How sickie-prone are you?

[Pancake]

I pulled a sickie from work today, it was lovely. I just hadn't had enough sleep and coudn't face work.

I don't do sickies that often, a few times a year maybe. But they feel great don't they. Like you're getting a free day you shouldn't have.

 

There's a guy at my work who had all his sick days tallied up, and it worked out he had taken the equivalent of 1 day every month off sick. I thought he was a bit of a skiver when i heard that.

 

Then there's another woman who had worked there 7 YEARS and not taken a SINGLE day off, legit or otherwise. I thought she was fecking crazy.

 

So how often do you take sickies? Is it morally wrong to take them? Or is it just human nature?

 

Personally i do try to be considerate, i'd be less likely to give into temptation if i knew work was busy that day and someone might be called in to take my place, etc. But i'm not a saint either, and i have taken them on inconvenient days sometimes.

[Eenuh]

I don't really work yet so maybe this doesn't count. But since I went into higher education, I've taken a lot of sick days, even though half of the time I wasn't (very) sick. =P

 

For example I didn't go into school today, but that's mainly because I don't really have a class to attend (just sit there and work, which I can just as well do at home). But yeah just told my friend I didn't feel too well and wouldn't come haha.

 

I'm hoping I'll skip less days when I actually work, but then again I'm planning/hoping to become an illustrator, so I'd be working on my own at home anyway. =P

[Ramar]

I've worked at my current place for 3.5 years and I've never had a day off sick. Admittedly I only work part time, but still semi impressive.

[Guest Captain Falcon]

I've never had a day off work, uni or college sick so pulling a sickie is out of the question.

 

My motto is "if I can walk, I can go to work" and it really annoys me when people are off at the drop of a hat.

 

I think it is wrong and I'm sure there is someone in our team who does it all the time. He's had well over a month off work this year alone yet there never seems to be anything wrong with him and is often seen out and about at pubs and that.

[Pancake]

I don't really work yet so maybe this doesn't count. But since I went into higher education, I've taken a lot of sick days, even though half of the time I wasn't (very) sick. =P

 

For example I didn't go into school today, but that's mainly because I don't really have a class to attend (just sit there and work, which I can just as well do at home). But yeah just told my friend I didn't feel too well and wouldn't come haha.

 

I'm hoping I'll skip less days when I actually work, but then again I'm planning/hoping to become an illustrator, so I'd be working on my own at home anyway. =P

 

Same here, when i was in school i was a compulsive sickie-taker. But i didn't feel guilty because if you take them whilst in educational setting you're only hurting yourself really, but in the work world a lot of people can get pissed off, cos they're having to cover your behind.

[Raining_again]

uhm lets see.... I've got:

 

Psoriasis - which is very severe

Ankylosing Spondylitis - spinal arthritis which causes my spine to get very stiff

Raynaud's disease.

Crohn's disease.

 

But I've managed to only be off about a 2 weeks of time over 3 years. (a week with a knee injury and 2 or 3 days here n there)

 

most of the sickness is caused by the medications I take - methotrexate and etanercept

[Eenuh]

Same here, when i was in school i was a compulsive sickie-taker. But i didn't feel guilty because if you take them whilst in educational setting you're only hurting yourself really, but in the work world a lot of people can get pissed off, cos they're having to cover your behind.

 

Thing is I don't really miss anything either by skipping school. I don't have any lectures (anymore) and just have to do my own work, so I don't even feel like I'm hurting myself by skipping school haha.

 

As for work, I wouldn't really do it much unless I was actually sick. Cause like you said, other people will have to fill in for you then, which is never fun!

[SPAMBOT4000]

As I've only had pay by hour jobs so far, I tend not to take sickies even when I'm a little sick. Being sick = loss of money. I can definitely see the temptation to pull an occasional sickie if I were paid on salary however.

[Raining_again]

As I've only had pay by hour jobs so far, I tend not to take sickies even when I'm a little sick. Being sick = loss of money. I can definitely see the temptation to pull an occasional sickie if I were paid on salary however.

 

Yes temping is definitely crappy because of that.. In the NHS we have a limit of sick leave that we can take (we get a certain amount full pay and the the same again half pay - depending how much service you've done) but its handy to know you have some days there if you need them!

[Jon]

I'm more injury prone than sickness but i've suffered the last few months with various ailments. Getting my wisdom teeth out took a good couple of months to recover fully from (I only had 3 days off for that and 1 was for the actual operation) and now I've got swollen tonsils. I'm very rarely off, my absence rate at work is currently 0.3 %.

[EEVILMURRAY]

Have a few seizures every now and then [had one a few hours ago] gives me the opportunity to have some sick days off. Had the rest of the day off and been recommended I take tomorrow off also. Not sure if I want to though.

[Will]

Very rarely do I take a day off work, never pulled a sickie since I've been working full time. In my current job I've had 1 week off in total, and that was only because I could barely move and even if I could it was very dangerous to be too far from the toilet...

 

I think it depends on the job you do, I love mine so don't really see the need to have random days off, for those that simply do the job for money I can imagine it's very tempting to skive.

[Oxigen_Waste]

I have never been sick in my life. Literally. Never even had a headache, don't know what diarrhea is, I don't even get hungover. No joke.

[Eenuh]

I have never been sick in my life. Literally. Never even had a headache, don't know what diarrhea is, I don't even get hungover. No joke.

 

Never even a cold? What do you take?! =O

 

I have to say I don't get really ill, usually just colds/throat infections. Though I started taking herbal pills made from Echinacea purpurea/purple coneflower, which is meant to make you more immune. And since I've been taking it, I haven't been sick, whooo. Let's just hope it keeps working haha.

[Guy]

I didn't take a day off sick ever at my previous employment. That lasted a few months shy of three years. Some would consider that good, others would consider me a fool. You decide.

[Oxigen_Waste]

Never even a cold? What do you take?! =O

 

Nope, nothing... I was just kind of born that way. Plus my blood levels are perfect and so is my hearing/sight/heart. Physically, I'm pretty much a god.

 

On the other hand I'm constantly breaking limbs and so on.

[Eenuh]

Nope, nothing... I was just kind of born that way. Plus my blood levels are perfect and so is my hearing/sight/heart. Physically, I'm pretty much a god.

 

On the other hand I'm constantly breaking limbs and so on.

 

Ah, guess maybe that is karma or something, in some way. =P

[Oxigen_Waste]

Ah, guess maybe that is karma or something, in some way. =P

 

I think it's just clumsy ol' me, really.

[Eenuh]

I think it's just clumsy ol' me, really.

 

Or that. Though I'm very clumsy too (you can ask Jim) and I've never broken anything or seriously hurt myself heh. For now at least. =P

[The Bard]

I get ill occasionally, when I go out in the chilly November rain with a tshirt and shorts on, nothing but beer keeping my body warm, and my immune system pretty much asleep at the guard post.

 

Then again, I've never broken a bone in my body (not for lack of opportunity) and everything else about me is areet. Except I'm a little short for a lad, but fuck it, you play the hand that god dealt you.

[nightwolf]

Then there's another woman who had worked there 7 YEARS and not taken a SINGLE day off, legit or otherwise. I thought she was fecking crazy.

 

So how often do you take sickies? Is it morally wrong to take them? Or is it just human nature?

 

.

 

This was the way I was brought up to be, my parents have very rarely in their 20-30 years of work has 'sickies'.

 

I personally feel there's nothing wrong taking a sick day if there is something wrong, taking a sick day because you have a hangover to me seems slightly inconsiderate given its self-inflicted.

 

Its one of those grey areas to me, I've only pulled two sickies in my life and both were because I was seriously ill.

 

I haven't ever broken a bone and the worst illness I have had was tonsillitis. So I never feel the need to take time off. Most of the time I'm desperate for money anyway.

[Charlie]

I've been with the same company and have never taken a sick day because I can't. If I don't go in there's no one to do the classes so I have to go.

 

To be fair, the only reason I haven't felt well was my own doing (hangover) so there's no reason for me not to go in. I haven't actually been properly ill for about 3 years now and before that it was a long time before that. Think I'm pretty fortunate at rarely getting ill. I get the occasional cold but nothing which will keep me in bed all day.

[Pancake]

This was the way I was brought up to be, my parents have very rarely in their 20-30 years of work has 'sickies'.

 

I personally feel there's nothing wrong taking a sick day if there is something wrong, taking a sick day because you have a hangover to me seems slightly inconsiderate given its self-inflicted.

 

Mine was mostly self-inflicted since i could have gone to bed earlier (damn Stephen King book keeping me reading). But when i'm on the other side of it and someone from work phones in sick when it's doubtful they are, i don't get too pissed off. Unless they do it on the.worst.day, or they do it regularly. Apart from that i let it pass. I think we're all human, and should all have a little bit of sickie allowance. Especially if you're working full time.

[nightwolf]

Mine was mostly self-inflicted since i could have gone to bed earlier (damn Stephen King book keeping me reading). But when i'm on the other side of it and someone from work phones in sick when it's doubtful they are, i don't get too pissed off. Unless they do it on the.worst.day, or they do it regularly. Apart from that i let it pass. I think we're all human, and should all have a little bit of sickie allowance. Especially if you're working full time.

 

I used to get very peeved off with it. I can't help it, days off when there's no need isn't something I think anybody should do.

 

But its not up to me and I'd never 'grass' up anybody for doing so.

[jayseven]

O_W; you're teh sort of guy who dies aged 30 under iffy circumstances...

 

My current job I've never had a sick day - but I managed to totally forget I had a shift one.

 

My attendence for my 3rd year of college was something like 23%, and for my (very) part time job at woolies at the same time it was something like 46%. I'd wake up in leeds and be all "ohshitohshi-- I'm supposed to start work in 20 mins!" ... and 'work' was over 200 miles away. I'd call in sick.

 

These days I feel too responsible to do such a thing.