[OT] What's your best excuse for calling in sick?

[stevewin]

My favorites from this article:

 

I forgot to come back to work after lunch

I couldn't find my shoes

My monkey died

 

 

Best excuses for calling in sick

 

I wonder if severe agitation/depression resulting from a Pats SB victory would count?

[dib]

My favorites from this article:

 

I forgot to come back to work after lunch

I couldn't find my shoes

My monkey died

 

Maybe he shouldnt have spanked the monkey so much.

[stevestojan]

diarrhea.

 

 

No one can argue that. You will set your boss back for a second, as most people don't admit to it, and you're set.

[mead107]

have none , just call in and say i am not coming in . i try to plan ahead so that 2 nd shift and day shift can cover the my job and get some over time .

[LabattBlue]

I have all this sick time accumulated and if I don't use it, I lose it.

[Just Jack]

I have all this sick time accumulated and if I don't use it, I lose it.

220299[/snapback]

Same here. I've submitted our PTO form with "I'm going to be 'cough, cough' sick on .........."

Like you said, use it or lose it. Last year I lost about 3 days worth.

[Pete]

I have never missed a day of work in my life. 20 years in the work force. Once I broke my arm playing basketball in the morning before work. I went to work, worked my shift then got my arm casted 8 hours later.

[stevestojan]

  I went to work, worked my shift then got my arm casted 8 hours later.

220312[/snapback]

 

why?

 

do you get a trophy for perfect attendence?

 

Seriously, I mean, I can see being dedicated. But life is far too short. Everyone needs a 3-day weekend here and there. But even if you aren't in that mindset, if you break your arm, you should take the day off. ..

[KD in CA]

As a manager for about 15 years, I can tell you that I've never given an outstanding performance review (or raise/bonus) to an employee that used up all their sick days unless they were in a hospital.

 

IMO, the mentality that sick days = vacation days says a lot about an employee.

[Pete]

why?

 

do you get a trophy for perfect attendence?

 

Seriously, I mean, I can see being dedicated. But life is far too short. Everyone needs a 3-day weekend here and there. But even if you aren't in that mindset, if you break your arm, you should take the day off. ..

220314[/snapback]

I enjoy life plenty dont worry. I get plenty of paid time off. In two weeks I backpack Europe for 6 weeks paid! My employers treat me very well and I reciprocate. Also if I were to call in sick someone else would have to come in. They should be allowed to enjoy their lifes too

[stevestojan]

I enjoy life plenty dont worry.  I get plenty of paid time off.  In two weeks I backpack Europe for 6 weeks paid!  My employers treat me very well and I reciprocate.  Also if I were to call in sick someone else would have to come in.  They should be allowed to enjoy their lifes too

220321[/snapback]

 

That's true - for a job where if you're not there someone else has to cover, I didn't use days off (I worked retail for a few years in high school). But, man, a broken arm?

[aussiew]

I just took 2 sick days. Had strep throat and the flu together. First sick days in five years.

[Bob4Bills]

When I've left companies, my sick time accrued was paid as part of the severance. The only excuse for being sick is to be truely sick.

[Fezmid]

As a manager for about 15 years, I can tell you that I've never given an outstanding performance review (or raise/bonus) to an employee that used up all their sick days unless they were in a hospital.

 

IMO, the mentality that sick days = vacation days says a lot about an employee.

220317[/snapback]

 

As an employee, I'd say that you're a crappy manager if you base raise/bonus on whether I use one of my *benefits* or not. Would you not give a bonus to someone who maxes out their 401(k) plan? Didn't think so.

 

You pay people to do a job; if they do their job, even with taking days off, who are you to judge them?

 

I'm a big proponent of "mental health days." Yeah, you might not be physically puking in the toilet, but sometimes you wake up and realize that you need to recharge your batteries that day. You'll also be more effective on the job the day that you go back.

 

# My cat unplugged my alarm clock.

 

My cat's have unplugged my TV and my answering machine before... Never the alarm clock though.

CW

[Pete]

That's true - for a job where if you're not there someone else has to cover, I didn't use days off (I worked retail for a few years in high school). But, man, a broken arm?

220326[/snapback]

That works out for me too. I manage over 100 people. Noone will dare call in sick to me with storys they hear. I bike 30 miles everyday to work too, no matter what the weather is. If someone tells me they cannot make it because car problems I say tough- get on your bike. They say "its raining" I say "so"

[stevestojan]

As an employee, I'd say that you're a crappy manager if you base raise/bonus on whether I use one of my *benefits* or not.  Would you not give a bonus to someone who maxes out their 401(k) plan?  Didn't think so.

 

You pay people to do a job; if they do their job, even with taking days off, who are you to judge them?

 

I'm a big proponent of "mental health days."  Yeah, you might not be physically puking in the toilet, but sometimes you wake up and realize that you need to recharge your batteries that day.  You'll also be more effective on the job the day that you go back.

CW

220333[/snapback]

 

Exactly.

 

If you don't want me taking my sick days, don't give em to me.

 

I love my current job. Our benefits are great (full health, dental, and eye). Bonuses are great, fringe benefits (like our chrismas party, etc).

 

The one thing that SUCKS here is out time off. We get one day a month, after the month is worked. That is ALL of our time off, sick/vacation/personal. So, if you work for a full year without taking a day off, you THEN have 12 days to use...

 

For someone like me, who has to make trips for holidays (well, i just go home for xmas) it sucks.

 

I have yet to call in sick, but I've only been here two years (actually, two years TODAY)...

[Fezmid]

I say tough- get on your bike.  They say "its raining"  I say "so"

220339[/snapback]

 

I wouldn't say "it's raining," I'd say, "I don't have a bike."

 

 

CW

[stevestojan]

I bike 30 miles everyday to work too, no matter what the weather is.

220339[/snapback]

 

Pete, I'm not saying this in a bad way (as I am a big guy), but you don't look like the type that bikes 60 miles a day... You're a big dude - aren't guys that bike like that the real thin veiny underweight guys like Lance Armsrtong... ???

[gantrules]

That works out for me too.  I manage over 100 people.  Noone will dare call in sick to me with storys they hear.  I bike 30 miles everyday to work too, no matter what the weather is.  If someone tells me they cannot make it because car problems I say tough- get on your bike.  They say "its raining"  I say "so"

220339[/snapback]

 

You must be one strong cookie.

 

I had a couple professors at college that did that. One guy use to ride 25 miles each way. He was eccentric but really a fun guy to be around.

 

....I hope you have showering facilities there.

[Geo in Pa]

As a manager for about 15 years, I can tell you that I've never given an outstanding performance review (or raise/bonus) to an employee that used up all their sick days unless they were in a hospital.

 

IMO, the mentality that sick days = vacation days says a lot about an employee.

220317[/snapback]

 

Well, you won't have to worry about that too much longer - the way corporate America is chipping away at benefits sick days will become a thing of the past. You will have to use vacation or short term disability.

 

My manager has the same mindset - he has no idea how much his people hate him.

[HopsGuy]

We get 5 sick days and 3 personal days in addition to our vacation time. If you don't use them, you get paid as if you worked them. At the beginning of the next year you get an additional check for those days. It's nice. FO course any vacation time you don't use, you lose.

 

You're supposed to ask for vacation at least a week in advance, but the bosses aren't really all that strict about it. Usually if you call in, they give you the option of using a vacation day so that you can still get paid.

[KRC]

Also if I were to call in sick someone else would have to come in.  They should be allowed to enjoy their lifes too

220321[/snapback]

 

A lot of people unfortunately do not look at it that way. They only think of themselves, not how their actions effect other people.

[gantrules]

Well, you won't have to worry about that too much longer - the way corporate America is chipping away at benefits sick days will become a thing of the past. You will have to use vacation or short term disability.

 

My manager has the same mindset - he has no idea how much his people hate him.

220350[/snapback]

 

We seem to keep getting more bennys than less. We get "STA" (short term absence) I get 8 and 10 days of vacation. If we don't use them we get nothing in return and we can't carry them over.

 

I make sure I use them all....

[Geo in Pa]

That works out for me too.  I manage over 100 people.  Noone will dare call in sick to me with storys they hear.  I bike 30 miles everyday to work too, no matter what the weather is.  If someone tells me they cannot make it because car problems I say tough- get on your bike.  They say "its raining"  I say "so"

220339[/snapback]

 

I worked with a guy who biked in every day - the guy stunk to high heaven - i hope you take a shower when you get in.

[KD in CA]

Well, you won't have to worry about that too much longer - the way corporate America is chipping away at benefits sick days will become a thing of the past. You will have to use vacation or short term disability.

 

My manager has the same mindset - he has no idea how much his people hate him.

220350[/snapback]

 

 

That's cool. People who call in sick on Mondays and Friday because they are stupid, lazy and selfish can hate me all they want. I hate them too and usually find a way to weed them out of the company.

 

Conversely, I've always had an outstanding relationship with my employees who are intelligent, fun and hardworking.

 

I've always been glad that it is so easy to tell the two types apart.

[Geo in Pa]

That's cool.  People who call in sick on Mondays and Friday because they are stupid, lazy and selfish can hate me all they want.  I hate them too and usually find a way to weed them out of the company.

 

Conversely, I've always had an outstanding relationship with my employees who are intelligent, fun and hardworking.

 

I've always been glad that it is so easy to tell the two types apart.

220363[/snapback]

 

 

The people I work with are professionals - we all have at least 10-30 years experience in banking and IT - we didn't get to these positions by being f-off's, yet the manager treats us like 2 year olds - there is no excuse for it.

 

I'm not comparing you to this guy (I don't know you) - but some managers just can't seem to understand morale. I understand there will always be goof-offs, I've seen them - they don't last - but to treat good hard working people like clowns is just wrong.

[Just Jack]

If I don't use my vacation or sick days, at the end of the year they are gone. No extra pay for not using them, no rollover to the next year, just goodbye. That's why if I have them available towards the end of the year, I'll take them. Plus it helps being able to do some Christmas shopping during the day while the malls aren't crowded.

[stuckincincy]

That's cool.  People who call in sick on Mondays and Friday because they are stupid, lazy and selfish can hate me all they want.  I hate them too and usually find a way to weed them out of the company.

 

Conversely, I've always had an outstanding relationship with my employees who are intelligent, fun and hardworking.

 

I've always been glad that it is so easy to tell the two types apart.

220363[/snapback]

 

You would be amazed how attendance improves if you change payday to Monday. They will be there that day, and on Friday they're out of loot, which also helps the home life.

[KD in CA]

We get 5 sick days and 3 personal days in addition to our vacation time.  If you don't use them, you get paid as if you worked them.  At the beginning of the next year you get an additional check for those days.  It's nice.  FO course any vacation time you don't use, you lose.

 

You're supposed to ask for vacation at least a week in advance, but the bosses aren't really all that strict about it.  Usually if you call in, they give you the option of using a vacation day so that you can still get paid.

220352[/snapback]

 

 

I like the approach of paying people if they are not used. Another approach I like a lot is to give people a single set of days, no vacation, personal, sick, etc. You get 15-20 days to take, period. If you want to use them all to not come in every Friday, fine. But then you don't get a two week vacation in August.

 

The problem with conventional sick day policies is that it is the dedicated employees who suffer because they have to do the work with the lazy sh--heads sit home because they think they are entitled to "use up" their sick days. So the good employee ends up with less time off than the lazy employee. And THAT is what creates bad morale, not managers who reward hard work and dedication.

[KD in CA]

The people I work with are professionals - we all have at least 10-30 years experience in banking and IT - we didn't get to these positions by being f-off's, yet the manager treats us like 2 year olds - there is no excuse for it.

 

I'm not comparing you to this guy (I don't know you) - but some managers just can't seem to understand morale.  I understand there will always be goof-offs, I've seen them - they don't last - but to treat good hard working people like clowns is just wrong.

220382[/snapback]

 

 

I always give people the benefit of the doubt. People can come in late or leave early --- hey, we all have personal business to take care of and if the work gets done I could care less. I don't like to be treated like a punk or micro-managed, so I don't do that to others.

 

BUT, almost everywhere I've gone, there have been one or two who take as much advantage as they can of the good natured environment. It's those people who piss me off to no end (these are the people who are ALWAYS out sick) and for those people I am a serious prick.

[nobody]

As a manager for about 15 years, I can tell you that I've never given an outstanding performance review (or raise/bonus) to an employee that used up all their sick days unless they were in a hospital.

 

 

Do you give outstanding performance reviews to people who spend time during their workday writing on message boards?

[Matt in KC]

As an employee, I'd say that you're a crappy manager if you base raise/bonus on whether I use one of my *benefits* or not.  Would you not give a bonus to someone who maxes out their 401(k) plan?  Didn't think so.

I work for a company whose main business is consulting with companies and providing reporting around lost time, everything from sick days ("incidental absence") to LTD.

 

Strictly speaking, sick days are not a benefit. You are only entitled to use them when you are sick. That being said, I am a big proponent of "mental health days" so long as your position can support it. For some companies/jobs it makes sense (when many people can perform the same work) and others not.

 

PTO (Paid Time Off policies) that does not differentiate between sick time and vacation time has been the corporate world's answer to this problem, rewarding people with good attendance with more vacation so they police themselves. That being said, unscheduled PTO is still disruptive and leads to disciplinary action in most companies when PTO is abused.

 

http://www.nucleussolutions.com/

 

In response to the !@#$ boss comments: much of the consulting we provide points out that the workplace culture leads directly to employee withdrawl behaviors. In other words: employees often don't want to be at work for reasons the companies owns. To generalize, absence is typically half medically-related, and the other half divided between the things the company owns / can change and employees "working the system" and/or feeling entitled to take the time (which in itself is a culture problem).

[KD in CA]

Do you give outstanding performance reviews to people who spend time during their workday writing on message boards? 

220408[/snapback]

 

 

 

 

That's why I always post in flurries and then disappear.......conference calls only last so long!

[bflo83]

I like the approach of paying people if they are not used.  Another approach I like a lot is to give people a single set of days, no vacation, personal, sick, etc.  You get 15-20 days to take, period.  If you want to use them all to not come in every Friday, fine.  But then you don't get a two week vacation in August.

 

The problem with conventional sick day policies is that it is the dedicated employees who suffer because they have to do the work with the lazy sh--heads sit home because they think they are entitled to "use up" their sick days.  So the good employee ends up with less time off than the lazy employee.  And THAT is what creates bad morale, not managers who reward hard work and dedication.

220388[/snapback]

Right on KD in CT!

 

I just left a company after nearly 20 years. My company allowed six sick days per year. I was in management and took an average of less than two sick days a year over that time frame and those were legitimate sick days not f-off days. As the sick days were use 'em or lose 'em that's eighty plus days pay lost from that time. How am I supposed to feel when I compare it to the other employees who happily used up all their time and enjoyed the "benefit"?

 

HR and upper management never saw the upside of paying out for the unused days.

[stevewin]

Funny - in my company we get unlimited sick days - and I rarely if ever in 18 yrs working here I noticed anyone abusing it. If anything the opposite happens - where people have to be told to go home so they don't get everyone else sick. Of course I also work in a highly technical field with highly skilled and motivated people so that might have something to do with it. Just thought it was interesting - I bet it is possible that people take less sick days by having an 'unlimited' amount than having a finite amount which people think they need to 'use up' by the end of the year. I wonder if there have ever been any studies regarding that.

[stevestojan]

Funny - in my company we get unlimited sick days - and I rarely if ever in 18 yrs working here I noticed anyone abusing it.  If anything the opposite happens - where people have to be told to go home so they don't get everyone else sick.  Of course I also work in a highly technical field with highly skilled and motivated people so that might have something to do with it.  Just thought it was interesting - I bet it is possible that people take less sick days by having an 'unlimited' amount than having a finite amount which people think they need to 'use up' by the end of the year.  I wonder if there have ever been any studies regarding that.

220437[/snapback]

 

There's no such thing as truly "unlimited" sick days.

 

I mean, I'm sure they don't set a number, but if you could get a doctor to sign off saying your depressed, bi-polar, anxiety ridden, have IBS, Krohn's disease, etc (ya know, something that can affect you every day) then you could get paid by your company and rarely show up.

 

I know this is an extreme, but there is truly no such thing as "unlimited" ... like you said, the people you work with wouldn't abuse it, meaning the managers and CEO, know that there is indeed a limit, set by saying "unlimited" to people who won't abuse it.

[SouthernMan]

As an employee, I'd say that you're a crappy manager if you base raise/bonus on whether I use one of my *benefits* or not.  Would you not give a bonus to someone who maxes out their 401(k) plan?  Didn't think so.

 

You pay people to do a job; if they do their job, even with taking days off, who are you to judge them?

 

I'm a big proponent of "mental health days."  Yeah, you might not be physically puking in the toilet, but sometimes you wake up and realize that you need to recharge your batteries that day.  You'll also be more effective on the job the day that you go back.

My cat's have unplugged my TV and my answering machine before...  Never the alarm clock though.

CW

220333[/snapback]

 

 

I used to work for a company that used the PTO (paid time off) program. For anyone not familiar with it, here's how it worked. We were allotted so many days off per year, accrued on a monthly basis. These were our days to use for whatever purpose - sick, vacation, personal, etc.

The nice thing about that system was that, rather than surprise your employer with a (cough cough) fake 'sick day', you could give them time to accomodate the absence.

 

The company was later bought out, and changed the policy by splitting it up into sick days, personal days, and vacation days. I believe there may be tax implications for this. Anyway, it was always the same people who used up every sick day. If they weren't sick, then it was their spouse, mother, kids, or somebody else whom they had to care for. What a crock. Unless I was deathly ill, I wouldn't expect my wife to stay home from work and be my wetnurse for a day.

 

Basically, I was screwed out of days off for being a dedicated, consciencious employee who rarely called in sick*. Meanwhile, all the slackers were rewarded for their dishonesty with extra days off.

 

*in 12+ years I only missed 2 days total after I fractured my ankle in 3 places playing football during halftime of a Bills playoff game.

 

PTO is definitely the fairest system.

[stevestojan]

I used to work for a company that used the PTO (paid time off) program. For anyone not familiar with it, here's how it worked. We were allotted so many days off per year, accrued on a monthly basis. These were our days to use for whatever purpose - sick, vacation, personal, etc. 

The nice thing about that system was that, rather than surprise your employer with a (cough cough) fake 'sick day', you could give them time to accomodate the absence.

 

The company was later bought out, and changed the policy by splitting it up into sick days, personal days, and vacation days. I believe there may be tax implications for this. Anyway, it was always the same people who used up every sick day. If they weren't sick, then it was their spouse, mother, kids, or somebody else. It was a crock. Basically, I was screwed out of days off for being a dedeicated, consciencious employee who never call in sick. Meanwhile, all the slackers were rewarded for their dishonesty with extra days off.

 

PTO is the fairest system.

220449[/snapback]

 

I have a PTO system, but I just don't have enough. 1 day a month AFTER the month is worked sucks.

[erynthered]

5 weeks off a year, Its PTO. Use it how ever I want to.

 

 

My best excuse is " I have a fart stuck, and I cant move"

[Nervous Guy]

A lot of people unfortunately do not look at it that way. They only think of themselves, not how their actions effect other people.

220357[/snapback]

 

that is so true.