[ragingrobot]

Good for them. I'm glad they're looking out for themselves.

I've been in my job almost 25 years. I listened to my parents and older workers tell me not to use sick time because "you never know when you'll need it."

I've worked steadily 50+ hours a week for all that time. Most of that time I worked weekends. Yet, upon recent inspection, have used only 20 sick days over that two and a half decades. That includes a stint of 5 years where I used not one sick day.

I am burnt out, and because of my previous attitude, still find it hard to take a sick day. Every morning I wake up regretting it, I am constantly angry and everything - especially the job. I have no social life because I never took time off.

I wouldn't want anyone else to end up like this, and always relate my story. There are a hell of a lot of people out there that are probably the same.

Protect your physical and mental health folks. Use your sick time. Before you know it, one or the other is going to fail on you if you don't look out for yourself.

However, be careful, be smart. The article shows father and son at a ball game, implied on a sick day. People at my workplace abused this, and we now have managers checking at home to make sure the employee is truly sick and home.

The article mentions automakers losing a lot of money due to sick employees, if they find abuse, they could do the same. As would other employers.

[A4ET8a8uTh0]

<< The article shows father and son at a ball game, implied on a sick day. People at my workplace abused this, and we now have managers checking at home to make sure the employee is truly sick and home.

The hell? My former manager ( and her lead ) once called me when they thought I was calling in too often ( waaaaay back when ), but most would be too lazy to actually physically visit a suspected pretender.

I personally always found the division funny. If I want to be off, I will be off. The labels make zero difference to me. They matter to the company, but to me it is tertiary consideration.

[ragingrobot]

I agree with you, naturally, but most of the time the employee is not setting the terms of what is considered acceptable.

I don't care when I call out sick, you don't care when you do, obviously. But there's someone out there to whom your unexpected absence is going to make a difference in their day.

[gregd]

What does 'abusing' sick leave mean though? You mention going to the ballpark using a sick day. Going to the ballpark with your son, looks a lot like taking care of your mental well-being if you ask me.

[ragingrobot]

Well, that's up the employer who will come up with that definition.

I just used it as an example because it was in the article. What did he tell his employer? My job requires one to state the illness, although I understand that's not common, so this may be irrelevant.

If the guy does it every few months, no harm, no foul.

If he's taking every other weekend off and posting pics on his facebook page with a big smile, then maybe his employer may not be so happy.

I think the takeaway would be don't give your employer proof that could be interpreted as you were not straightforward.

[gregd]

Having to tell your employer what your sickness is in order to get sick leave approved (or not) is ridiculous at the outset. This is the exact kind of thing people are lobbying against. My employer should not have that much reach into my work/life balance. You give me PTO with minor stipulations and leave it at that.

My desire to maliciously comply with your company's policy would have me stating things like, "I have this red, oozing puss on my ass cheeks and would like a day off," or, "My balls are really itchy and red and it's spread to my fingers."

[antisthenes]

It's not up to the employer.

There are states where paid sick leave is mandated, and the state law explicitly lets workers take sick leave for _ANY_ reason related to health.

Feeling too tired to work? Fine to take a day off.

Stressed out because you had to take your pet to the vet? Take a day off.

> My job requires one to state the illness

Aside from being a huge red flag, what's stopping you from just putting in "mental health" and not being very specific? Does anyone even care/check? Surely HR can't be that petty?

[Turing_Machine]

> Aside from being a huge red flag, what's stopping you from just putting in "mental health" and not being very specific? Does anyone even care/check? Surely HR can't be that petty?

There's still a stigma attached to mental health problems. Many, perhaps most, people can't seem to differentiate between "I'm feeling really depressed" and "I'm psychotic and want to kill a bunch of people". It's very sad that this is the case, but that's how it is.

1 in 6 Americans takes antidepressants, so chances are you know quite a few people who are taking them. However, I'll bet that the only people who've ever told you they're taking them are really close friends and family.

Why? Because this stigma exists.

(note that I'm not interested in debating whether antidepressants work, or whether taking them is a good idea... that's not the issue here)

[ragingrobot]

> It's not up to the employer. > There are states where paid sick leave is mandated, and the state law explicitly lets workers take sick leave for _ANY_ reason related to health.

My comment wasn't on defining what constitutes as "sick," but the parent asked what constitutes "abuse." As there is no law which defines it, yes, it unfortunately is the employer that will determine what "abuse" means.

> Aside from being a huge red flag, what's stopping you from just putting in "mental health" and not being very specific?

Requiring doctor's certification that one was ill in my (unionized) workplace. If they don't like the explanation, paid sick leave law or not, pay is refused. Challenged in court and upheld.

I refuse to think this is the only employer in the US that does it. Cases like these however have situations that lead to them. I surely don't think it's right, but do see where if someone's not showing up to work because he's "sick" and then posting photos of having a good time, and doing it often, it doesn't look good. In fact it's stuff like that which lead to such policies where I work.

A search got me this, so obviously it is done elsewhere:

https://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/10847/checking-up-on... https://www.quora.com/Can-your-employer-check-if-you-re-real...