Sick leave? You don't need no stinkin' sick leave!

[Racket_Man]

Funny you should mention Ford. He is credited with pretty much getting the middle class in this country started.

True BUT then he tried to run his employees external lives outside of work with his MOrality Squad raids.

[mikoyan29]

True BUT then he tried to run his employees external lives outside of work with his MOrality Squad raids.

I think he stopped that after a point though. And I want to say that he didn't do it very long either. But like any person, he was complicated. Still, he managed to pay his workers well and still made money...go figure.

[Lace Neil Singer]

When I worked at the pet store in the garden centre, management there refused to let someone take a sick day unless they had a doctor's note. Which is stupid as there are some illnesses like colds and flu that it's not worth wasting a day off heading to the doctor for. -.- This stupid policy was changed right after the millenium cuz of the bug which cut thru the staff like wildfire... cuz people with it were forced to come in and work, therefore spreading it to everyone there.

Basically, it makes sense to pay sick people to stay home, not only cuz of the germs/viruses issue but cuz you don't want your entire workforce to be infected.

[TheHuckster]

When I worked at the pet store in the garden centre, management there refused to let someone take a sick day unless they had a doctor's note. Which is stupid as there are some illnesses like colds and flu that it's not worth wasting a day off heading to the doctor for. -.- This stupid policy was changed right after the millenium cuz of the bug which cut thru the staff like wildfire... cuz people with it were forced to come in and work, therefore spreading it to everyone there.

Basically, it makes sense to pay sick people to stay home, not only cuz of the germs/viruses issue but cuz you don't want your entire workforce to be infected.

The whole doctor's note thing pisses me off, because it basically says, "We don't trust you, and think you're either flat out lying and lazy or a hypochondriac."

It's one thing if someone is calling out sick every week. Yes, maybe they need a tighter leash, but if you've been a proven loyal worker and got a flu which has you bedridden for a day or two, it is ironically against doctors' recommendations to go out in public and get a doctor's note for. They even recommend if you're otherwise healthy and don't have any complications to just stay in bed and wait it out. Recovery comes sooner, plus you don't spread it to other people.

[protege]

Imagine that, you treat people like people and they reward you.

Unfortunately, too many employers forget that item. They all think, "Hey, we're going to screw over our employees as much as possible" and then scream about "company loyalty" when said employees leave. It's usually justified as "I'm paying these people to work, therefore I don't have to be polite to them. I'm doing them a favor by just employing their services..."

For example, a few years back, one of the traders got fired for asking for a raise. Nothing serious, but he was just wanting the commissions he was rightly owed. When you do a trade, you're supposed to get a percentage. This guy was basically being forced to do trades...and wasn't being compensated. He went upstairs to ask and was then cleaning out his desk. From what I understand, the trader already had another job in the works anyway...which was probably the other reason he got canned.

[Rageaholic]

Unfortunately, too many employers forget that item. They all think, "Hey, we're going to screw over our employees as much as possible" and then scream about "company loyalty" when said employees leave. It's usually justified as "I'm paying these people to work, therefore I don't have to be polite to them. I'm doing them a favor by just employing their services..."

For example, a few years back, one of the traders got fired for asking for a raise. Nothing serious, but he was just wanting the commissions he was rightly owed. When you do a trade, you're supposed to get a percentage. This guy was basically being forced to do trades...and wasn't being compensated. He went upstairs to ask and was then cleaning out his desk. From what I understand, the trader already had another job in the works anyway...which was probably the other reason he got canned.

I've grown to hate that mentality more and more. I've been doing volunteer work just to build up my resume. I'm not even getting paid, but I still get the feeling they think they're above me. They make you sign all this stuff and can even "fire" you if you miss some of your scheduled times.

A lot of these businesses think that they are doing you a big favor just by giving you a chance at an interview.

[protege]

Another thing I've noticed, is that many employers...choose to berate their employees for not working hard enough...but then not offering any reward in return. Then they wonder why their employees start doing only the bare minimum

In fact, I got screamed at for not "doing enough to innovate" at my job. Uh, there's only so much "innovation" I can do with processing orders and putting spreadsheets together I mean, I can automate some tasks, like the end of month...where I only have to copy and paste data. But, it's still very much a manual process. Also, until computers can read minds, there's always going to be someone that has to type the orders in.

But, back on topic...somewhat. In 2004, I had to take 2 weeks off after hernia surgery. The morning it all happened, he gave me crap over the phone. Yes, it's *my* fault it happened, and that I had to go to the hospital. Yeah, I really wanted to be in that much pain...as well as being confined to my bedroom for a few days. Since I was still seriously sedated, my mother called him and said that I'd be out of the office 2 weeks to recover. Did that stop him from calling to ask stupid questions? After the first weekday, I quit answering the phone. Pain was so bad it hurt to walk--by the time I'd even get into that room, the phone quit ringing.

Then when I returned to work, he tried to get me to carry equipment around. Things, that I had no business moving--well over the 20-pound limit that the doctor hit me with. Did that stop him from threatening to "write [me] up for insubordination?" Fuck no. Had his wife not been there, I'd have been moving computers all day

[mikoyan29]

Unfortunately, too many employers forget that item. They all think, "Hey, we're going to screw over our employees as much as possible" and then scream about "company loyalty" when said employees leave. It's usually justified as "I'm paying these people to work, therefore I don't have to be polite to them. I'm doing them a favor by just employing their services..."

For example, a few years back, one of the traders got fired for asking for a raise. Nothing serious, but he was just wanting the commissions he was rightly owed. When you do a trade, you're supposed to get a percentage. This guy was basically being forced to do trades...and wasn't being compensated. He went upstairs to ask and was then cleaning out his desk. From what I understand, the trader already had another job in the works anyway...which was probably the other reason he got canned.

Well they seem to forget that loyalty is a two way street. why should employees be loyal when on a whim they get laid off? Used to be that companies would use the downtime to improves processes and whatever. Not now because they are tied heavily to stock prices. Stock prices take a dip and well....

[smileyeagle1021]

The whole doctor's note thing pisses me off, because it basically says, "We don't trust you, and think you're either flat out lying and lazy or a hypochondriac."

I like the balance that most places I've worked has had, that for up to two days (as long as you have the sick days available) no note required, anything more than that (or if you have already used your sick pay) then we need to know that we didn't just pay overtime to have people cover your shifts for nothing. It still had the trust for people to know when they need a day off without being put through the Spanish Inquisition (and frankly, a lot of the time, with the cold or flu, there is no point in going to the doctor, you know you have the cold, and all they can tell you to do is rest and lots of fluids, which you already knew) while preventing people from abusing the system (yes, I'm sick *cough* please ignore the casino noises in the background, I'm sick, not spending a week in Vegas... why would you think I'm in Vegas).

[Ginger Tea]

and frankly, a lot of the time, with the cold or flu, there is no point in going to the doctor, you know you have the cold, and all they can tell you to do is rest and lots of fluids, which you already knew

I don't ever recall having to get a sick note for my last job, I mostly got the snuffles of some description and working in the food industry although I was in the logistics end, not a good idea to come in.
And as I worked in a fridge, even with adequate protection I was not immune to developing the common cold and the odd 24 hour bug and comming into work sick to work in a fridge does not help matters.

while preventing people from abusing the system (yes, I'm sick *cough* please ignore the casino noises in the background, I'm sick, not spending a week in Vegas... why would you think I'm in Vegas).

As the end of the year drew closer I was shocked by the ammount of sick leave NOT taken, sure one guy said he had job interviews, but if he got a letter, it would be given in advance so he could arrange cover and time off, but in reality he told one guy he just didn't fancy comming in one day.
Although he did genuinly have a job interview one friday, but left work an hour or so after getting in late from it claiming to be sick, he allegedly started work on the monday which was good cos they were sick of him not answering to see if he would be in the next day they left a message saying "don't come back" as ge was agency not full time they didn't have to give much in the way of notice.

And New Years day someone called in and left a message on the machine that he was sick, yet you could clearly hear the party still going on in the background.

[protege]

And New Years day someone called in and left a message on the machine that he was sick, yet you could clearly hear the party still going on in the background.

...and that's exactly how those policies get started! Some people will call off, because they're more interested in getting plastered.

For example, we once had an employee named Kelly, who had a problem with calling off. If she did, it was always a Monday or Friday...and her kids were "sick." Usually about twice a month they were "sick." I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't think I was ever sick that much in my entire life! Anyway, Kelly soon earned the wrath of the other data entry person who was stuck trying to do not only her own work, but Kelly's crap as well. Needless to say, her time sheets got pulled, and she got a major bitching-out by the boss. Got threatened with termination, in other words.

[Ginger Tea]

Most of us were on the same 3 week rota, just on different weeks, monday tuesday off work 7 wednesday thursday off work friday saturday sunday off work seven rinse repeat.
So when I was off monday tuesday someone was on the start of their seven day stretch and someone else off for a long weekend.

So although the rota meant we worked 2 out of every 3 weekends, we still got 52 weekends worth of days off, but at one point, one guy was sick with a stiff neck two saturday's in a row and off the third.
I said the only stiff neck he had was part of a bottle.
I also started to use the phrase "you can't have a saturday/sunday morning without a friday saturday night." although one supervisor told me "Well you shouldn't have gone out the night before." I had to explain to him I was not on about myself and in the wee hours of 6am when the phone rang we tended to call out the name of who we thought would be 'sick'.

Before his spate of phantom job interviews that guy had been off a fair number of weekends and I had sugested that if he could not commit to weekends just put him m-f and be done with it, it was only when doing one of my time sheets that I realised just how many weekends I had worked over time, either comming in or staying from 5am till job done around 7 or 8pm and a cross reference would probably show him as being the route cause.
But hey if he didn't want the money I would gladly take it.

One woman had a few no shows on the late shift and also worked evenings at Tesco, I stayed late one day and cycled pass to go to the cash point and I was sure I saw her having a fag by the cycle rack, so if she wanted the hours at Tesco more to the extent of calling in sick, why not say "sorry I can't do the late shift due to my job at Tesco's" I would be understanding and work around it, in the end that's what happened.
Sadly I got saddled with the Tweedles the slowest and most incompetant pair of workers I have had to work with at that job, it was 50/50 on which was Dee and which was Dumb as fuck.

[Seifer]

What irritates me the most is how the owners and managers are all for paid sick leave for THEMSELVES, but how dare the government force them to give the peons working under them those same benefits? PREPOSTEROUS!

[Panacea]

Even when you have sick leave it doesn't always do you any good.

My last ER job gave me 10 days a year. But if I called out sick more than twice in a year, I got a write up for excessive absenteeism. Not even a full blow case of the flu, with a temp of 103+ was enough to sway this policy.

[Mytical]

A long time ago, in a land far away, I used to work for an automobile fuelpump assembly plant. Every friday they would hand out checks of a morning, and every friday half the people would not come back from lunch (every other week actually because we were paid every two weeks). Every time. So, finally they started waiting until end of the day friday (since normally they didn't operate on Sat/Sun). For some reason everybody suddenly started coming back from lunch on Friday. Go figure.

When I called off, the people I worked with knew I was feeling like death warmed over twice..since I called off so rarely. Went two years without missing a day (and working extra days, no vacation, etc). I called up my supervisor one day and before I say much besides "Hello"..he said "You sound terrible, do you need me to get somebody to cover your shift?" *laughs*. Of course I had laryngitis..so my hello was probably enough for him to guess.