Slacking Off
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Are you taking more time off? Playing hooky perhaps? If you're in the US, it seems that's the case according to CareerBuilder's survey. They say 43% of the respondents have faked illness at least one day.
I have to admit that I'm a little torn on this one. I think you should be a professional and if you agree to show up 5 days a week, then you should do that. Even today where many companies bundle up sick days and vacation into one pool, if you need a day off, you should get permission and take the day as offical time off. That's just part of being a pro at your job. For most of us that see our jobs that way, getting sick time as additional time off is a bonus since I've rarely used more than 1 or 2 sick days a year.
There have always been people I knew that faked illness, even back in high school at menial labor jobs. As a business owner now, I realize what a hassle it is and how frustrating it can be. But there will always be some percentage of peopel like that and there's nothing you can do about it. It used to be in the US that the first Thursday of the Final Four basketball tournament had an unusually high number of "sick calls", the most of any day of the year. I admit I've gone out that day, but I've just taken the day off.
My mixed loyalties come mostly with IT because of the evolution of this industry. For the most part this industry has become almost completely white collar, even low level, menial jobs like the Help Desk, PC support, etc. And in moving most people to a salary, there is more of a tendency with corporations, especially US ones, to work people beyond the standard 40 hour week.
Add in the on-call responsibilities that many of us have born and the rapid pace of change, short staffing to meet requirements, and more, and it seems that corporations have really started to abuse their workers and take advantage of them. There seems to be a blurring of where work time ends and corporations expect their workers to be ready and able to work at any time.
Without a corresponding recognition of personal time being infringed upon. Yet they still want all personal time accounted for. Some managers are better than others in recognizing "comp time" and giving back some days or hours when someone works longer than normal. But many don't. Many expect that you just work more and deal with it.
And I've had many people that can't find time to take off. Busy projects, long lead times for time off, and rapidly changing schedules mean that people often can't take their 2 or 3 weeks off. And many companies are not allowing time to roll to the next year.
Sometimes a "sick" day is the only way you'll get one off.
Steve Jones
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The problem with this is that not everyone has the ability to turn up every day. I have a genetic disorder which means I don't produce antibodies and whilst this is manageable through replacement therapy (thanks to you guys in the US!), there are days when I have to go in late or not at all.
Take today for example - until 0200 this morning I was up with severe bloating which led to me aspirating my stomach contents. I'm lucky that my management (and staff) don't have a problem with this, but in previous jobs people don't care or understand and think one is swinging the lead (ie: faking it) when you take one or two days either late or can't come in. I also have to take a day every 4 weeks to get the therapy, which in larger companies leads people to think you are getting special privileges.
The other thing that annoyed me when I was a child - and continues to annoy me now! - is the concept of rewarding 100% attendance, particularly in schools. Needless to say, I never got such an award, but I used to really dislike the people who did. Essentially, these are the people who would come in with double pneumonia, bronchitis, pleurisy and rampant diarrhoea, and would then pass it on to me. This happens world over.
What I would like to see is a realistic attitude towards people taking time off sick. First of all, people who are ill should be encourage not to come in - this would reduce sick hours because they're not sharing their pathogens with their colleagues. Secondly, people who take time off sick should not be punished for doing so unless it is clear that there is an abuse of the process. This means we shouldn't be reducing people's holiday days because they've not come in with the 'flu. It means we shouldn't subject returnees to hour-long back-to-work interviews and threaten them with disciplinary action if they've taken more than 3 periods off in three months.
Certainly in the UK there is a duty to ensure that people with long-term problems aren't discriminated against (under the Disability Discrimination Act) - I don't know if the same is true in the US. However, the second you mention you have a disability which they have to make allowances for, your chances of employment reduce massively regardless of law and corporate policy.
Anyway, other than that I agree - you're contracted for 5 days, so put in 5 days. I do like teleworking though...
David W
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I've been touting the benefits of teleworking ever since it (sorta) fell into my lap a few years ago...obviously there're jobs where your physical presence is absolutely critical and I'm not talking about those...but for the most part I wish companies would wake up to the realization that it's a win-win solution for both employees and employer...
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"If they can't start a meeting without you, well, that's a meeting worth going to, isn't it? And that's the only kind of meeting you should ever concern yourselves with." Buddy
Sorry to hear that. Hope cures can be found, this is the era for the serious medical problems of the world to be finally put to bed. The money spent on health care and research is staggering.
But we depend (take for granted) on some services being there 24-7, hospital care, police, fire, power generation and such. I do not see a way unless we untether ourselves from the interdependence of modern society that the expectation of 'showing up' to work be availed.
At what cost, shorter lives, less regular power. I'm all for more vacation time, and at my place were push come to shove I'm sure I could wrangle extra time off with the support of my company were I to be honest and call myself burnt out. It happens. To everyone.
But when things fall apart I pick up the ball. If I was 'sick' of working here I would have left.
Here in Canada, I would like a few more public holidays. Personally a long weekend every month would probably win my vote.
"Say this one time with me: "Would you like that in a pump or a loafer?" ...Good. Now memorize it, because starting tomorrow, the only job that you're going to be able to get is selling SHOES! "
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One of my first jobs (retail) many years ago had a policy against days off that even the department manager could not change, but allowed a certain number of sick days. One of the workers who needed occasional days off would advise her in advance of when he was 'scheduled to be sick' so she could coincidentally set up extra coverage.
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-- FORTRAN manual for Xerox Computers --
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I tend to work a lot of long hours to keep projects on schedule. On one recent occassion I was working 2 projects that were on schedule and had a 3rd one dumped on me. I agreed to do it with the caveat of being able to take comp time later for the overtime that would be required for the 3rd project. Management agreed and I went to work.
Keeping everything on track required about 24 hours of overtime in this case, spread over a 2-week period. I worked some long days and put in a full weekend of work. When I went to request a day off after the 3 projects were complete, here's the reply i received:
Because we are exempt employees, by law we don't collect overtime. Many employees work extra hours by their own choice to complete a project or to catch up on some work. A_Company as a company does not grant comp time for the extra hours we decide to work, unless the hours are preauthorized.
After a few back-and-forths where I was required to submit proof of my comp time authorization, I was told that I could have 6 hours of comp time because I had only gotten "official approval" for working 2 days as overtime -- the rest of the time including weekends was voluntary. I've never felt more cheated at work than at this time. It was a slap in the face to go the extra mile to be sneered at afterwards with not so much as a thank you.
If my current situation is prevelent elsewhere, then it's no wonder people fake illness to get a break. I occassionally wish my work ethic would allow me to do that.
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Interesting topic, although I'm not sure I like the title "Slacking off" as it seems to imply that "taking a mental health day" now and then is something that is inherently wrong. Don't get me wrong, I don't think feigning sick is ever a good thing and my conscience won't even let me do it now. But you have to break your routine sometimes before your routine breaks you.
A year or so ago I heard an excellent interview with Joe Robinson author of Work to Live: The Guide to Getting a Life that was very interesting and dead on. It's one of those books that's been on my list of things to buy and read as I enjoyed the interview so much, except that I've been too busy.
It just seems so ingrained in (US at least) corporate culture that to take anything more than a week or so off approaches dereliction of duty while most other countries think nothing of having 4 to 6 weeks off for vacation. Prior to last year, I hadn't had a full two week vacation since 1997. This despite the fact that I've been here so long, and have so much paid leave time in my bank that I often cash in what I can or give the rest away to charities before I max out.And it's not just vacation time that's the issue here. Under our previous management, it didn't matter if I worked 30 hours per week or 70. I had a certain amount of projects assigned and if everything was caught up, it didn't matter how long I worked. Now under current management, it's much more rigid and everyone is basically expected to be here at least 9 to 10 hours per day. I think this is due at least in part to the fact that we've had some downsizing here and then all of the FUD that goes with it. But regardless, it doesn't take the fact into account that this company and others are basically burning their employees out. This is pretty well documented in the book.
Now darn it all, I am going to go order that book. As soon as I finish my work, go to class, get home, pay some bills, take care of the animals, finish my homework...
My hovercraft is full of eels.
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There are two sorts of bunking off when you are not physically sick.
1. You are swinging the leg because you fancy a day off.
2. You are burnt out and need a recharge.
The whole sickness and absence thing is a thorny issue.
The last thing I want is for a poorly (and infectious) colleague coming into work and sharing their woes.
The thing is how do you determine when someone is mentally poorly? You can't take their temperature or connect them up to some sort of empirical measuring device?
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There are advantages to working for a pittance for the UK Civil Service!
Apart from the 25 to 30 working days holiday (increases with time served) there's 8 Bank Holidays and a couple of Privilege days (Queen's Birthday etc.)
Then there's proper flexi time. Yes you have to clock in and out but hours over your basic 37.5 are credited (and hours under debited) and you can take flexi leave of up to 2 days a month, provided your credit/debit balance is within limits at the end of each month. There's a special form for those cases where clocking wasn't possible - offsite etc.
Flexi means you don't need to throw a sickie, staff are less likely to be ill and any illness tends to be genuine. If you'd seen the form you have to fill in after sickness you'd understand why a flexi day is easier!!
Having tried it I wouldn't go back to any other way. If I did cjhange jobs it would be one of my interview questions and I would be prepared to say that I couldn't take the job if there wasn't such flexibility.
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In someway I guess it makes up for all the rain.
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Here we are a very busy shop. However, our bosses are somewhat relaxed in letting us take comp. time when we have worked alot of hours over 40 in a week. When we need to leave a little early or come in late due to some family matter we always seem to get the OK. From time to time when the kids are sick we get the OK to work from home which is very nice. In the last 3 years we have implemented alot of 24 X 7 critical systems that have bumped our shop into a tighter ship working with not enough employees.
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I used to work in the civil service in the UK and i have to say that i miss that flexi time now. I think we're generally a little better of in the UK than our American and Canadian friends, i think most people get at leat 4 weeks holiday over here, i've heard its less across the sea. I've also heard that some companies here are actually getting rid of holiday entitlement and telling employees they can just take what time they need. 99% of people are honest enough not to abuse the system and the 1% that will abuse it would be the ones taking the 'sick' days anyway, and they'll soon stick out. This way the company cuts the overhead of actually managing everyones holiday and sick days.
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I used to be one of the people whose ethics prevented me from taking a 'sick' day for metal health or just burnt out. But after having worked in the IT field for more than 30 years and seeing business taking advantage of people, my tune has changed. I have seen the companiees who EXPECT people to work 50 or more hours a week. On a regular basis! Now, if it is for a few weeks at the end of a project, that's understandable. But on a regular basis? Yes, we are exempt, but if we are, why are we allocated 'SICK' time. It used to be exempt meant exempt - your pay was xxx regardless of the hours you worked. With the way things are now, I don't see how people can be expected to go, go , go all the time. I a do not advocate abuse, but once or twice a year is cetainly understanable, as long as it does not affect any schedules or deadlines you are responsible for. I really don't consider this slacking off, just recharging so when I get back, I can charge ahead at full steam!
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I've mentioned it before but during the industrial revolution one of the big Lancashire mill owners discovered that if employees only had to work 14 hours a day instead of the more usual 18 productivity actually improved!
My memory of this piece of high school history is somewhat vague but I think he eventually settled for an optimum of 10 hour days.
My personal experience is that there are a tiny minority of people on both sides of the management/managed divide who do abuse the rules and regulations and in doing so the do a great harm to their colleagues.
In the UK someone once said that an illegal activity is one enjoyed by the lower class of which the upper class disapprove.
Flexi-time is a huge benefit. Instead of getting caught in rush hour traffic and enduring 4 hours of commute each day I find that my commute is 1.5 hours each day AND I get home during the hours of daylight to spend more time with the family.
Oh, another benefit of working for the UK Civil Service is the incredibly generous pension scheme.
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generous pension scheme: a nice benefit one will be too old to enjoy..
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