CPW: Calling in "sick"

brij2006 · September 2013

Would you ever call in "sick" at work, when you aren't actually sick? Instead, just to have the day off of work?

DangerMuffin23 · September 2013

But I think that a job that won't let you schedule a sick day knowing that you have drs appts deserves it. But I'm all for a mental health day too as long as it doesn't screw over someone else

LuckyAngel07 · September 2013

I earn those sick days, and I want to use them! Considering I rarely actually get sick, a "sick" day is the only way they're going to get used.

However, I don't do this often, because I am also hoarding up my sick time to supplement my maternity leave short-term disability income (ha! we'll see if it ever gets used in that case).

brij2006 · September 2013

I'm a salaried position, so I would feel too bad if I called in and wasn't actually sick. But H will joke occasionally that we should both call of 1 day and spend the whole day in bed.

We also have an employee who (prior to having her son) would always call off on Monday or Friday, even when she wasn't sick. We all knew why she was calling off, and she got to the point that she would flat out tell us that she was calling off because she didn't feel like coming in that day. It created a lot of tension in our small office, because we would all have to pick up the slack.

Sewilson33 · September 2013

At my old job I called in sick to baby sit my nephew and to go on a job interview. I felt zero guilt at that job!

rccola1981 · September 2013

I am salaried, but it takes me a lot of work to be off. I will take a full day for some appointments for mental health, but it is often easier to get a sub for a full day anyhow.

spin25 · September 2013

DangerMuffin23 said:

But I think that a job that won't let you schedule a sick day knowing that you have drs appts deserves it. But I'm all for a mental health day too as long as it doesn't screw over someone else

Why do you need to take a whole day off for a doctor's appointment? Unless you're having a procedure done that makes you unable to go in the rest of the day.

I'm all for physical and mental health days. However, if I call in sick, there are one or two people that have to scramble to find someone to take my place. If no one can take my place, we have to close, which could be a big problem for a lot of people (other employees and patients/customers). It makes calling in sick difficult even when I am sick.

TudorRose11 · September 2013

Nope. I just don't call off. I'm also a salaried team member so it doesn't really work that way for me anyway but if things were different I still wouldn't call off unless it was very valid. I take my employee's/employer's opinions of me seriously and don't want to appear lazy.

Uptowngirl2009 · September 2013

I did it at least once a month last winter. However, we now have 10 PTO days that we can use as we wish and 2 sick days. So most of those times I took a sick day. There was one time 2 years ago where I took a sick day and DH and I went to the casino and a Pirates game. That was so awesome!

Aimothy · September 2013

spin25 said:

DangerMuffin23 said:

But I think that a job that won't let you schedule a sick day knowing that you have drs appts deserves it. But I'm all for a mental health day too as long as it doesn't screw over someone else

Why do you need to take a whole day off for a doctor's appointment? Unless you're having a procedure done that makes you unable to go in the rest of the day.

I'm all for physical and mental health days. However, if I call in sick, there are one or two people that have to scramble to find someone to take my place. If no one can take my place, we have to close, which could be a big problem for a lot of people (other employees and patients/customers). It makes calling in sick difficult even when I am sick.

As a teacher, making sub plans is often more work than just being here. If I have an appointment, and only need an hour, they still have to pay for the sub to be here for a half day. If they are getting paid for a half day, I'm going to make them work a half day. And if I'm making sub plans for half a day, what's another half day?? I also work 45 minutes away, so it's a waste of driving for me to come in for two hours. Yes, I'm selfish. But my job requires a sub in my absence, so I'm not screwing over any coworkers by choosing to be gone when I'm not really sick. I think that's the clincher for me. If it doesn't affect others in a negative way, why not?

Flamingo86 · September 2013

I have done it at past jobs but never at my current job. I really like where I work and it would make life difficult for my coworkers.

I do not, however, hesitate to call in sick if I feel even a little under the weather. Stuff spreads like crazy at my work and I'd rather not be the perpetrator of an epidemic.

zamboni00 · September 2013

I think I've called out when not sick (or for other health related reasons) 3 times in my life- all in my previous job.

Once was when our hot water heater exploded, and H was out of town, so I had to stay home to deal with the repair(or, actually, replace)man.

The other two times were for interviews for the job I have now. I felt a slight time crunch, since the girl I was replacing didn't have long to train me, and I wanted to get all 87 of the interviews done ASAP. Okay, not 87, but there were more than 4, and the scheduling of them was a nighmare. More than once, I found out the day or night before that I could come in at 8am, and would never have been approved for any PTO, so it was call in sick, or end up possibly starting after she already left the state., and teaching myself.

PandPMeant2B · September 2013

Me not being at work doesn't really affect anyone but me (I just have more to do te next day), so I think once in a blue moon it's okay. Today's mental health day was scheduled, so I didn't really call out. At my old job we had unlimited sick days and it was easy to tell who took advantage and who didn't. I think, for the most part, if you treat adults like adults, they will act accordingly. I hate when people constantly have the "Monday bug" or "Friday virus."

spin25 · September 2013

Aimothy said:

spin25 said:

DangerMuffin23 said:

But I think that a job that won't let you schedule a sick day knowing that you have drs appts deserves it. But I'm all for a mental health day too as long as it doesn't screw over someone else

Why do you need to take a whole day off for a doctor's appointment? Unless you're having a procedure done that makes you unable to go in the rest of the day.

I'm all for physical and mental health days. However, if I call in sick, there are one or two people that have to scramble to find someone to take my place. If no one can take my place, we have to close, which could be a big problem for a lot of people (other employees and patients/customers). It makes calling in sick difficult even when I am sick.

As a teacher, making sub plans is often more work than just being here. If I have an appointment, and only need an hour, they still have to pay for the sub to be here for a half day. If they are getting paid for a half day, I'm going to make them work a half day. And if I'm making sub plans for half a day, what's another half day?? I also work 45 minutes away, so it's a waste of driving for me to come in for two hours. Yes, I'm selfish. But my job requires a sub in my absence, so I'm not screwing over any coworkers by choosing to be gone when I'm not really sick. I think that's the clincher for me. If it doesn't affect others in a negative way, why not?

The situation you describe does not sound like it affects others in a negative way. I wouldn't go in for only 2 hours either. Maybe I missed it, but I didn't know @DangerMuffin23 was only going to be available to work for a couple of hours. I doubt I'd go in for 2 hours either, and I certainly think it's fair for a sub to work the half day if he/she was getting paid for that amount of time.

My calling in sick does potentially screw others over b/c we don't have a group of people to sub for us.

Uptowngirl2009 · September 2013

I agree with Aim about writing sub plans. That's a real pain. But the way I look at it is I am giving another person a job for the day when I take off too.

Right now I'm really trying to not take very many days off because I'm trying to save them for possible maternity leave. In order to get paid during FMLA, I have to use all my sick and PTO days up. I have 35 days saved so far so that would be enough to take 7 school weeks off. I really should take the day off tomorrow because I've been sick but I'm trying to tough it out because I'm off next Friday.

ILoveRedVino · September 2013

I've done it for job interviews before.

Also, I think the occasional (twice a year, maybe) mental health day is valid.

seahorse01 · September 2013

I am lucky that my job is liberal with the sick policy. I call in sick for whatever reason I want. I am salaried, my being here or not doesn't really impact others, so for me it isn't a big deal at all to take off for whatever I want.

My boss once called off because she didn't want to leave her dog alone because he seemed sad, so.....

cinderin · September 2013

I usually work sick (seriously). I usually only call in sick if I have a fever or vomiting. I guess I am pretty hard core for this group :-)

I have called in for a job interview (but it was the only way to get the time off). Otherwise I have never called in unless I was actually sick.

Honestly, I think it is bad karma to do so. Jmo.

callitcompulsive · September 2013

I don't get sick days at all, even if I am sick, lol. Winner!

MRads · September 2013

I have. I have certain days/weeks when I couldn't be out, bc there was really nobody to cover when I was out. And i had to work a lot of weekends and evenings in top of M-F, so there really wasnt time to rest up. So if I had a string of days/weeks like that, and I was sick, I just took a sick day when I could take off and it wouldn't affect anything.

abt8113 · September 2013

I only take off like one day a year, maybe. I have 25 sick days saved up. I think if I want to take the day off when I have a doctors appointment, that is my business. Me being off does not affect anyone else; it only gives me more work to do the next day. I'm actually calling in sick tomorrow because I feel like one day off in a year (the last sick day I took was July of last year) is totally justifiable.

Edit: We also used to be able to trade in sick days for extra vacation as long as you still had 100 hrs in the bank at the end of the year. It's was 10 days of sick for 5 days of vacation. We are no longer able to do that.

BioGirl21 · September 2013

I don't actually call off very often, only when I'm actually very sick, puking mainly, because our vacation/personal time sucks and right now I'm trying to save it. If I don't go to work, I don't get paid and if I don't get paid that sucks.
I did call off once for a closing shift a few years ago because I wanted to go to a party.

poppies717 · September 2013

Never. I felt guilty calling in sick after I'd been in the ER until 1:30 in the morning. I've gone to work throwing up because it was "too late" (my judgment) to call in sick. I was sent home that time.

I credit my parents for instilling this in me. I wasn't allowed to stay home unless I was throwing up or had a fever.

lilliesandvino · September 2013

Unless I'm throwing up, I go in. I take PTO whenever I want, but me not showing up at work throws a lot of others' schedules off. It's not fair to them.

seahorse01 · September 2013

If any of you are the people who still go in if you have the flu or a cold I want to give you a hearty f-you. The world will not end if you take a sick day that you have accrued. I promise. And that bad karma comment? GTFO of here with that nonsense.

LittleLady77 · September 2013

I'm in sales. When I take time off it only hurts me... And maybe my boss who makes stupid money. I don't care one bit but that's also the culture at my work. It's perfectly fine, even encouraged to take mental health days. Sometimes I work from home just because I don't feel like putting on real clothes.

nfp147 · September 2013

I take a "mental health" day once or twice a year. No one is affected by my absence and I would never call in "sick" if it's busy or my absence would mess with others.

I do, however, have an issue with people who go to work even when they are sick. Leave your germs at home!

ILoveRedVino · September 2013

Seriously, if you're legit sick, please don't go to work. That isn't fair.

blueeyedblossom · September 2013

Since my patients have crappy immune systems, I call off any time I have a fever above 99.3.

Xan921 · September 2013

I totally call in sick when I'm not sick. Sometimes I just don't feel like going and need a 'me' day. Other days day time TV appeals to me a lot more than my 2 hour commute and my 26 employees who act like children. Do I do it often? No, but I damn straight do it once in a while and I never feel guilty about it.

No one has to pick up the pieces when I'm out. The only one it hurts is my email box.

saraeric · September 2013

It's so funny that this was posted today. I have two students who are driving me up the wall. I feel like crying each morning because I do not want to go to school! I would definitely take a mental health day if sub plans weren't such a pain to write...and I don't trust those kiddos with a sub! We've already had some issues, ugh! That being said, I'm strongly debating taking a full day off for any appointment I have, regardless of how long it actually takes!

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