robin1234

Nothing new about this concept. I've switched from vacation time to sick time when I've been taken ill while on vacation.. Presumably any reasonable employer would have procedures that allow this, whatever the law.

Bob

Yeah, I didn't think it was anything new either.

I guess it just wasn't legally required in the past.

Mummy in the foothills

Nice.
Dh spent his whole vacation last year sick as a dog on the couch. I'm hoping this year will be more fun. Every time he tried to take a sick day (mental health day I call them) it turned out to be one of the no sick days without a doctors note weekends due to some holiday or other.

tamms_1965

Wow! I pay $200 a DUMP truck load of split from an old country boy down the road (it's never less than 1-1/2 cords, usually closer to 1-3/4 cord when we stack it). But I get a large amount for free from my farmer friend and we use his splitter (but my hubs muscle).

essexnick

So just another update. Started my new job this week where I get only 10 days vacation per year.

I now get told that the company will cover my healthcare which is good, but they just recently reduced their sick day allowance to 0(zero) days per year. Haha! WTF?
So they will pay for me to get medical assistance but I cannot take any days off to reap the sickness benefits. How obsurd. Is this illegal?

So basically if I get the flu or worse, they still want me to come to work and pass my germs around for the sake of the $$$. I am no use at work being sick. And making others in the office sick does not help the business. I just don't get the logic behind this. I also don't want to share an office with someone who is going to make me sick as it will then cost me and the business.

I'm only 2 days into my new job and I am already pissed about that. Geez. Good job I am young and healthy.

A living knightmare...

essexnick

Oh it was lush mate. Fresh roast and veggies with yorkies and home made gravy

Gillymonkey

That's mental! Like you I have always thought is better for everyone if sick people stay away and keep their germs to themselves.

I managed a large team in my last job, I remember one young guy coming in who was really ill with flu, it took me hours to persuade him to go home. Over the next week half my team caught it and were off. I would have rather just lose one person for a few days!

I'm currently job hunting here and am not looking forward to getting little to no vacation time. Luckily I am not the main wage earner and if it came to the point that I needed a holiday which couldn't be accomodated I think I would just quit and take a break then look for a new job. Life is too short!

robin1234

My wife works for the state, been in her job for twelve years. She gets 12 sick days per year. She just had a "formal counselling" because she's taken too many sick days... nine to be precise. She innocently thought that she could take up to twelve, since she gets twelve. So, they told her no, if you want to take a sick day, you have to book it in advance, and get a doctors note. For a cold? Flu? Admittedly, people who work for the State of New York in supervisory positions are, by definition, f%%cking morons, but this just about takes the biscuit...

essexnick

I remember my old boss in San Francisco was getting annoyed when I was taking my sick day entitlements. So I just flat out told him that if you don't want me to take sick days....then don't give me any paid sick days to use.

Another boss said that I had taken a lot of vacation and that I had none left now. I shrugged my shoulders and said and...

If they are there to use...I am gonna use them. That is why they have been given to me.
What next? Companies getting annoyed when you start using your healthcare coverage that they provide.

I am seriously starting to think about setting up a petition website here in the US to support better working conditions, especially making vacation leave set to a minimum number of days. The rest of the world are way further ahead. When will Americans wake up instead of killing themselves with work and pill popping drugs to keep going.


So messed up.

essexnick

Another point to think about. If American workers had more free time, think how much the tourism and vacation sectors would grow creating more jobs.

Bob

Depends on the state.

You are expected to either take unpaid time off for illness or use your holiday allowance.

Giantaxe

Imo many would also become more productive with more time off as they would be less prone to burnout. Minimal time off/sick leave is another thing that is very indicative of a short term focus in this country.

SultanOfSwing

That's a big point that employers should look at - less chance of burnout equals less chance a person will leave and look elsewhere. Surely reducing turnover is more beneficial in the long run than curtailing time off because of the minority who might abuse it?

Thinking out loud here, of course

robin1234

Getting back to my wife's situation, working for the state she gets good vacation, personal day, and sick day allowance, we've gradually come to realise that many people here simply do not take their sick days, ever, and are constantly coming to work when they have colds, flu etc. There is an incentive to not take them; when you retire (from the State) you can use accumulated unused sick days to reduce the cost of your healthcare premiums in retirement. I don't know if other employers do this too, or if it's just a NYS thing. Seems counterproductive to me; if people are sick, they shouldn't come to work, so why give them a reason to hoard their sick days?

SultanOfSwing

That does seem a little weird. Perhaps they should offer it for the personal days and annual leave days instead.

At the other end of the scale - I'm hardly ever sick beyond a bit of a cold (which I usually conveniently get on weekends) but we don't get to carry over sick days. I tend to use them if I have to stay at home with one of the children if they are sick though because they do allow that here.