Too sick to work? Send a Facebook message!

[Captain Kathryn]

I think only 3

: 0

Is that allowed? I'm sure there's a minimum holiday entitlement.

No theres not actually. Not for administrative jobs. They actually don't need to give you any.

I personally get 3 sick and 14 vacation days. No personal days. But I have been there for 5 years. Most people only get a couple of vacation days in my office.

There's no regulations on overtime or days off for office jobs in my state.

 

[Captain Kathryn]

I think only 3

: 0

Is that allowed? I'm sure there's a minimum holiday entitlement.

In America? No.

I get zero.

Yup! Office workers and any work not part of a union or certain job types aren't required to get sh*t. Of course, most companies give you time off, but technically they don't have to unless they belong to a labor union, get paid hourly, or are under a certain age.

 

[Pingfah]

My vacation time goes up from 4 weeks to 5 weeks next year. I wish they'd stop improving my lot, it makes it very difficult to leave

 

[Captain Kathryn]

Dang I wish I got 5 weeks. Thats awesome!!!

I'll have 3 weeks this coming year as long as the company is still afloat.

 

[RoJoHen]

My vacation time goes up from 4 weeks to 5 weeks next year. I wish they'd stop improving my lot, it makes it very difficult to leave

Sometimes I wish I had stayed at my last job. It was easy work, and the benefits were great. I would have accumulated about 4 weeks vacation by now.

But it was just SO BORING. In a 40-hour week, I had maybe 10 hours of work to do. It was such a waste of my time.

So now I manage a brewery where I have to deal with drunk people, work until 4AM every night, and get absolutely no vacation time whatsoever.

(though this week I will be getting about 15 hours of overtime, which is nice)

 

[Captain Shaw]

If I'm ill and on the 8am shift it is OK for me to text my team leader as the warehouse does not open till 8am and the office at 9am.
So we text so not to interrupt him at home.

What is your companies policy?

Mine is that you must ring a certain number at least an hour before you start your shift. You can text, email or facebook your department manager after doing that to give a heads up on the situation.

You can also self certify for the first seven days and then afterwards you have got to get a "fit" note from your doctor.

The policy is as far as I know is to ring/text each day your ill and give has much notice has possible.
I don't know how long you can self certify the longest I have been off is 3 days with a nasty sickness bug.

 

[DimesDan]

I don't know how long you can self certify the longest I have been off is 3 days with a nasty sickness bug.

You can self cert for the first seven days and then afterwards you need to see a doctor.

Oh and where I presently work, I get the equivalent of six and a half weeks holiday. I say equivalent as I only work part time.

 

[Captain Shaw]

I don't know how long you can self certify the longest I have been off is 3 days with a nasty sickness bug.

You can self cert for the first seven days and then afterwards you need to see a doctor.

Oh and where I presently work, I get the equivalent of six and a half weeks holiday. I say equivalent as I only work part time.

I work a minimum of 40hrs a week and get 24 days a year not counting bank hoildays.

 

[Kestra]

I was so tempted to send a message here on TBBS telling you I couldn't make it in to work today.

 

[RoJoHen]

I was so tempted to send a message here on TBBS telling you I couldn't make it in to work today.

You're the worst ever.

 

[rhubarbodendron]

Over here, calling sick is considered giving personal information. As by definition that's not to be published (else it'd be public information), using Facebook or a message board is completely out of question.

The usual procedure here is to directly phone your employer or staff manager or to leave a message with the office if you can't reach either. And if possible you should call your colleagues as well so that they know they must take over for you. Email is acceptable if you have a sore throat and can't talk but a personal call is always prefered.

You can call in sick on your own for a maximum of 2 days. If you are sick longer than these 2 days, a medical certificate must be handed in by the 3rd day the latest. If you don't bring the certificate in time, you can get fired.

I'm atm on sick leave (all week) and as I hoped it'd be over after a day or two I only got my certificate for the whole week on Tuesday in the late afternoon when the mailbox had already been emptied for the day. As my certificate wouldn't have arrived in time on Wednesday, I scanned and emailed it but added that the original would follow by the next snail mail. That procedure was pretty borderline and I only got through with it because at my office they know I don't call in sick for nothing (this is the first time in 4 years).

 

[urbandefault]

My previous employer had a "call center" central number to call if you weren't coming in. For a sick day, a doctor's release was required to return to work. Period. It was a PITA, but it cut way down on unnecessary sick calls.

Most employers here require an "in person" call within one hour of regular start time. That's pretty much just common courtesy, as far as I'm concerned.

Where I am now, I can call my supervisor's voice mail a couple of hours before I'm scheduled in and leave a message, but then I send a backup email for documentation. For a personal emergency, I'll also send a text and let him know what's up. If I have something on my calendar that requires immediate attention, I'll also notify the people involved that I won't be in and will reschedule.

Personally, I can't see any situation where a Facebook message would be acceptable. If someone under me did that we'd have to review policy and procedure when they returned to work, with the possibility of disciplinary action.

 

[Sector 7]

I guess, but how do you even enforce such a thing? I'm not worried about them calling in or their reasons for doing so. It's just annoying the way they do it sometimes.

Turns out the girl who messaged me yesterday is having an emergency hysterectomy. What am I supposed to do, write her up because she didn't call in the correct way?

Yes. No exceptions. If she is having an emergency hysterectomy, how did she have time to post to Facebook, but not to call?

You have to "stick to your guns", as we say. Only when the policy is strictly enforced will it have any meaning. I know the food industry well. There is often a culture of informality, however, if you do not draw the line, and enforce it, your people will keep taking advantage of you.

Today a girl texted me while I was home. "I'm sick at home and vomiting. I've texted several people to cover my shift, but no one is responding. What should I do?"

My immediate response: "Call the store."

Good start. Maybe add something like, "Emails/texts are not acceptable." Then respond that way to every employee who texts/emails in, every time. They should all get the point pretty quickly.

Precisely, miLady!

 

[JoeZhang]

As an academic, I roll over and pull the sheet over my head - if I have meetings, well.. they are always "maybe all the academics will remember and attend" so nobody will miss me.

More seriously, like most academics, rather than take a sick-day, I'll "work at home".