Would you work somewhere without sick pay?

Streetwalker

rob316 wrote: »

I've been in jobs where the sick pay system was totally abused. Take a week off get a doctors note and you doesn't loose a penny basically lads topping up there holiday days.

I myself will always go to work no matter how bad I am, I would go home however if I couldn't work.

Working since I was 15, I think I took one sick day ever and I was in hospital the day before.

Taking a week isn't unheard of in my place but I prefer 2-3 at a time say twice a year. Took 3 days last year built into a bank holiday weekend and took herself to Madrid. Highly recommended tbh.

Cold War Kid

Streetwalker wrote: »

Treat it as annual leave in my place when I can. Work is way down my list of priorities.

Ok this is just as annoying as the martyrdom from self employed people.

Thankfully it seems most people are in between.

Turtwig

Dr conrad murray wrote: »

my company copy the social welfare by not paying sickpay for the first 6 days of any illness. very rare that anyone is out sick where I work.

See, your company's just being stupid.
Employees WILL get sick. When they're got to go ridiculous lengths to take a sick day they'll also procrastinate on their illness as much possible. Not only is this potentially hazardous to their health, it also impacts productivity. A person "hiding" their illness is less likely to perform their duties efficiently. The longer they remain in a work environment the greater the chances are that more workers will catch the ailment. Once again they'll also be inclined to procrastinate as long as possible. This cycle could continue for weeks at a time. Whatever money your company "saves" by not paying sick leave it loses by giving sick workers incentives to remain in place as long as possible spreading pathogens in the process.

beanie10

I fail to see how it's the employers responsibility to pay sick pay. If your injury happened from work fair enough. The employer is already out of pocket by being down on man power or finding a replacement. Anybody who thinks they are entitled to sick would need to check their self entitled complex. Ugly character trait.

Greentopia

Working for someone else-only if it was a dream job where all else is great including pay. But then I'm never sick anyway thankfully.

Hope to be back in self-employment in the future so will have to make provision for possible illness then. Will use savings to come that and hope it will be enough.

Cold War Kid

beanie10 wrote: »

I fail to see how it's the employers responsibility to pay sick pay. If your injury happened from work fair enough. The employer is already out of pocket by being down on man power or finding a replacement. Anybody who thinks they are entitled to sick would need to check their self entitled complex. Ugly character trait.

I don't think I'm "entitled" to it - I worked for over six years in a place without sick pay, but it does suck to be penalised for something that's out of your control. I'd understand employers even just providing sick pay for *some* of the time the person is out sick.

beanie10

Yeah agree it sucks. But it's not the employers responsibility. Why should the employer be out of pocket.

Dirty Dingus McGee

beanie10 wrote: »

I fail to see how it's the employers responsibility to pay sick pay. If your injury happened from work fair enough. The employer is already out of pocket by being down on man power or finding a replacement. Anybody who thinks they are entitled to sick would need to check their self entitled complex. Ugly character trait.

You do understand the concept of offering good working conditions and benefits in order to attract potential employees and have good workplace morale.

Surely employers are aware that people may be absent on certain days and have staff trained across the various tasks so that if a person is absent one of the other employees can cover for them.It's very bad management if a situation like that doesn't exist.

During an interview a couple of years ago where the salary figure was below my expectation the company assured me that it would balance out as they had an excellent sick pay policy. Presumably they expected me to take a month sick every year to make up the difference :pac:

c_man

I value my health far more than any bs job. Find it perplexing when I see people bragging about their perfect attendance, lads we're not back in school. There's no prizes for going to work while you're sick, and arguably in some lines it's actively counter-productive to do so.

Grayson

muboop1 wrote: »

Before 2 years ago, I had never taken more then maybe one sick day a year. So didn't think much on it.

Then I had a serious accident playing sports and was in hospital for 2 months. And the rehab plus slow introduction back into work was tough. If I hadn't gotten sick pay... I don't know what I would have done.

I will always consider it in any future jobs.

But I detest those who abuse, as it can often force employers to not have it.

same here. I took three instances of sick leave over 7 years. On one of them I was hospitalised for two weeks. My lung had collapsed. I went back in the day I got out from hospital. And I promptly collapsed. I went to my GP who called me an idiot (quite rightly) and gave me a note for three additional weeks. The hospital hadn't given me one and i assumed (wrongly) that I should go back to work.
The second time I was hospitalised again.
The third time I had a cold and was skiving off. I was off work and went to my GP so I could get the next day off work to finish an assignment. The GP said my temp was 103 and I was an idiot to think about only taking a day off.

The place I worked had a call centre and I stated off there. People took sick days all the time. Apparently call centres have the highest rate of absences. The average in the UK is something like 11 sick days per year per person. In the place I worked people wouldn't turn up if there was a dusting of snow. Any excuse really.

If I hadn't had sick pay when my lung collapsed I don't know what I would have done. I wouldn't have been able to pay rent or even buy food after the fist few weeks.

beanie10

Yes never thought of that. Employers should have spare employees hanging around in case someone is dying from a hangover or decides they need an extra long bank holiday weekend. That's business management 101 right there. Just how successful is you business by the way??

c_man

beanie10 wrote: »

Yes never thought of that. Employers should have spare employees hanging around in case someone is dying from a hangover or decides they need an extra long bank holiday weekend. That's business management 101 right there. Just how successful is you business by the way??

Let me guess, you're one of those who is outraged by the thought of maternity pay? "But she's not working! Am I supposed to have someone else to cover?! Selfish so and so!"

Eugene Norman

Cold War Kid wrote: »

Ok this is just as annoying as the martyrdom from self employed people.

Thankfully it seems most people are in between.

Yeh. Obviously it's abused. I take about 1 sick days a year generally although I did have the actual real flu (as in diagnosed) a few years back and needed a week and a bike fall which took a few days to get me in a condition to walk at all. In general is get bored at home.

That said I would expect it (and I assume it's a legal requirement) because I might get sick in the future.

Full lols at the self employed. Of course you don't get sick pay unless you pay it via your company, if that's your arrangement. Don't like that get a job

I did contract for two years and found that in fact I kinda like holiday pay and pensions. The work, IT, was the same. I was less my own boss as a contractor though. But of course I didn't get paid if sick.

Grayson

beanie10 wrote: »

Yes never thought of that. Employers should have spare employees hanging around in case someone is dying from a hangover or decides they need an extra long bank holiday weekend. That's business management 101 right there. Just how successful is you business by the way??

It is actually something basic that every single business does. Even GP's have locums available just in case.
You do realise that people call in sick for other reasons. Like broken limbs etc. You also have to factor in maternity/paternity days, bereavement etc.

EDIT: Forgot to mention vacation/holidays too. Unless they want to be shot staffed or refuse holidays they need to have additional staff.

Dirty Dingus McGee

beanie10 wrote: »

Yes never thought of that. Employers should have spare employees hanging around in case someone is dying from a hangover or decides they need an extra long bank holiday weekend. That's business management 101 right there. Just how successful is you business by the way??

Employers don't have to have spare staff hanging around doing nothing but in the 2 jobs I've had (and I assume this applies to other firms as well) we were trained across all the various tasks involved in our section so that if someone was out all the other team members would chip in, work harder and cover the essential tasks that needed to be covered.Fairly simple way of covering for any potential absentees.

jester77

I get 10 days paid per child for whenever my kids are sick, more valuable than sick days for myself as they are sick more often.

Cold War Kid

Eugene Norman wrote: »

I assume it's a legal requirement

It's not.

Balmed Out

Cold War Kid wrote: »

I don't think I'm "entitled" to it - I worked for over six years in a place without sick pay, but it does suck to be penalised for something that's out of your control. I'd understand employers even just providing sick pay for *some* of the time the person is out sick.

As a matter of interest if you paid a gardener and cleaner to come to your house for a few hours each weekend would you pay them if they got sick?

Streetwalker

Balmed Out wrote: »

As a matter of interest if you paid a gardener and cleaner to come to your house for a few hours each weekend would you pay them if they got sick?

Please tell me this isn't a serious post?

beanie10

beanie10 wrote: »

Yes never thought of that. Employers should have spare employees hanging around in case someone is dying from a hangover or decides they need an extra long bank holiday weekend.

We're talking about sick leave. When people are sick.

Balmed Out

I just wouldn't expect anyone to receive sick pay from an employer. If you wouldn't expect to pay someone working for you when their sick why expect someone else to pay you. I think SME's employ nearly 70% of those in employment in Ireland and im surprised there are so many people who feel entitled to it. Id guess most smaller companies especially those towards the lower wage levels dont.
I dont have a problem with it as a perk but that people would presume to receive it is surprising. I would have guessed pay by the hour jobs wouldnt get while salaried do but then most salaried jobs it seems to be pretty normal to do overtime without being paid etc which would make up for it.

smurfjed

A head cold shouldn't stop you from working.

It sure does, I get 60 days per year on full salary, then 60 on 50% followed by 60 on 25%, then its up to the company doctors to decide if i can go back to work, if they decide that the answer is no, then i get paid about 250k

The company keeps on average 25% more staff than the basic minimum in order to provide 100% coverage during sickness, days off, holidays and training, its just considered a cost of doing business.

As a matter of interest if you paid a gardener and cleaner to come to your house for a few hours each weekend would you pay them if they got sick?

Actually yes I do pay them, in fact i even pay them a holiday bonus.

Cold War Kid

Balmed Out wrote: »

I just wouldn't expect anyone to receive sick pay from an employer. If you wouldn't expect to pay someone working for you when their sick why expect someone else to pay you. I think SME's employ nearly 70% of those in employment in Ireland and im surprised there are so many people who feel entitled to it. Id guess most smaller companies especially those towards the lower wage levels dont.
I dont have a problem with it as a perk but that people would presume to receive it is surprising. I would have guessed pay by the hour jobs wouldnt get while salaried do but then most salaried jobs it seems to be pretty normal to do overtime without being paid etc which would make up for it.

I don't expect it/feel entitled to it.

animaal

beanie10 wrote: »

Yeah agree it sucks. But it's not the employers responsibility. Why should the employer be out of pocket.

Works both ways. If an employer believes in only paying me for the days I'm in the office, then I'll only stay in the office while I'm being paid. As soon as the clock hits "home time", I'll be out of there. Doesn't matter if I'm in the middle of something. Why should the empoyee spend personal time at work?

In my case, my employer has a good sick-pay scheme. I only used it twice in 8 years but it's great to know it's there if I need it. There's give and take, not just with sick pay. And in return, I usually work more than my contracted hours.

Jawgap

Balmed Out wrote: »

As a matter of interest if you paid a gardener and cleaner to come to your house for a few hours each weekend would you pay them if they got sick?

No, because there'd a qualitative difference between a contract of service and a contract for service

Stoolbend

I got a sick day back in 2001.

That was a good year!

Haven't ever worked somewhere without sick pay - just worked out that way. Now I never would. I've been in situations where I had no choice but to be out of work, taking a massive financial hit would have been too difficult to cope with, so it would definitely be a benefit I would seek if I changed employers. Private health insurance would be another great perk to have paid on my behalf.

If I was to move jobs, I would be looking for the best overall package, not just the best salary.

Jawgap

Deleted User wrote: »

Haven't ever worked somewhere without sick pay - just worked out that way. Now I never would. I've been in situations where I had no choice but to be out of work, taking a massive financial hit would have been too difficult to cope with, so it would definitely be a benefit I would seek if I changed employers. Private health insurance would be another great perk to have paid on my behalf.

If I was to move jobs, I would be looking for the best overall package, not just the best salary.

Actually, that's made me realise that there's an interesting comparison between my current private sector job, and my previous public sector one.

In the public sector one there was a generous sick pay scheme - 90 days full pay, then 90 days half pay.

The current job pays my health insurance, and as part of that I get full medicals every year, screening for various conditions and a 'lifestyle' report. The firm will pay for a gym membership but because gyms aren't really my thing they bought me a bike instead! In other words, they invest a lot in prevention rather than hope people just won't get ill.

Elessar

You get absolutely no thanks for being a martyr.

I used to be all about getting to work no matter what. I do pride myself on a good work ethic but one day, after years of no sick days in my current company, and coming in even if I was in a state, I was literally about to collapse from flu. I asked myself why am I doing this? I will get no thanks, it won't matter one iota on my reviews, people with more sick days than me still get promoted etc. So I went home, rested for a week and ever since I will call in sick and be kind to myself whenever I am genuinely ill.

I'm not paid for the first day either. And in the role I talked about above, I wasn't paid for the first 3 days.