How many sick days do you take in the average year?

Sharon87

One reason I never went into work when I was ill was because at the cinema I was working with food, and well I'm sure the staff or customers wouldn't be happy me sneezing into their popcorn or their nachos!

If I was recovering from a cold I would ask to be put onto non food jobs, like floor or box office.

I don't work with food now and try not to take any time off as I get paid a bit more these days, some jobs have been lucky where if I want a day off during the week (for whatever reason) I can sometimes make it up by working late or working at the weekend. Only certain jobs I've had though

allybee101

I think I've had 6 days off sick in the last 18 months, and before that I had 4 days off in 6 years.

Previous to my current job I worked outdoors at lot of the time and I think my immune system was far better for it. Plus I worked in 2 jobs where the staffing was so tight that I would go to work even if I didn't feel 100% as not being there would make life extremely difficult for the other staff (visiting school groups and a certain ratio of staff required).

In my current job there is an office full of people, work on projects and cases is ongoing over several months. Taking a day off doesn't have such a serious impact as you can simply pick up your work again the next day. I enjoy this job as much as my previous work (more so in some cases), I don't have any less respect for my boss or my organisation, it just isn't as pressured. Plus there is a much greater chance of spreading illness in a stuffy office (warm air, open plan, shared work surfaces, more people).

Working in the wind and rain could be bloomin' cold but it sure killed off the bugs too!

liney

Nixer wrote: »

I have a colleague who took at least 40 days last year, and averaged 15 a year before that - I started keeping a note just for my own curiosity because I have to cover part of her job when she's absent and thought I had spent rather a lot of time on that project. I don't think she's malingering just probably right at the other end of the scale for catching things.

Some people have very different ideas on what is 'ill enough' to be off work. I've known people who don't think they should have to attend if they are on antibiotics !

katkim

I've had 1 in the past year, but the 3 years before I didn't take any. For some reason, I always fall ill at the weekends or when I take holidays!

MrsE_2

Nothing in 2011 or 2010

I had a week in 2009, actually it was my holiday week refunded because I was ill. I wouldn't have asked for it, only I had a fall at work (a bad one, tripped in the office over an open drawer) on the Friday night before a weeks annual leave earlier that year & spent most of that leave getting over it, so when I lost another week I was pretty cheesed off. What I should have done was claimed the week after my fall instead, but I let it go.

slugger09

I've not had a sick day in the past year, but prior to that I would average about 3 days a year, but I am curious as to how many on here get sick pay? I've had 6 jobs in my working life not 1 has paid sick pay.

custardy

slugger09 wrote: »

I've not had a sick day in the past year, but prior to that I would average about 3 days a year, but I am curious as to how many on here get sick pay? I've had 6 jobs in my working life not 1 has paid sick pay.

many? theres only been a handful of posts really
most jobs i have had paid sick pay, after x amount of time
at RM you had to work 12 months before getting sick pay
most other places its was between 1-3 months

mumcoll

I used to work in a place where you were 'allowed' 3 instances of sick within a 13 week period before being disciplined. In effect you could have 3 separate (paid) weeks off with no comeback.

I actually saw people with calendars, consulting each other and agreeing who would take what week off within the financial quarter, (marking the calendar with different coloured highlighter pens for each person)!

Blobby8_2

I worked for a company who interviewed and issued a written warning to me for a two week certified sickness.Apparently I had broken through the 4%/pa rule, when I pointed out that I had been absent for three days in total during the previous twenty years, they said that didnt matter, they were only concerned with controlling sickness now. I really regret that I didnt take 3.5% sick in the few years I stayed with them.

mumcoll

Blobby8 wrote: »

I worked for a company who interviewed and issued a written warning to me for a two week certified sickness.Apparently I had broken through the 4%/pa rule, when I pointed out that I had been absent for three days in total during the previous twenty years, they said that didnt matter, they were only concerned with controlling sickness now. I really regret that I didnt take 3.5% sick in the few years I stayed with them.

Sounds like the company I worked for, when they realised how bad the sick leave record was due to the people I mention in my previous post.