What is the "call out" rate at your work?

I work at a place that is very easy on people that call out of work. I just bet half the staff takes at least 50 hours of sick leave per year. Forty percent of the staff will take over 75 hours of sick leave, and then the remaining 10 percent might take 100+ hours of sick leave a year. Then there is a very small percentage of us that might take 0-20 hours of sick leave per year. To me, that is unacceptable. I know everyone's health and life are different, but do you see the above call out numbers to be low, average, or high compared to your work setting?

 

We get 96 hours of sick leave per year. I don't know, nor do I really care, how much or how little everyone uses.

I only worry about the sick leave, annual leave and productivity of one employee.

 

We get 0 sick time. You better be fairly sick to miss work. My boss has been out sick 1 day in the last 12 years.

People that are on salary get paid when out being sick. People that are hourly do not get paid when out for being sick unless they use vacation.

On the other hand, I've missed a lot of work the last week with phenomena. They are completely understanding. And because I am salary I will get paid for all my missed time.

They know sick time is used a lot for additional vacation time and that is something frown heavily on.

On a typical year in my department, I'm guessing that each of us are out between 1-2 days per year max unless someone gets really sick like I have been the last week.

I like the system because I'm a punctual worker and find it annoying when people miss work when they don't need to because it just puts more pressure on the rest of us.

The last thing I want to add is our attendance is very much on the honor system. If you need to leave early to take your son to the doctor no problem. Their answer is always, no problem as long as your work is done. I love the high moral it keeps and nobody takes advantage of it.

 

uh...zero, no such animal for us

now the civvies who work for us...yeah, lots

 

What if the calling out of one employee affects the productivity of all of the other employees?

Sean, I hear you man. I remember my dad being up in the morning with a towel over his head sniffing something like Vicks vapor rub that was steaming in water on the stove...hahahaha. He said somthing to the effect, " I have to go to work, no call outs...".

 

If what you do directly affects me then you can bet I will, and have, speak directly to you about it .

What about employees that are there every day but don't work as well or as efficiently as you so the boss gives you more work to do than them? They get pay raises and promotions because they hang with the right "group" but their expertise is sub par. Is that acceptable?

There are a lot of things at work that a person can find unacceptable concerning fellow employees but then your work day is miserable because of all of the unacceptable BS. I have been where you are and decided to go a different direction. I can control the expertise, productivity and attendance of one employee and that is the only employee I worry about unless, as indicated above, they are directly affecting me.

 

We get 48 hrs of paid sick time where I work. I think most people will use all the hours and that includes me. If someone is out sick more than 48 hrs per year they will either have to take it out of their vacation time or not get paid for those days. I have rarely noticed this happen unless someone is seriously ill and needs to miss work for an extended period of time.

 

I hear you Bruce...I am trying to go a different route here soon.

 

Almost everyone here has what we call PTO days and most have at least 5 weeks time. I have 6 weeks and 3 days after being with the same company for 13 years as of April 8th. (Personal Time Off). In 2 years I get 2 more days added to this total. People within the company are pretty dang good at giving plenty of time before they take off.

 

We're a small business. 7 employees. 2 (the same 2) out of 7 take 2-4 days a year. The rest MIGHT miss 1, if they are dying.

 

I personally get 4 weeks PTO (paid time off) annually. PTO can be used for vacation time or sick time. I may use 3 or 4 of those days as sick time.

 

I have over 3 months saved up after 10 years where i am at. Once we had a very big layoff a few years ago we could not afford to have people "lay" out. We started tracking all calls ins and the reasons for them, if we can put you in a pattern of just missing work, then you will get written up. If you go to the doctor, you are covered. We figure if you are willing to give up most of a day to see a doctor and pay the 25-35 dollar co-pay you can have at it.

Since we started doing this, sick time use dropped over 80%, simply unbelievable.

 

"Since we started doing this, sick time use dropped over 80%, simply unbelievable."

That is telling. I can tell you in close to 5.5 years in the local county government I have never once taken a "mental health day". I have my faults just like everyone else don't get me wrong, but I ain't calling out because people count on me at work. Maybe the reason for this post is because a lot of other people don't think like that and it down right drives me nuts on occasion. Maybe I am the idiot and should use some sick days when I want to play instead of personal days. Hell I took one day of annual leave the other day to give myself four total days off work. I felt like I had been gone an eternity...then when I return one of my guys call off sick for two days, and gives himself seven days off work due to our shift schedule. Again, maybe I am the idiot for not playing the game.

 

I am self-employed now, but in the 10 years that I worked for other people, I can't remember ever taking a sick day. Maybe 1-2 in 10 years. If I'm not sick, I'm not going to LIE and say I am.


It's funny, my buddy is the managing pharmacist at a local walgreens and he told me yesterday that if he owned his own business, during the interview process the first question he would ask is if they are the type that call in sick often, if so, get out! He is continuously dealing with this issue with pharmacy techs. It would drive me crazy.

 

Our employees get 40 hours of paid sick time, 56 hours of personal time and 2 weeks vacation in their first year.

We in management get up to 80 hours paid sick, 56 hours of Personal time and 160 hours of Vacation time.

 

I'm 36 years old. Prior to being self employed and even now, never have I taken a sick day or called In. The one employee of mine that has been with me since I went the self employed route 11 years ago has never called In sick.

I completely understand what your getting at In this thread Brett.

 

So this tell us that management is payed to stay away from the job alot more so the employees can actually get some work done. Nothing new there !!!!! :D

We don't have a set amount of sicks or personal days. I might take 1 day off a year for being sick. I worked for him for 14 years before taking a week's vacation off from work. He made me take it. Now I usually take 2 weeks off and kind of look forward to it. Must be getting old. LOL

I've badly twisted my knee and my ankle another time and you keep working if it is harvest or spring planting. There is no going to the doctor. Sissys need not apply here. The other guy I work with is the same way. If you aren't on your death bed... you work. The boss is the same way.

He will give us days off just out of the blue every once in awhile. He is pretty good to work for. He is a working boss meaning he isn't afraid to get his hands dirty. When it is go time... he works just as hard if not harder then us. He farms 5000 acres and it is mainly just the 3 of us to get everything done.

He knows the job is more then just a job to us. We take pride in what we do. I've been there 23 years now. The other guy is going on 10 years.

Tim

 

There's no time to be sick. Personally I've never called in sick on myself in 20 years. I remember a lot of times being about half dead and managing to get through the day somehow when I should have "called in sick". But like I said when you're self employed in the line of work that I do, there is simply no time. My employees for the most part follow my lead too. I've had pretty good workers over the years. From time to time I run into an employee that thinks he/she is part of a union and working for me. Let's just say eventually he/she will find their way out the door. But no sick day, personal days, grievance day, holiday, etc..... Wake up ........ work...... do it again the next day...... everyday.

 

Relative low at my work place,,,we get our sick pay at the first of the year and most dont even use half the days! (5 days)

 

So, none of you call in sick to take care of your kids when they are sick?