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National Skiving Off Work-- I mean, Calling In Sick Day

Zulu Romeo

Zulu Romeo

World Famous Starship Captain
Admiral
It has been shown in a study that today of all days in the year, the first Monday in February, most people take a day off work by calling in sick.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/new...kie-Day-peak-number-of-staff-call-in-ill.html

The first Monday in February is thought to be the worst day for people pulling 'sickies' with up to 350,000 employees expected to ring in and make their excuses.

Experts fear that the absence of so many workers could cost the industry more than £30 million.

However, a study indicates that bosses are becoming too soft on their staff, accepting emails or texts to say they are ‘ill’ rather than the traditional phone call.

More than a quarter of British companies trust workers who claim illness without speaking to them directly, making it easier for fakers to lie, according to research by Employment Law Advisory Services.
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It's thought that it's due to the post-Christmas blues, not yet Easter, poor weather (although the weather's been nice and sunny today :)), etc. all conspiring to create a day when you just can't face the working day.

Here's the BBC's take on it (not sure if the video will work outside the UKoGBaNI):

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8489763.stm

I guess everyone at one time has taken a sickie when they don't mean it.... haven't they? :devil:
 
I've never called in sick when I wasn't actually sick.

Both in this job and my last one, however, I would report my absence via email rather than phone call. It saves the boss some time, too, because all they have to see is an email from me with a subject line of "Out Sick" to know what's going on.

I can't speak to people being out sick at work today, but I did notice a lot of them coming in late.
 
At my company we accrue Paid Time Off at a rate of just over 3 hours per week. That used to be separated into sick leave and vacation time, but no longer. So it really wouldn't matter whether or not I was actually sick if I wanted to take a day off.
 
We have it far too easy in the UK. We get self-certified sick leave (up to 5 days) and then certified sick leave (>5 days) which attracts statutory sick pay. This does not affect our leave entitlement so you get the ridiculous situation when someone who has been off for 3 months with a burst achilles tendon, for instance, having to take their annual leave when they get back.
 
In my line of work, if there was any risk of having our illness leading to harm at work (e.g. transmitting an infection onto someone, or affecting our judgement or skills in some specific way) then we would need to recuperate first until we were "clear" as they insist on saying.

I mean, it would be a bit of a scandal if my clients got an infection from me while I was on the job. Make of that what you will. ;)
 
I'm not working officially today, though I have been doing some work. I have class later today and I'd love to skip it because I'm feeling rather blah. It's a 1.5 hour to commute there, another 1.5 hour wait, three hour class, half hour wait, 1.5 hours back.

I just want to crawl back into bed right now. But education is important! That, and I'm supposed to pick up an engagement ring for someone while I'm in the city, so that's rather important.
 
I fully support the occasional "mental health day" as long as you make sure you don't make a habit of it and you do it on a day where you know it won't cause problems for your company. Sometimes a person just needs to stay home and nap.
 
And sometimes they need to stay home and work feverishly on that final paper which is due for a class the next day.
 
I took a "sick" day a few weeks ago, but that was more because I had trouble going to sleep and got 2 hours of sleep when my alarm went off and I just wasn't feeling up to the task.
 
RoJoHen said:
I fully support the occasional “mental health day” as long as you make sure you don't make a habit of it and you do it on a day where you know it won't cause problems for your company.
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By “mental health day,” do you mean those occasional days when you're mentally normal?

BTW, as a Yank unfamiliar with the word “skiving,” at first I thought the title of this thread said “National SKYDIVING Off Work Day.” I pictured thousands of people taking a day off to put on parachutes and jump from planes.
 
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Never called in sick unless I was in the ER or the GP making the call from his office. Been sent home a couple of times for coming into work sick(*). Jobs, at the best of times, are hard to come by around here-- good ones more so, why would I piss off my boss, the good will of my coworkers, or risk getting shit canned just cause I wanted to slag off for the day.

(* -- When I was a shift at the theater, I once went to work with a 102 fever, white as a sheet of typing paper, having to hold myself up on the counters, and popping Tylenol and Dayquil like candy just to make it to work. My crew got together, went to the GM, and said they'd all stay and cover my work and my shift if he'd let me go home, the AM volunteered to do my paperwork. I blew a fucking fuse over it cause I wanted to stay and work, finally-- after I passed out in the kitchen-- I relented and went home. Next shift, I sprung-- out of my pocket-- for them all to go next-door and have a free meal as a "thank you")
 
I have a bad case of SuperBowl-Itis and some of what you guys quoted was on a web site about it http://www.SuperBowlItis.com I just wanted to share in the grief. I think I may need one more day off from work. Some of what you quoted was there as well.
I am new to the Board so just wanted to share something
Miko
 
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RoJoHen said:
I fully support the occasional "mental health day" as long as you make sure you don't make a habit of it and you do it on a day where you know it won't cause problems for your company. Sometimes a person just needs to stay home and nap.
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Unfortunately, I only seem to work on the days when my boss takes one of these, so I end up working on all the understaffed shifts and in need of a mental health day myself! Which of course I'd never get the opportunity to take. Come this Saturday, I'll only have seen my boss for half an hour in two weeks (combination of him always having SOME excuse for being late/off) and working part time.

I have called in sick one day in the almost seventeen months at this job (my Manager, who transferred to our store at the beginning of November, has had about ten days off sick, at least) and that was because every time I moved my head I wanted to be sick.
 
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