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[Liberty4all]

In my industry (Canadian government funded social services) we get 1.25 sick days a month (15 days a year). Unused sick time is banked although it can't be cashed out if you quit or retire. I typically call in sick once a month as do most younger employees ... Older folks where I work some have months of sick time banked (which I find crazy). We are unionized so as long as you have sick days to take you can take them no problem. More than 2 in a row requires a doctors note


I have buddies though in the private sector that risk their jobs if they call in sick more than a few times a year.

How about you sickGAF? How often can you call in sick and it not be a problem at work?

 

[gamma]

sick days lol

 

[Sinatar]

Once, maybe twice a year.

 

[BrettWeir]

Only when I'm sick......It's something called integrity.

**Edit:
We get sick bank...and thank God we do. I caught pneumonia early in the year and had to take a shit load of time off. Sucked.

 

[Bii]

Only when I'm sick......It's something called integrity.

Boom.

I concur.

 

[Deified Data]

Couple times a year. I could stand to use a lot more of my sick time but then shit wouldn't get done in my absence.

 

[DJ_Lae]

If I'm really sick I'll call it in and not work (though I'll have to be launching fluids out of every orifice for me to do this). Generally if I am sick I'll still work, just remotely from home. Helps me as I don't have to deal with the commute and can use the extra time to rest and keeps everyone else from catching whatever I may have.

 

[Midnight Moon]

I get 4 sick days (32 hours total). Probably going to use one this month since my grandfather is having surgery for kidney cancer.

I have never missed work at my current job yet, but at my last job I only didn't work when I got really sick like throwing up (was fast food)

 

[KorrZ]

I can do it as much as I want. Small business with a direct, good relationship with my boss.

I've been here for just over a year and haven't taken a single day off yet though.

 

[losername]

All my previous (awful) jobs used to dock my pay for sick days, but my current workplace doesn't. That actually makes me want to go to work if I'm feeling unwell.

Also I moved out of my folks' place and I can't get my Mom to call in sick for me these days.

 

[Dog food is delicious]

I get PTO, so technically I don't have sick or vacation days.

It's kinda hard to call in when you work from home I've found.

 

[Liquidsnake]

How many have actually called in sick because you were sick?
Thats the better question for me its almost never. If I am ill I go to work, because I could be miserable there or home doesn't matter.

I use sick days to play games all day and smoke. Or watch a good movie on blu ray release day.

 

[captmorgan]

So basically what your saying is that you abuse a perk?

 

[Ashes]

Almost never. Missed one day of work in five years. And that was due to being blinded temporarily so I couldn't work.

 

[Harry Potter]

I've been at my current job for 4 1/2 years. Haven't called in once.

 

[Cizard]

Is it normal to have a limited amount of sick days in America?

 

[HalfBakedProphet]

I went almost 3 years not missing a day of work

Spoiler

at shitty retail and delivery jobs

. Then I got a gf.

Now I do it pretty consistently. When I was going out with my ex and I had to choose between going out Friday night, drinking and having sex or going to bed early and showing up to work at 4 am...sex always won.

 

[DarkChronic]

Only when I'm sick. I've been at my current place of employment for a year now and have only used two of them.

My sick days and vacation days are all tied together into PTO so I'd rather not waste them.

It's actually kind of dumb because you get employees (including myself) coming into work sick as hell. Who wants to waste vacation days staying sick in bed? I'll tough it out at work, thanks.

 

[jaxword]

I work at a goddamn jack in the box.

If I take a sick day I get fired.

 

[FairyD]

Almost never. I'm the asshole that comes in coughing and infecting everyone else with germs. I bring biological warfare into office politics.

 

[Dog food is delicious]

Is it normal to have a limited amount of sick days in America?

Depends on where you work, but it has always been my experience that I get X amount of sick days.

 

[mackattk]

7 days a year. If I don't use them I lose them so fuck it. My work treats me like shit so I will use them whether I am sick or not.

 

[Malvolio]

Twice in over 20 years. Once because of food poisoning, actually had to be told to go home on the day previous to the one I called in on. The other because my back went out and I literally could not get out of bed.

 

[Ataraxia]

I've been employed in my current position for about five years and have called in sick only once, so I probably have the largest bank of sick leave in my office. The goal is to sell it off when I near retirement and get my pension even sooner. Or I may use a substantial amount should I have a kid in the future and want to take a bunch of time off. I'm pretty luck that I don't get sick often and when I do it always seems to be on the weekend when I don't work.

 

[bro1]

I work from home with a chronic illness (UC) and I still don't take sick days. I would rather suffer all day and get through it instead wasting my PTO (we bank our sick with our vacation). That way I can take off a week in December, a week during the Summer, and then do some long weekends.

 

[Liberty4all]

Only when I'm sick......It's something called integrity.

in my industry alot of people consider using sick days for "self care/burnout" off time acceptable. I know its different though in other industries. A part of it I think is that we are government funded so the money is already allocated into the budget, and we either use sick days or lose it (can't cash out).

 

[Liquidsnake]

In retail its very hard to take time off. You have to find someone to cover your shift etc........

For me If I don't use it I lose it too, so fk, it I use it. Those of you that don't are making a mistake.

If a company likes you, you can take a dump on the bosses office desk and youll be welcomed tomorrow.

If they don't they will fire you whether you haven't called in sick in 3 years or not.

(Corporate office setting)

 

[tiggerkiddo]

Don't have sick days but I only call in when I am that bad (Like when I have a side splitting migraine that makes it impossible to make the long (30 minutes) drive to work. And since nothing like that hasn't happened in years...I don't see the point of calling in for a common cold. Just take some medicine with me. Only time I called in was for a car related problem and that was easily solved the next day.

 

[Deathmistress]

If I'm sick, I have to get a shift covered. It's amazingly frustrating to have to come in to work sick because you work with assholes. I would love sick days, for legitimate sick days.

 

[jaxword]

If I'm sick, I have to get a shift covered. It's amazingly frustrating to have to come in to work sick because you work with assholes. I would love sick days, for legitimate sick days.

Restaurant work?

 

[Cizard]

Depends on where you work, but it has always been my experience that I get X amount of sick days.

So what happens if you're sick but not got any sick days left? Are you expected to just work while sick or use unpaid leave? Seems crazy to penalize people for being sick like that.

 

[BertramCooper]

Only when I'm sick......It's something called integrity.

**Edit:
We get sick bank...and thank God we do. I caught pneumonia early in the year and had to take a shit load of time off. Sucked.

So basically what your saying is that you abuse a perk?

You two sound like fun.

American job benefits are pitiful. I'm not going to bash someone for taking a sick day even if they're not super-duper sick.

 

[mightynine]

Twice in 12 years. They do bank though I hit the max that roll over a long time ago.

 

[Vicetrailia]

0 Because I don't get sick days.

 

[Randy Lanzarote]

Been with my current employer yer 2yrs 10mths, never had a sick day.

I've called in sick twice in my working life, once on New Years Day 2001 due to a hangover, and then once in 2009 due to giving myself a touch of food poisoning.

 

[SaskBoy]

When I was 16 I worked in retail, I called my supervisor to tell her that I was feeling sick and couldn't come to work. She demand I give her a doctors note, I told her I wasn't sick enough to justify going to doctor. She said if I was feeling well enough to not go to the doctor, I was well enough to work.

Such BS. I just didn't want to waste the doctors time, because I just had a cold.

 

[Linsies]

I work from home - so pretty much never. The only times I couldn't work were when I had a bad case of the flu. Minor cases, I'll still work - no problem.

 

[Liberty4all]

Don't have sick days but I only call in when I am that bad (Like when I have a side splitting migraine that makes it impossible to make the long (30 minutes) drive to work. And since nothing like that hasn't happened in years...I don't see the point of calling in for a common cold. Just take some medicine with me. Only time I called in was for a car related problem and that was easily solved the next day.

I'm sure your colleagues appreciate that.

sorry not meaning to rag on you as that line of thinking is common, but its a pet peeve of mine when somebody comes into work horribly and contagiously sick.

 

[Winterfang]

I got a sick day once in my 7 years at retail. In retail is basically get someone to cover you, work sick or you are fired.

 

[Willectro]

Not nearly enough. Just thinking about the place makes me sick.

 

[equap]

This year, none so far but I've been sick with the flu a few times already.

 

[HalfBakedProphet]

In retail is basically get someone to cover you, work sick or you are fired.

where the hell do you work? Last semester I would call in once a month with zero consequences.

 

[Deified Data]

Is it normal to have a limited amount of sick days in America?

Yes, Americans are unique in that we can only get sick so many times in a year. Nothing to worry about.

 

[Dog food is delicious]

So what happens if you're sick but not got any sick days left? Are you expected to just work while sick or use unpaid leave? Seems crazy to penalize people for being sick like that.

Yeah, that's basically the gist of it.

PTO (which is what I have now) is two weeks of days off. Use them for whatever.

 

[jl4855]

if im sick i'll call in. otherwise, at least a couple times a year for random reasons.

 

[GK86]

US doesn't mean in sick days.

 

[Lamel]

I only call in sick when I am sick.

If a company is going to fire me because I had to stay home for 2 days because of a high ass fever, FUCK them. It's idiotic to do that.

 

[Liberty4all]

So basically what your saying is that you abuse a perk?

Its written into our employment contract and collective agreement ... Hardly a "perk" or "abusive".

 

[Boozeroony]

My dad told me he only called sick once during his 35 year employment for a single employee. I admire him more and more, now I'm in business myself.

 

[Liberty4all]

My dad told me he only called sick once during his 35 year employment for a single employee. I admire him more and more, now I'm in business myself.

My dad too. I think he was crazy not to take his sick days, although I do admire him too for other reasons.