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I have been employed at my current job for about 7 years now. This is a union job, (afscme) so I basically get full benefits, i.e. paid vacation, sick, personal, paid uniforms, cash allowances for clothes, Union contract outlying basic rights, we have a Union president, and a Union representative for any work issues.
Anyways, I tend to use a lot of my sick time. This is NOT to say I use a sick day every Friday, or even every couple of weeks. Typically, I am legitimately sick. Could I probably make it into work on some of these days (even though I'm sick)..sure I could... but then again, I have plenty of paid sick days.
I had to use 2 sick days this past Thursday and Friday, (terrible stomach bug, I literally felt like death) and I immediately got a nasty email from my Supervisor demanding I see her with the head of Human Resources on Tuesday to discuss "concerns around my attendance".
Don't get me wrong, my employer CAN, HAS, and WILL do whatever they want. However, I just don't see what they can do from a legal standpoint, aside from a verbal warning.........?
It's MY earned/paid sick time, which I still have plenty left. There is nothing in my Union contract asking for any type of doctors note after 2 days, and theres no pattern to me using it. And its not like they can say someone saw me at a fancy restaurant on Thursday, because I was truly sick.
This is the first time anything like this has happened in 7 years.
I have been employed at my current job for about 7 years now. This is a union job, (afscme) so I basically get full benefits, i.e. paid vacation, sick, personal, paid uniforms, cash allowances for clothes, Union contract outlying basic rights, we have a Union president, and a Union representative for any work issues.
Anyways, I tend to use a lot of my sick time. This is NOT to say I use a sick day every Friday, or even every couple of weeks. Typically, I am legitimately sick. Could I probably make it into work on some of these days (even though I'm sick)..sure I could... but then again, I have plenty of paid sick days.
I had to use 2 sick days this past Thursday and Friday, (terrible stomach bug, I literally felt like death) and I immediately got a nasty email from my Supervisor demanding I see her with the head of Human Resources on Tuesday to discuss "concerns around my attendance".
Don't get me wrong, my employer CAN, HAS, and WILL do whatever they want. However, I just don't see what they can do from a legal standpoint, aside from a verbal warning.........?
It's MY earned/paid sick time, which I still have plenty left. There is nothing in my Union contract asking for any type of doctors note after 2 days, and theres no pattern to me using it. And its not like they can say someone saw me at a fancy restaurant on Thursday, because I was truly sick.
This is the first time anything like this has happened in 7 years.
Yes they can. If your supervisor suspects abuse, they can document your pattern and ask for backup/justification anytime you call in.
When I was an Admisntrator at the State, I had a couple of people abusing sick leave. I documented everything and implemented a policy that they must contact me, as opposed to leaving a voicemail or talk to any other manager, and provide backup if I asked. One time a Chinese gentleman wanted to travel to China to get acupuncture treatment for his back, which I initially approved. A few days later I learned that he was telling his coworkers that he we was traveling to China to attend the Olympics. I cancelled his sick leave and made him use vacation instead.
Sure they can do something. You said you use a lot of sick time, and employers are allowed to address sick leave abuse. It remains to be seen what, if anything, they do. How many sick days have you taken this year?
Employers today tell you that you have x number of sick days and this may be written down in the handbook but the reality is that a sick day is a day you are in the hospital or doctor's office. It is not a day you do not feel up to work.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Sick leave is a benefit that is costing the employer a lot of money, so they have a responsibility to monitor it for abuse. When someone uses a lot of sick leave, and it's always on a Friday or Monday, it tends to raise a red flag. It can also be costly to the employee. If they get really sick and don't have enough left to cover it they will go unpaid. We also provide sick leave buyback, if they accumulate enough and decide to take some of it in pay, and any leftover accumulation will be used to add to service time at retirement. I have taken 3-4 sick days in 6+ years here, one employee who recently resigned used an average of 3 days a month, probably over 200 days in her 8 years here, some without pay when it ran out.
Only reason I think you would get that reaction is that, they perceive you as abusing the situation . Sounds like this is something you do on a regular basis, and your supervisor is a little annoyed about it at this point. How does your attitude about your sick time affects company productivity, or the work load of your coworkers. Maybe you have coworkers who have issues with your attendance and have said something to your supervisor about it. I know people get sick, but you also have to be dependable to your employer and coworkers, they have to be able to count on you being there.
Or the manager is of the attitude that if I come to work with the flu, a 104 fever, and severe pain out of some misplaced sense of pride or importance than my employees should too.
It is the same way at some companies where a few people work 80 hours a week because they are workaholics it becomes the expectation that everyone should and that anyone who doesn't is lazy.
Maybe I'm being naive, but why would a company offer yearly sick time if they would consider using a lot of it "abuse"?
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