Does your workplace have a problem with sickies?

[Sara_H]

There was a fella at the last place I worked who was off sick a lot. Almost everyone thought he was malingering. I knew he didn't like the job much. He was complaining about a mysterious back pain. After a couple of years I began to believe he was putting it on and using the system. Then came the diagnosis - a malignant tumour in his spine. He died, shortly after, a very painful death.
These days if someone rings in sick I say 'Get well soon.'

Many years ago I had a miscarriage. The evening I started bleeding, after speaking to my GP who basically said, bad luck and booked me into the EPU the following morning, I rang in sick for my shift the following day. The nurse in charge I spoke to asked me if I was sure I couldn't make it in as the unit was busy.
Of course, she didn't know I was in shock and losing my much longed for, planned for baby - but I'll never forget the additional kick in the ribs that I felt when she said that.

(ha ha! Fourteen years ago, I know how to hold a grudge).

 

[Markymark]

(ha ha! Fourteen years ago, I know how to hold a grudge).

tbf that's a grudge worth keeping.

 

[midlife]

tbf that's a grudge worth keeping.

Some of my grudges go back more than 20 years............

Shaun

 

[Silver Fox]

Assaulted on duty, elbow smashed, 2 rounds of reconstructive surgery necessitating almost a year off in 2 chunks. Our wonderful HR try to UAP me (ie, sack me for unsatisfactory attendance), but the Fed solicitor pointed out to them they'd lose in Court and I'd be up for estimated £400k in compo.

They backed down so quick it was laughable.

Most of these fools aren't clever enough even spell HR, much less be actually working there.

A friend of mine is a bobby, he tells me in his force police officers are referred to a Units Of Cost by the HR department.

This will be the HR department staffed by civvies who've probably never seen an angry man in their life.

 

[Drago]

Absolutely. They don't understand even the most fundamental basics of policing, yet decide not only who is fit to recruit, but who is qualified to do what role. This is why we recruit murderers (yes, honest!) and why neither of the Forces two experts on Misper behaviour, of which I am one, are on the forces Misper Unit or Search Team, and then they wonder why some mispers turn up dead. In the old days a CI made the final decisions, and stupidity like that rarely happened. Now such decisions are made by people who never faced anything more dangerous than a stapler, and who earn as much as nearly 4 long-service PCs.

It's funny as well how austerity bites yet when the axe is swung and jobs go it's not jobs in HR that get the chop. By an utterly unrelated coincidence it's HR who decide who loses their job...

 

[Silver Fox]

I believe the phrase is The job's fluncked , or something similar.

 

[Lonestar]

There was a fella at the last place I worked who was off sick a lot. Almost everyone thought he was malingering. I knew he didn't like the job much. He was complaining about a mysterious back pain. After a couple of years I began to believe he was putting it on and using the system. Then came the diagnosis - a malignant tumour in his spine. He died, shortly after, a very painful death.
These days if someone rings in sick I say 'Get well soon.'

Of course that's terribly sad.

 

[Firestorm]

We had a chap who regularly got a stomach upset, usual blamed on a weekend bbq , on Mondays or Tuesdays after a bank holiday, usual if the weather was decent.
Current system penalises single days off more than two in a row, in order to discourage duvet days , but it just means people take two days to avoid suspicion.
Appraisals class over 3 days in the year as above average and flags it.
My 10 weeks with an Achilles rupture was mitigated by working from home whilst signed off.
We used to have a really good long term sick scheme full pay for 6 months then 75% of salary (With built in increases) but a couple of abuses ,one chap has been on 75% for 12 years and in that time his salary will have gone up far quicker than any working that time. They changed it last year because the majority of long termers either died or returned to work within 5 years.

 

[screenman]

Would a person be more likely to throw a sickie if they got paid for the time off?

 

[vickster]

Would a person be more likely to throw a sickie if they got paid for the time off?

Do you mean didn't get paid? When I've been employed, I've been paid when off sick (other than the 8 days I had to have off following being knocked off my bike as I was still in the probation period of my new job )

 

[gavroche]

The longest I have ever been off was 2 weeks in 1987 with shingles. Otherwise excellent health and never off since. Now, I am off whenever I feel like it. (Retired and loving it. No more work pressure.)

 

[Moon bunny]

Hardly any absenteeism here, compared to my last position in the NHS, when a full office was almost a special occasion.

 

[screenman]

I think NHS workers may be more at risk from infection than some of us in other trades, which could explain a few more sick days.

I seem to remember reading that people working for public sector or larger companies are more likely to have time off sick, maybe again they are more at risk than us self employed workers.

 

[MarkF]

I think NHS workers may be more at risk from infection than some of us in other trades, which could explain a few more sick days.

That's possible, just wondering why the zero hour bods are infection resistant?

 

[screenman]

That's possible, just wondering why the zero hour bods are infection resistant?

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