Does your workplace have a problem with sickies?

[MarkF]

I worked for myself and one private company for 30+ years after leaving education, I never had one day off sick, injured yes, but "sick" no. Sickness was never an issue in the private company or my own.

I've worked on a zero hour contract in the public service for 16 months. I only want to work 3 days a week but am currently working 5 days and it's driving me crackers, next week I have 56 hours (including some prime 1.5x rate shifts). My work (and others) is provided entirely by the contracted employees wild sickness levels. Are many sick? Are they hell! Holidays refused = on the sick. Manager said something they don't like = on the sick. It's a game between the workers, the managers and the union. Do the zero contract hour workers suffer from this "sickness", of course not, they don't get sick pay!

My wife experienced just the same when moving from the private sector to a public service educational establishment about 10 years ago. Everything she told me, I now see.

 

[Milkfloat]

Am lucky that I have a job I love so have never thrown a sickie. In fact, I was signed off for 6 weeks after a back operation and was working from the hospital 2 hours after coming round from the anaesthetic and back in work after a week. I was that bored.

 

[Sara_H]

I have been ill at times and I am self employed, just that I do not want to be homeless again and without pay that is or was a possibilty at times. I am sure that nobody would ever take time off of work if they were not genuinely ill.

Can I ask, do most self employed workers not have insurance in case they are unable to work? I work in the NHS, but even I have insurance in case I cant work through illness for a long period - it was vital for me a a single mum, not being able to work would have been a complete disaster.

Of course I appreciate that I was very, very lucky that I got paid sick leave when I was unable to work for six months. A friend of mine had a similar experience to mine a year later, she was not so lucky but had family to bale her out fortunately.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Nope. No issues where I work.

 

[vickster]

That seems a lot of days off, what type of work?

He's a medic (maxfacs or dentist IIRC)

 

[screenman]

Most self employed I would say do not have insurance as the cost and return is not very good.

 

[midlife]

That seems a lot of days off, what type of work?

NHS .....

Shaun

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

At the company HQ they developed a Health & Safety mania after they were bought by the Yanks. Every stairwell now has signs saying employees must use the handrail at all times - it's actually a disciplinary offence if you're caught not using the handrails. Not long after the signs went up, the number of days lost to sickness started to rise and the pattern developed that buildings with higher numbers of stairwells had higher incidences of sickness in employees based there. They added alcohol gel stations at the top and bottom of each stairwell (and yes, it's a disciplinary offence not to use them) but that only slightly affected the figures.

So now the calculation is being made - are the potential payouts from injuries falling down the stairs likely to be higher than the cost to the company of sickness absences?

 

[RoubaixCube]

I rarely take a sick day - I dont care about rugby or football & i know for a fact that there are loads of people where i work who will have no qualms about calling in sick or just not turning up for work at all and use stupid excuses if there is a big game on. I'm ALWAYS there. But when it comes to me asking for a sick day when im genuinely not feeling well enough to work my manager goes all militant and starts saying that i am AWOL etc etc. Im not one to get ill very often either. But even the best made engines in the world break down once in awhile and as a manager he should be dealing with it and getting others to cover my shift while im gone for a either a day or two.

 

[MontyVeda]

In many places i've worked it's been me!

I used to think a couple of days a month was OK... the old back, and full of a cold were my common excuses... i didn't use the old migrane and diorhea more than once because i couldn't spell them on the sick-form. The truth is, i don't like getting out of bed.... but i did realise that such behaviour does make me one of the more expendable employees, so the last few jobs I've been mr reliable and dependable and manage to get myself to work on time and in all weather... i'm a new man!

My current employer really doesn't tolerate sickies. You lose the day's pay and probably your job, it's that simple. If you turn up and they think you're too sick to work, they'll send you home and you'll get paid for the full shift... seems fair enough

 

[midlife]

He's a medic (maxfacs or dentist IIRC)

I did train in maxfac but didn't like the (necessary) pain that accompanied the stuff I was doing so I switched to putting people back together again ending up as an NHS Consultant in Restorative Dentistry.

Shaun

 

[Dec66]

No.

Why do you ask?

 

[MontyVeda]

Self employed here so nope, rain or shine the show goes on.

i was self employed once... it was a disaster. I blame the staff, and the management.

 

[Markymark]

I have critical illness insurance as well as life insurance.

 

[midlife]

I stopped my critical illness cover, at my age and employment it stopped being cost effective.....

Shaun