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May I remind everyone that a certain poster on here loves to make the thread about himself & is notorious for talking about how tough he's had it in life, how much of a hard worker he is, how he doesn't give a crap about anyone else, etc. Please don't give in to his hijackings. As far as sick days, why ever would I want to work somewhere where I was punished for something beyond my control? And by punished, I mean having to take an unpaid day or a vacation day. Sure, I've taken some sick days when I wasn't actually sick, who cares? Those days are mine, they've been earned, along w/my vacation time. I cannot stand people who come to work sick, thank you for coughing on me. I don't understand this whole mentality of being proud that you haven't been sick or taken a sick day in however many years, like it's some huge accomplishment. I also don't understand people who refuse to take vacations, that's just bizarre. I have a life outside of work, work is only a means to pay the rent & bills, nothing more.
I've already gotten into a debate about this. I don't believe people SHOULD be paid for not working. Vacation pay, sick pay, whatever. You don't show up for work, the pay you would have gotten should be divided amongst your co-workers--since they have to do your part of the job too.
Does this mean that you never take a day off?
Does it also mean that you reimburse your employer for a days wages whenever you are off?
If not, what does this mean?
Is it hypocrisy that you do it yourself, but disagree with it for others?
Quote:
Originally Posted by TKramar
And part of your contribution is that you actually come to work every once in a while. We have someone who abuses the system. Days are earned over a period of time (actually, I think it's in hours). Every time this one employee has earned 8 hours, that employee calls in "sick". We can tell, because it's at pretty regular intervals.
People are human, why wouldn't you pay them? If you've never been sick, or in the hospital for surgery you need time to recuperate, sometimes there's rehabilitation you require.
Why penalize someone because they're sick that's stupid. Nobody is invincible.
So if you don't get paid for being out sick you can't pay your bills or buy food or shelter. That's stupid. And that can cause you to be sicker.
Location: The Chatterdome in La La Land, CaliFUNia
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hnsq
Granted, but do we make decisions for business policies (such as sick leave) based on knee-jerk emotional response or fact?
Business practices (or even governmental practics) should never be based solely on knee-jerk emotionalism but it is a fact that if someone comes into work with any contagious illness, they will likely infect other employees which will in term affect productivity. Also, as another poster mentioned, sick leave benefits is one of the perks that employers use to recruit and retain top personnel.
When your statistics state cases 'could be' H1N1, it is hard to take them seriously, isn't it?
1000 deaths is a serious thing, I am just saying more people die from crashes driving to work than have died from H1N1. Are you denying this fact?
Q#1: No, it is not hard to take them seriously, b/c that is how the CDC is doing things. We are not testing every patient that calls in with symptoms, and the ones we do test are tested only for influenza A and B. Influenza A is presumed to be H1N1. Only some hospitalized pts are tested for H1N1 as the test is expensive and up to 99% of them are positive for H1N1.
Q#2: I don't know how many people are killed in accidents driving to work. Why don't you look up the stats? I doubt you'll find them though, as I don't think accident stats are disaggregated in that way.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pghquest
Wouldnt that be a positive? You show up for work sick spreading your infections and killing off your co-workers, the very same ones that would compete against you for any open positions in the company to advance?
Thats one way to advance I guess.. kill your co-workers and do it thorugh a virus so it cant be traced back to you..
This is probably the first time I have ever agreed with you.
1. Use your vacation days
2. You can elect to put 1 hour of pay each 2 weeks into a "sick account" that will give you about 3 days every year in an account you can draw from if you are sick. You can save as many days as you wish and if you don't use them, you will get the money back when you leave or retire.
3. You can elect to purchase "sick insurance" that will pay you when you are ill and cannot work.
1. Many workers do not have sick or vacation days
2. This is actually a great idea. I would love the option to donate my overtime hours in to a sick fund. However, I doubt almost any businesses will follow this.
3. Who is going to buy this? They will just come in to your business sick.
Let me give you a real life scenario of what happens when sick time is limited.
A woman in my office came down with swine flu. Because she didnt have enough sick days, she came in with it.
She gave this flu to 4 other people. Those 4 people missed a total of over 12 days between them, however, 2 of them came in because they didnt have enough sick time. They probably infected other people who have yet to show symptoms.
Think about that. That is 12 days of work so far that either someone else had to cover, or where work wasnt done, and productivity was lost. All because one woman didnt have enough sick time to stay home.
Was that worth it? Wouldnt it have just been smarter to have given the woman with the swine flu a couple days?
What you have to realize is that people who are sick and have limited sick days are not going to just take unpaid days off out of the goodness of their heart. They are going to come in sick. They are going to get their coworkers sick, they are going to get you sick, and they are going to get your customers sick, and they are probably going to do a job that is below their normal level.
Does this mean that you never take a day off?
Does it also mean that you reimburse your employer for a days wages whenever you are off?
If not, what does this mean?
Is it hypocrisy that you do it yourself, but disagree with it for others?
I follow my schedule--which gives us all two days a week off. That's plenty for everyone. In fact, we all have the same two days off, where no freight comes in, so we wouldn't have any to work anyhow.
I don't call in sick--ever. If I was sick, I'd go to work anyhow.
I wouldn't feel right making my coworkers do my share of the work also--it's hard enough for us to get it all done now!
As I watch certain fellow employees get a virtual extra week of vacation every year by calling in sick, I am more and more beginning to think that company "sick pay" is a bad idea.
What would you do if you hired somebody- let's say a painter to paint your house. He says he will paint it Monday but then he calls you on Sunday and says he won't be able to come tomorrow because he is sick. But then on Tuesday he shows up demanding that you pay him.
Paying employees for being ill is pretty much the same thing in my view. A business pays people to work and not to be ill. Now, have I taken it myself? Yes. 3 days in the last 15 years. Once for a toothache and emergency dental appointment to stop the pain and once for the flu.
But others seem to have the idea that sick pay is like "extra vacation" time. They take it every year. If I ran a business, there would be no "sick pay". If you were sick, your options would be:
1. Use your vacation days
2. You can elect to put 1 hour of pay each 2 weeks into a "sick account" that will give you about 3 days every year in an account you can draw from if you are sick. You can save as many days as you wish and if you don't use them, you will get the money back when you leave or retire.
3. You can elect to purchase "sick insurance" that will pay you when you are ill and cannot work.
I don't know anyplace that gives "sick pay" in years (decades!). Many places you get personal leave and annual leave (including government). One is for planed off-time, the other for un-planned. Those days are a incentive to get the employee.
I'd rather have the sick stay home, then sit around the office sick.
That's a sad view on life if your only purpose is working like a slave for your master.
I can't work for someone that doesn't let me call the shots...in other words, I have to be trusted to get the job done in whatever way I see fit to do it. They start micromanaging, and I'm gone.
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