they instead use that free time to go pay a bill,get sum milk or attend to sum other thing that they cant be arsed doing normally.
Really ticks me off when I have a custy standing across the counter coughing and spluttering saying.........."oh I'm off sick today so I thought I'd come in and get this sorted" Fuck the least they could do is stop breathing while they are there. :nono:

NighthawkNZ

31st May 2007, 15:21

View Post
my problem is when I get sick its usually saturday morning and I better by monday...Ain't life a bitch? :yes:

It's even worse when you've had a holiday planned for months and months and you get deathly ill the day before you go! :angry:

Mine is usually self inflicked from friday nigh drinkies tho... ;)

KATWYN

31st May 2007, 15:28

Had a person in the office yesterday (not an employee) coughing and spluttering and admitting to having some sort of a bacterial virus, everytime they coughed I would turn my back or discreetly place my hand over mouth and nose.

I didn't really wanna say something - cos it might've insulted them

Was not a good experience.

p.s maybe michael jackson has the right idea, wearing a mask....

lb99

31st May 2007, 16:29

Your NOT sick. Your company is flogging you without consideration for your wellbeing.
Request/demand an onsite work assessment related to the duties that you do. I have been medically retired from the mechanical industry because my previous employers paid scant interest to my requests to have work conditions brought in line with standard practise. 25yrs of experience couldn't prevent these injuries because of there f**ked attitude.
Don't let it happen to you.:mellow:

the attitude of the management is actually ok, but the guys I work with are dicks, they are driving me insane, and I think they are doing it on purpose (how paranoid does THAT sound?), I have been drafted in to relieve from my normal good job at another site, because, they cant keep workers for some reason, strange huh?

lb99

31st May 2007, 16:39

If you want a change and are genuinely a good employee make contact with these people:

ARA
We are winepeople on a path
to create a new world standard in wine

Bridie Johnstone
HR Officer
mb: +64 21 487 257, dd: +64 3 572 6020

WINEGROWERS OF ARA LTD.
1003 State Highway 63, PO Box 77, Renwick, New Zealand
Tel: +64 3 572 6020, Fax: +64 3 572 7298

or PM me if you would like to know more.

I actually deal with some ARA people in my normal job, and the dude I brought my CBX off was from ARA, small world huh, I was thinking about getting my HT and going driving, I wouldn't mind getting my hands on some machinery, though, tractors, diggers, loaders and stuff, I like machines, my forklift is like an extention to my body.

timorang

31st May 2007, 17:00

I actually deal with some ARA people in my normal job, and the dude I brought my CBX off was from ARA, small world huh, I was thinking about getting my HT and going driving, I wouldn't mind getting my hands on some machinery, though, tractors, diggers, loaders and stuff, I like machines, my forklift is like an extention to my body.

Ara has some combustion engine big toys there....