should i 'chuck a sickie'?
 

i should say from the outset that i dont take sickies.

even when i really am sick i like to go in to work. i never saw the need to take any days off if i can make it into the office. if i did stay home id probably do more physical actvities than if i went to work.

so many of you know that ive been apart from my family for a few months now. theyre here visiting right now, and theyre here for a few weeks only. over the past 2 weeks ive had the urge to take some sick days so i can spend some time with them, but every time i think im going to do it i realise i have an important deadline or work needs me.

im also not comfortable taking time off if im reallly not sick. i also dread bullshitting to my line manager, and sometimes feel like telling him that im going to take a sickie when im not actually sick, but im unsure of the consequences of telling him the truth...sending an sms is lame and would give off the smell of bullshit.

ive been with this company for about 6 months and ive got a week's worth of sick leave that i can take.

should i take a sickie?

if yes, why?
if no, why?


personaly d love to spend more time with my family, but morally it;d eat away at me.

Yes, you should take a sick day. You are sick of missing your family. I am taking a snow day myself today. Even if you take some heat for taking a sick day, will it matter in six months, a year?

Does your employee policy handbook specifically state if there is a specific type of instance these days should be used for?

In my handbook... for our company it is called "sick/personal" time and may be used to either call off on day for illness or other personal reason, or to have paid time when you leave the office for a personal appointment you have scheduled such as a Doctors appointment. You have a bank of time and once that bank is gone you no longer have that coverage pay.

So in my case I would have no guilt saying I needed to take a personal day, I've taken "mental health" personal days in the past where I might not be the cold/flu sick, but I need a day for me just because.

If there is anything I've learned from my occupation... take the time you can to be with family. Going X months at at time without them is hard enough.

Take the sick day, or two. Be with your family. You will not regret taking two sick days, but you may regret not taking more time to be with your family. I would take three, because at my old job that is the most sick days you could take without bringing in a doctor's excuse. They are your sick days. Use them. Be with your family. This is one of those important things.

Depends, do you want your tombstone to read:

Here Lies Dlish
Loving Husband
Devoted Father

or

Here Lies Dlish
He was a good employee.

Does the company have any policy that dictates a doctor's note after a specific number of days?

If so, take the max you can (usually 2 or 3) without the note. If there is no policy, take the same 2 or 3, guilt-free. You don't have to lie. Just say you won't be able to make it in. ;) And when you come back and they ask how you're feeling, "much better, thanks" is all you need.

And no guilt. Don't forget the reason you took a job that pays. Cimarron's got it right. Your loved ones are #1.

There is the problem, it would eat at you afterwards. Is it possible to meet with your boss, explain the situation and ask him if there is anyway to take some time off to spend with your family. Possibly suggest that you have some sick leave accrued. He might agree to that or even suggest you take a Fri or Mon off in exchange for working an extra day during the week after they leave.

This way you arrive at a solution and one that won't morally upset you.

If he doesn't come up with something, call off sick. :D

And keeping in mind I'm going to need you to take a few sick days when I stop by in the summer so we can go climb some mountain or wrestle crocodiles or whatever you've got in the area that can be conquered on short notice. You know, Dos Equis Man stuff. Screw your work ethic, nobody sees it, right?

/sellout

I don't get you Aussies, really a sickie? A sick day, is harder to say? Just like crim right, you can't say crimINAL. :)

After reading and getting laid off, I realized that my superhuman non-sick day taking stuff was just silly.

If I am sick. I take a sick day. In fact right now I'm out on a sick day, but because of blackberry and internet I've still answered emails and took phone calls. I used to only take sick days if I was close to being hospitalized.

Now, if I'm even a little under the weather, I'm out sick.

Our sick policy is that if a family member is sick, you are able to stay home.

Can you work extra hour after they are gone to get comp time? Do you have vacation days?

cynth..tsk tsk tsk..

Doug..becomes Dougie
Chuck..becomes Chuckie
Steve..becomes Stevie
Sick..becomes Sickie!!!

you need more aussie friends i say!

so the consensus is that i should take a sickie. i kind of like ASU's idea about if family is sick then you should be able to take time off. Im just not sure of the company policy on that one. It may be safer to just say, im sick and im not coming in.

what is the ettiquitte on taking sickies? calling in every day you're sick? ive NEVER taken more than a day off for being sick. even when i had surgery a few years ago i was back at work the next day.

my keenness for taking a sickie is compounded by the fact that the company im working for are badly mismanaged and are incompetant mother%^&$# and i dont really want to be working my butt off for them for little recognition. This still doesnt make it ok for me to take a sickie, it just makes me over my employer.

---------- Post added at 04:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:52 PM ----------

oh and im reading and responding at work..i hope they read this.

I think you should arfargle the bingle barbie.

For those of you who don't speak Aussie it means "go play with your kid, dumbass."

Dlish doesn't really talk like that. I mean, I actually talked to the guy recently and he didn't have to get out the white board or anything.

You must be fluent in agle flabble clabble.

"Chuck a sickie" sounds like something the Spartans used to do to flawed offspring.

you guys need a lesson is aussie-bic.

At least 9er's got it right...unless he's calling my offspring flawed.



Jazz..boss... you never told me how you treat your employees when they call in sick. i did once tell you that i never wanted you to be my boss. What's the go in your employees with sickies?

Dude, if one of my folks were in your circumstances, I would have told them to take the day or even two. There's work and then there's common human decency.

One of my top two had a baby about 9 days before Christmas (actually his wife did, but the details aren't that relevant). I told him to stay home until after the holiday and that I'd be seriously pissed if he showed up before that. It sucked for a few days, but no lives were lost and he's motivated to work harder.

Any manager that doesn't get that should be demoted.

Wumpie snappie.

Snerp.

If you take a sick day or two becareful of what you tell them you are sick with. Noone that has had the flu or cold comes back to work hale and healthy,

I recommend telling them you have a gastrointestinal thing, if you have to tell them anything. Telling your supervisor you're throwing up all over the place is 1) not only guaranteed to keep you home, but also 2) goes away quickly, so it's not suspicious if you show up to work totally healthy a couple days later.

If you have to ask, yes you should take a sick leave. Just be convincing. They honestly rarely care anyways unless you're abusing it, which it doesn't sound like you are.

Jobs come and go but family is forever. If you lost your job would your family be in a dire position? If not than stay home and play with your kids.

I doubt you'll be 80 years old one day and look back going "boy I really wish I would have spent more time at work".

Family, all the way.