# Sick Time



## Drac (Jan 20, 2009)

Cold and flu season is upon us...I was wondering how many out there are fortunate to have sick time..Do you use it when you are sick or do you come to work sick and save the time for the Summmer months...My department has sick time and personally when I'm sick I stay home,it makes no sense to come to work when you're not 100%...


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## Blindside (Jan 20, 2009)

I have something like 480 hours of sick time built up, I don't take it very often, I have to be really really sick not to show up and go into work.  Mostly I use if for doctor and dentist appointments, or taking care of my son when he can't go to daycare because he is sick.


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## Kreth (Jan 20, 2009)

I started at my job in December 2007, and the way our contract is worded, that meant I didn't get any vacation for my first 13 months, so I used sick time. Now that I actually have accrued some vacation and personal time, I'll avoid using sick time if possible. If you use less than two sick days per year, they throw you some additional vacation days at the end of the year.


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## Steve (Jan 20, 2009)

I'm like Blindside... I get plenty of vacation and sick leave.  I get 26 days of vacation each year plus 13 days of sick leave.  There's no limit on how much sick leave rolls over from year to year, so over the years I've racked up close to 600 hours of sick leave accrued.  I take sick leave when I need it, which isn't all that often.  I can also take it for family illness, so if I need to stay home with the baby or doctor's appointments for people other than myself.


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## stickarts (Jan 20, 2009)

We get all of our sick time, vacation time, and personal days lumped together into one big pool of time off. Most of it can be rolled over to the next year if its unused.


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## MJS (Jan 20, 2009)

Drac said:


> Cold and flu season is upon us...I was wondering how many out there are fortunate to have sick time..Do you use it when you are sick or do you come to work sick and save the time for the Summmer months...My department has sick time and personally when I'm sick I stay home,it makes no sense to come to work when you're not 100%...


 

We have sick time where I work.  I get 10hrs each month.  Yes, I use it when I'm sick, and yes, there are those 'mental health days' that I use it for as well.  However, I am not an abuser of sick time, although there're some people that I work with that hardly have any.  If you do run out, the city will let you borrow against your time.  So each month, lets say instead of getting 10hrs, they'd only get 5 and the city takes 5 back. 

Personally, I hate it when someone comes to work sick.  Stay the hell home, instead of spreading the germs to others.


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## JBrainard (Jan 20, 2009)

I get an "unlimited" amount of sick time. I use that word in quotations because the hammer comes down if that nice little benefit is abused.
I use sick time when I need to go to doctor / dentist or when I'm REALLY sick. I pretty much have to be too sick to work before I ditch work.


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## Steve (Jan 20, 2009)

I'm with MJS.  If you're sick, fine.  If you're contagious, stay the hell home.  I don't want it, and I definitely don't want to bring it home to my wife and kids.  Keep your flu or cold to yourself.


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## Darksoul (Jan 20, 2009)

-I think the whole time I've worked security (ten years) I've called in 5-6 times. Don't work, don't get paid. Very simple. I always wondered about the people who called in on a regular basis. I have to be practically on my deathbed to call in. Need the money. Think another thread pointed out how little vacation we either have or take in this country, sick time included.

Andrew


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## theletch1 (Jan 20, 2009)

We get six days a year for sick days.  I've used one day of that in the last 10 years.  If you don't use it during the year you get paid for it in April.  I usually come to work sick or not.  I don't have to worry about being contagious because I'm in a truck by myself all day long.  It's not that I can't afford to use the sick time (I'd lose a little OT for the week is all) but I'm the only tractor trailer driver that is assigned to my main terminal.  If I don't go in then there are about 8 local route drivers that won't get their load on time.


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## seasoned (Jan 20, 2009)

I havent been sick in a long time. I take a ton of vitamins, and Im old, so either the vitamins are working or I have built up a good resistance over the many years. I get sick time, but I work for my wifes parents, and because they come in sick or not they expect everyone to do the same. It works out well because when the germs come we keep it all in the family. J


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## grydth (Jan 20, 2009)

I get 60 hours of sick time per year, use most of it taking care of my kids' minor maladies and routine exams.

I encourage my workers to stay home when sick - no sense turning something minor into something major, plus infecting the rest of us.


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## Carol (Jan 20, 2009)

I get 5 days sick time per year, they generally get used. My oddball hours tend to wear me down so if bronchitis doesn't get me, pure exhaustion does.


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## Aefibird (Jan 20, 2009)

We don't get a specified number of sick days where I work, but people can/do get a letter and then an official warning about the amount of time they take if management think it is excessive. 

I generally take a couple of days a year - nothing worse than giving your bugs to everyone you work with, especially if you get rid of the germs and then catch them back again! 

I'd rather stay at home for a day or two and rest and then come back into work refreshed than drag myself into work and not perform to the best of my abilities just because I should be at home in bed with a Lemsip.


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## Gordon Nore (Jan 20, 2009)

I have 61.5 sick days accumulated over the last eight years with my school board. We get ten days every year. Ideally, I'm building it up to the level that if I become seriously ill or injured, the sick days would carry me through until I'm eligible for long-term disability. I think that's a ninety-day wait. 

But if I'm sick, I take the days I need to get well. I know too many teachers who try and work through it and end up missing a lot of days. When my son was young, I had no reservations about taking a sick day to be home with him. I've been very fortunate -- over the last two and a half years, I've logged no sick time (knock on wood), but I've taken one or two mental health days a year.

Back in the mid-nineties, when I taught community college, I caught a virus and took a total of fifteen days off over two months. I'm very grateful for this benefit.

My union contract provides for what is known as a "sick leave gratuity," which means that I can be reimbursed for unused sick days when I retire. (There were similar opportunities when I was in the college system.) I don't have a problem with being able to retire a few weeks early and thus trade in my sick days. I don't feel that I'm entitled to to be paid anything for not taking a sick day. To my way of thinking, that drives up employment costs and makes it harder for the next person who's trying to get hired.

I've had this conversation with many colleagues (both pro and anti union), and I seem to be alone in my thinking. Maybe I'll feel different when it's my turn to retire.


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## Drac (Jan 20, 2009)

One of the departments put a cap on how much unused sick time you can cash in..It seems that one officer retired with 30 years on the job and he NEVER took any sick time...His pay out was substancial...


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## Cryozombie (Jan 20, 2009)

I get 5 weeks a year off.  If I choose to use them as vacation time, they are vacation time.  If I choose to use them as Sick time, they are sick time.  If I choose to use them for personal time, its personal time.  My choice.

Of course, this april markes my 2nd year with the Hospital and that goes up to 6 weeks.


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## Carol (Jan 20, 2009)

Cryozombie said:


> I get 5 weeks a year off.  If I choose to use them as vacation time, they are vacation time.  If I choose to use them as Sick time, they are sick time.  If I choose to use them for personal time, its personal time.  My choice.
> 
> Of course, this april markes my 2nd year with the Hospital and that goes up to 6 weeks.



Way to go!


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## Drac (Jan 21, 2009)

Cryozombie said:


> I get 5 weeks a year off. If I choose to use them as vacation time, they are vacation time. If I choose to use them as Sick time, they are sick time. If I choose to use them for personal time, its personal time. My choice.
> 
> Of course, this april markes my 2nd year with the Hospital and that goes up to 6 weeks.


 
6 weeks off after only 2 years???...Dammed Cryo your doing Ok...Took me 20 years to get 5 weeks...


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## terryl965 (Jan 21, 2009)

Well we get about three weeks of sick time and another three months of summer YEA buddy!!!


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## Drac (Jan 21, 2009)

Back when I drove truck I would come to work sick, but I was alone and there was no chance of infecting anyone...The idiots I work with think nothing of coming to work deathly ill..Complaining to a Sgt does no good and our Union Reps are worthless..


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## MJS (Jan 21, 2009)

Drac said:


> and our Union Reps are worthless..


 
Your feelings echo mine, at my place of employment.


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## Drac (Jan 21, 2009)

MJS said:


> Your feelings echo mine, at my place of employment.


 
When they were patrolman they were great and helped me alot..Now that a couple of them are wearing stripes they have forgotten where they came from...


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## shesulsa (Jan 21, 2009)

I'm currently a stay-at-home domestic engineer and that means I don't get sick days. I have to work regardless.

My husband, a union worker, does not get sick days - if he doesn't work, he doesn't get paid.


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## Drac (Jan 21, 2009)

shesulsa said:


> .My husband, a union worker, does not get sick days - if he doesn't work, he doesn't get paid.


 
I wouldn't even mind that so much..We have an ACP ( Absence Control Policy) and if you're sick more that 6 times a year you will be written up...One of the bad flu years I missed a lot of days and was written up..I would just be recovering  and come back to work and get stuck in a car with someone that was contagious and I would be out again.


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## Phoenix44 (Jan 26, 2009)

I get about 6 paid sick days per year (I say "about" because it depends on the number of hours worked). I use them when I need them, but that's rare, so I've accrued a fair amount of time. As far as I know, I cannot get paid for them if I don't use them, nor can I use my sick time to take care of a sick family member.

I work in schools--I don't get salary or benefits during summers--so I try to save up my vacation time every year to use during the summers. I confess that occasionally, when I need a day off--for example, to take care of my kid--I'll call in sick instead of taking the day as vacation time. But again, that's infrequent.

I don't like calling in sick unexpectedly, because it inconveniences my co-workers.


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## Drac (Oct 3, 2010)

Its time to dust this thread off and get some input from some of the newer members..While training for this new job I came into contact with someone who was ill and now I have the flu, more likely its *walking pneumonia *based on the symptomatology. Its a real ***** if ya have no sick days.


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## Bruno@MT (Oct 3, 2010)

When I am sick I stay at home with a note from the doctor, getting full pay and no decrease in holiday time or number of paid off-days.


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## bluewaveschool (Oct 3, 2010)

I use a sick day if my wife is too sick to care for the kids, thats about it.


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## Drac (Oct 4, 2010)

Its really sad that all work places dont have some type of sicktime pay..These same work places will offer free flu shots and put up posters offering tips about staying about staying healthy, yet they forget that people coming to work ill is one of the greatest sources of spreading grems.

I actually risked suspension and was almost brought up on insubordination charges when I went home refusing to ride with a sick fermale officer whose attitude was " I be saving my sick days for the nice Summer days, you just gots to deal with it"..


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## l_uk3y (Oct 5, 2010)

Generally go to work sick.  Unless it involves Vomiting or Migraines (or something that is debilitatingly sick). There is too much to get done to take time off. To take a day off puts too much strain on having to catch up when you get back as well.  

Even working at 50% sitting in a back room doing paperwork, I'm more useful then sitting at home being miserable.


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## jks9199 (Oct 5, 2010)

I'll agree that there are times to go to work sick.  Mild hayfever, maybe.  Some mild bugs... but if you're possibly contagious, stay the hell home.  I don't want to get sick.  Some jobs have a different answer, too.  As a first responder, there are some illness that I'm irresponsible to go to work; I could infect someone I'm trying to help.  Or I don't want my waiter working through even a hayfever runny nose or when he's got a rash...


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