Vacation time?

[hacko]

Because sick days, family sick days and bereavement days are there for specific purposes. They're not just extra vacation/personal days and should be used honestly as needed for their intended purpose. Except where there are known personal or family member severe health problems (such that FMLA might come into play), the usage of those days should naturally vary year to year and in most years some should probably be left on the table. If every last one of those days is used every year, it's likely someone is misusing those days as if they were personal days or extra vacation days, which they're not.

Having been on both sides of the table - worker bee to management. That is what happens. We have a point system on our site and workers with Fmla - and their are people that abuse both. We have had workers when 1 point drops off - bam the next day they take a sick day. Like clockwork.
One worker on FMLA always seems to be hit on Sunday during Football season.

[Mithrandir]

Because sick days, family sick days and bereavement days are there for specific purposes. They're not just extra vacation/personal days and should be used honestly as needed for their intended purpose. Except where there are known personal or family member severe health problems (such that FMLA might come into play), the usage of those days should naturally vary year to year and in most years some should probably be left on the table. If every last one of those days is used every year, it's likely someone is misusing those days as if they were personal days or extra vacation days, which they're not.

So do "mental health" days count as legitimate sick days?

You wake up just not together mentally one day so you call in sick. Is that ok by you? Who determines what "sick" is? I find it a bit off-putting that you or anyone else gets to decide if my sick day usage is legit. If any employee feels the need to use every sick day every year, so what? The important part is how well they do their job.

[B-Fly]

So do "mental health" days count as legitimate sick days?

You wake up just not together mentally one day so you call in sick. Is that ok by you? Who determines what "sick" is? I find it a bit off-putting that you or anyone else gets to decide if my sick day usage is legit. If any employee feels the need to use every sick day every year, so what? The important part is how well they do their job.

"Mental health day" is a tongue-and-cheek name people use when they're taking a sick day without being sick. It's essentially fraud. Now if someone is actually having an anxiety attack or mental breakdown or other mental illness or disease, that's a sick day. But "mental health day" more often than not is bullsh!t and trivializes actual mental illness. And I suppose it depends what your job entails, but for the most part if you're taking a fake sick day you're not doing your job, and unlike a vacation day you generally haven't provided anyone with notice so that they can make any necessary preparations for your absence. If you're sick, take a sick day. If you're not sick, don't. I honestly don't understand why that's even controversial, lol.

[senorsheep]

"Mental health day" is a tongue-and-cheek name people use when they're taking a sick day without being sick. It's essentially fraud. Now if someone is actually having an anxiety attack or mental breakdown or other mental illness or disease, that's a sick day. But "mental health day" more often than not is bullsh!t and trivializes actual mental illness. And I suppose it depends what your job entails, but for the most part if you're taking a fake sick day you're not doing your job, and unlike a vacation day you generally haven't provided anyone with notice so that they can make any necessary preparations for your absence. If you're sick, take a sick day. If you're not sick, don't. I honestly don't understand why that's even controversial, lol.

Wow... hardcore.

Give me a ruling on this one, my sick day fuhrer: I rarely get sick in the conventional sense - no flu, colds, or other common maladies that cause other people to miss work. However, occasionally, the confluence of allergies, insomnia, and/or hyperactive thyroid flare-ups causes me to not sleep. The nature of my job (software developer) requires some minimum level of cognitive functioning, and when I only get 3-4 hours of sleep, I'm simply too fuzzy-headed to so do my usual work, IMO. If I have an easy workload on those occasions, I'll usually go in to the office and grind through it. But if I'm working on something that requires more brainpower than I have that day, or if I've had several no-sleep days in a row, I'll take a sick day. In fact, that's pretty much all I use sick days for - maybe 5-6 days per year.

How do you rule - fair use, or fraud?

[hacko]

"Mental health day" is a tongue-and-cheek name people use when they're taking a sick day without being sick. It's essentially fraud. Now if someone is actually having an anxiety attack or mental breakdown or other mental illness or disease, that's a sick day. But "mental health day" more often than not is bullsh!t and trivializes actual mental illness. And I suppose it depends what your job entails, but for the most part if you're taking a fake sick day you're not doing your job, and unlike a vacation day you generally haven't provided anyone with notice so that they can make any necessary preparations for your absence. If you're sick, take a sick day. If you're not sick, don't. I honestly don't understand why that's even controversial, lol.

Mental sick days are usually last minute I don't feel like going to work day, so like B-fly said how much of a notice did you give your work. Usually you JUST TAKING a day off gives someone a stick up the Ass. just this week someone called off work sick but I saw him later that afternoon at my grandson Ball game ( not looking very ill) Since he called off with no noticed he stuck his crew with a workload meant for 4 people. With notice we could have gotten a replacement.

[B-Fly]

Wow... hardcore.

Give me a ruling on this one, my sick day fuhrer: I rarely get sick in the conventional sense - no flu, colds, or other common maladies that cause other people to miss work. However, occasionally, the confluence of allergies, insomnia, and/or hyperactive thyroid flare-ups causes me to not sleep. The nature of my job (software developer) requires some minimum level of cognitive functioning, and when I only get 3-4 hours of sleep, I'm simply too fuzzy-headed to so do my usual work, IMO. If I have an easy workload on those occasions, I'll usually go in to the office and grind through it. But if I'm working on something that requires more brainpower than I have that day, or if I've had several no-sleep days in a row, I'll take a sick day. In fact, that's pretty much all I use sick days for - maybe 5-6 days per year.

How do you rule - fair use, or fraud?

Yeah, I inherited this attitude from my father, who never called in sick to work and never let us stay home sick from school unless we were actively vomiting.

I think what you describe is legitimately medical, and can therefore qualify as a sick day.

[Hi.I'm.Mandy]

I think what you describe is legitimately medical, and can therefore qualify as a sick day.

I'm glad there is somewhere I can go when I'm not sure if I should go in to work. Thank you for providing this service !!! You are the best !

[overkill94]

I think I get 3 weeks that roll over year-to-year. We used to be able to cash out 40 hours of vacation every year but that didn't seem to be an option last year now that we're under new ownership.

Luckily, the nature of my job is that I have a ton of flexibility so instead of taking a vacation day I can just double up my appointments on certain days if I'm tired, kinda sick, just not feeling it, whatever. Plus, with the travel associated with my job, any international trip consists of a day of work and approximately a week's worth of vacation activities that are still billable hours (not cheating the system, that's just how we price these things). Due to all this, I hardly ever take legitimate vacations because - for instance - my co-worker is in Japan right now for a job so taking any sort of vacation would put my boss in one hell of a bind. Any vacation I do take is planned months in advance so that we can mobilize any necessary manpower while I'm gone.

It truly is an American thing not to use all allowed vacation days though - Europeans in particular take pride in taking vacations every year with no sense of guilt. It probably helps that most of them can take a short train ride and find somewhere awesome to visit, but I envy their outlook on life regardless.

[virgonomic]

I get almost 3 months off every summer, and a couple of weeks at Christmas, and a week from spring break. Although, not completely, because I choose to teach summer classes for extra cash, and I do spend time doing prep and academic admin work in my "off" time, but that isn't full time work. I probably only have 2-3 weeks where I am completely off the clock, but I have a gloriously great amount of time where I'm part time and able to make my own schedule (my summer classes are online).

As a teacher I get 3 weeks; 2 at Christmas and 1 mid-March. I don't count summer as vacation, since my job doesn't exist and I'm not paid for it.

To my friends who say I get 11 weeks of vacation, I tell them I don't have it nearly as good as snowplow drivers.

[Judge Jude]

"I don't count summer as vacation, since my job doesn't exist and I'm not paid for it."

I'm afraid to ask what you make per hour in the months you DO work - I'm talking Stormy Daniels rates

[swampdragon]

During the school year I am one of those teachers that never miss a day sick - I do take a few days here and there for family things but less than 3-4.

This year I missed the last week of school for major medical things and will spend the entire summer recuperating and hope to be be back in September close to full strength (and will be annoyed that I really had no days off this summer)

[hacko]

That is what I am holding out for severance pay . They have slowly gone around the Company getting rid of the higher paid employee so I am sure my time is coming. I have had 2 work friends retired in the last year and 2 get pushed out. I' take the push with the package!!!!!

That Day came yesterday - looking over my severance package now. Trying decide what course to take with my work life. Really looking on Scaling way back.

[chancellor]

That Day came yesterday - looking over my severance package now. Trying decide what course to take with my work life. Really looking on Scaling way back.

Hope it's a good one! Been there and done that twice, and rebooted my career both times. All the best!

[Judge Jude]

That Day came yesterday - looking over my severance package now. Trying decide what course to take with my work life. Really looking on Scaling way back.

I "rebooted" last year - and came out ahead!
best of luck

[Kevin Seitzer]

I'm glad there is somewhere I can go when I'm not sure if I should go in to work. Thank you for providing this service !!! You are the best !

But you don't actually "go" anywhere to work. You just stand there! And do mannequins get sick? Or are they just faking and fraudulently calling it a mental health day?