Sick Day Entitlement?

Intifada

Hi,
The job I am in differs from others I have worked in or heard about in that I have 5 paid sickdays per calendar year. How does this work? Can I still take more than 5 sickdays in the year, but just be paid for half?

If I don't take them all, would they carry over or be paid to me at the end of the year/contract?

seventeen sheep

Intifada wrote: »

Hi,
The job I am in differs from others I have worked in or heard about in that I have 5 paid sickdays per calendar year. How does this work? Can I still take more than 5 sickdays in the year, but just be paid for half?

If I don't take them all, would they carry over or be paid to me at the end of the year/contract?

Well, of course if you're too sick to attend work for more than five days a year, you stay home those days. And you only get paid as per policy ... so ... yes, if you took ten sick days in the one year, you'd only be paid for half of them.

I have never, ever heard of a company whose policy allows sick days to be carried over or paid to the employee. Just because the provision for sick days is there doesn't mean you should take the absolute p*ss.

Intifada

seventeen sheep wrote: »

I have never, ever heard of a company whose policy allows sick days to be carried over or paid to the employee. Just because the provision for sick days is there doesn't mean you should take the absolute p*ss.

So it's expected that employees turn down the prospect of 5 days off work with full pay?

Intifada

Intifada wrote: »

So it's expected that employees turn down the prospect of 5 days off work with full pay?

Yes??

This is why so many employers stop paying it at all :mad:

bucketybuck

Intifada wrote: »

Hi,
The job I am in differs from others I have worked in or heard about in that I have 5 paid sickdays per calendar year. How does this work? Can I still take more than 5 sickdays in the year, but just be paid for half?

If I don't take them all, would they carry over or be paid to me at the end of the year/contract?

Are you able to find the provision in your employment contract that states you are entitled to an extra 5 days off work with full pay?

Intifada

bucketybuck wrote: »

Are you able to find the provision in your employment contract that states you are entitled to an extra 5 days off work with full pay?

In effect, yes. I've already mentioned it in fact.

bluewolf wrote: »

Yes??

This is why so many employers stop paying it at all :mad:

:pac: right so. Suppose we should be grateful to be paid at all eh

Tokyo

Intifada wrote: »

So it's expected that employees turn down the prospect of 5 days off work with full pay?

And herein lies the problem - they aren't "5 days off work" that you are getting jipped out of - they are an allowance set aside by the company should an employee get sick....

gavindublin

Intifada wrote: »

So it's expected that employees turn down the prospect of 5 days off work with full pay?

Its 5 days unable to attend work, not 5 days off work.

Intifada

mike_ie wrote: »

And herein lies the problem - they aren't "5 days off work" that you are getting jipped out of - they are an allowance set aside by the company should an employee get sick....

Seems a bit unfair on healthy/hardy employees when their hypochondriac colleagues are allowed days in bed while the rest of us are up and out of the house for 12 hours.

For what it's worth I've never taken a sick day, hence the query.

Intifada

gavindublin wrote: »

Its 5 days unable to attend work, not 5 days off work.

Thanks, I'm aware what the wording is.

Next it'll be asking do we get paid for compassionate leave not taken if we don't know anyone who died this year

bucketybuck

Intifada wrote: »

In effect, yes. I've already mentioned it in fact.

Where did you mention that clause?

And you are of course aware that you actually need to be sick to be eligible for that type of entitlement?

bucketybuck

bluewolf wrote: »

Next it'll be asking do we get paid for compassionate leave not taken if we don't know anyone who died this year

I didn't become a father this year, can I still claim paternity leave?

Intifada

bucketybuck wrote: »

I didn't become a father this year, can I still claim paternity leave?

You probably thought that this was a clever point, but if you can convince your employers that you're a recent father then I'm sure you could, yes.

bucketybuck

Intifada wrote: »

You probably thought that this was a clever point, but if you can convince your employers that you're a recent father then I'm sure you could, yes.

You mean "if I can lie to my employers", don't you?

cml387

Are you sure it's not five days uncertified sick leave per year?

kopfan77

seventeen sheep wrote: »

Well, of course if you're too sick to attend work for more than five days a year, you stay home those days. And you only get paid as per policy ... so ... yes, if you took ten sick days in the one year, you'd only be paid for half of them.

I have never, ever heard of a company whose policy allows sick days to be carried over or paid to the employee. Just because the provision for sick days is there doesn't mean you should take the absolute p*ss.

Our policy actually has an incentive for employees not to use their sick days. Like the OP, we have 5 paid sick days per calendar year. However whatever days you dont use will be paid to you at 1.25 rate at end of January.
i.e if I use 3 sick days this year, at the end of Jan '15 I will get 2 x 1.25 days, so I will get 2.5 additonal days pay.
Seems to work in here as not a huge amount of absenteeism

greendom

Intifada wrote: »

Seems a bit unfair on healthy/hardy employees when their hypochondriac colleagues are allowed days in bed while the rest of us are up and out of the house for 12 hours.

For what it's worth I've never taken a sick day, hence the query.

Those lucky people, always being sick. You have to feel for the healthy ones

AnonoBoy

I see an employee of the year thread in the OP's future.


Seriously dude - they're not holidays they're sick days.

You don't get to carry them over.

Intifada

AnonoBoy wrote: »

I see an employee of the year thread in the OP's future.

Just because I've never taken a sickday doesn't mean I'm that great, but thanks

Dravokivich

bucketybuck wrote: »

I didn't become a father this year, can I still claim paternity leave?

ehm yeah.

1) It's unpaid

2) It's available up until the kid is 8 years old or something.

Gerry T

If you are out of work on sick leave and your employer can prove you are not sick then you can be instantly dismissed without any form of compensation...no chance of a reference....and with that reputation no chance of a new job.

Do you understand its wrong to do that ? or do you think its an entitlement, like annual leave ?

bee06

Dravokivich wrote: »

ehm yeah.

1) It's unpaid

2) It's available up until the kid is 8 years old or something.

That's parental leave not paternity leave.

Dravokivich

bee06 wrote: »

That's parental leave not paternity leave.

There is no legislated paternity leave.

bee06

Dravokivich wrote: »

There is no legislated paternity leave.

I never said there was. I was pointing out that the leave you were talking about is called parental leave.

Akrasia

bluewolf wrote: »

Next it'll be asking do we get paid for compassionate leave not taken if we don't know anyone who died this year

beats plan B (pushing granny down the stairs)