Do you feel guilty about taking sick days?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Apparently, I’m sick. I haven’t used a sick day in about a year, and have never used many sick days ever. And over the last weekend, I got the flu, BAD BAD BAD. Oh my gosh, it was bad. And I used a sick day, figuring it would be one sick day. But I was still so tired, I had to use another, and another. I feel better, I can start to eat a little, but I am still just so TIRED. I think all the hectic stuff of the last month wore me out.

So I go to the doctor today to get my doctor’s excuse, so I can go back to work. I’ve used 3 sick days, which is all I figure I’d better take. I’m still really tired, but work needs me back, and I figure - I’ve stretched this is far as it’ll go. I’m a bum, and a slacker - need to get back to work, dammit!

And much to my SHOCK and amazment, the doctor says I should have more time off! Until after Christmas, probably!!! He says my “resistance is down” and if I return to work now, it’ll just prolong my illness. He says I need to take it easy and rest up. Well, I am tinged with guilt. I wonder if the doctor knows what he is talking about, I wonder if I subconsciously exaggerated my symptoms. But…I doubt it.

Will wonders never cease?!?! I actually get to take off enough sick time to actually GET WELL?!? I never do this. I always feel guilty and push myself (or am pushed by my employers) to get back to work too soon. I’ve told my job that I’ll be off a few more days - they are coping. And what can they do? It’s all there, written out on my doctor’s excuse!

Anyone else do this? Anyone else feel guilty about missing work (or school) even though you know you’re sick, and/or your doctor says you are?

Well, here I am, kickin’ back at home until after Christmas… :smiley:

[sub]Trying NOT to feel guilty![/sub]

2

I should add that my “weekend” is Sunday and Monday. I have weird days off. So I’ll be taking two more sick days, and then use my weekend. Woo hoo!

3

I don’t feel guilty about taking sick days, and I take a fair amount as I have chronic migraines. I used to feel guilty, but when I threw out my back a couple of years ago and was in tremendous pain, it gave me a new perspective on things. If I don’t take care of myself, everything else suffers. Work, personal relationships, everything.

I’ll tell you what pisses me off - when people come into work with something contagious. Yeah, you’re such a trouper. Coming into work sick and giving everyone else your germs.

4

…except I don’t believe the Army has sick days. but we earn 30 days of leave a year, so I guess that counts. But, what do I know, I’m still in Basic.
*note to self: never take civilian life for granted again.

5

Oddly enough, I only feel guilty about taking sick days when I am really sick. Days I call in for mental health reasons I take with a light and carefree heart. Go figure.

6

Well, sit right back and I, I will tell you my tale.

I get almost 4 weeks of vacation every year. Each year I lose about 2-3 weeks of it. Why? Because even though my job position has “unlimited” sick time, when I go over the corporate “average” value of 2% sick per year, I take it as vacation time. By my own choice, with no pressure or suggestion from anyone at my company that I do so.

Why do I do this? The reasons are complex, yet simple. I do not want to be treated differently for having a fatal illness (diabetes), and do not want any special consideration. Thus, bye-bye vacation.

7

Yes, it’s something everybody in my family has in common. I guess we feel that unless you are having major surgery you should go into work, dammit.

Keith

8

I took today off as I’m sick as a pig. Every muscle in my body is sore, my head is packed full of mucus.

And the best part is I’m back in on the night of the 26th and I’m going to hand in my notice. They’ll just think I was kicking back as I’m leaving :frowning:

9

Yes, I do. Now, anyways.

I didn’t used to take sick time all that much. But lately my household seems to be chronically ill. I don’t know what the hell is going on, but it’s driving me nuts.

I’ve used eight sick occasions since July. Most have been for me, but a couple have been for my kids. I have so little time saved that when I take off now, it’s unpaid. Makin’ for a damn lean Christmas, it is.

10

I’m feeling guilty right now because I’m taking the week off from school–I was in a minor car accident, and got myself a little case of whiplash. I’m feeling pretty generally crappy, and considering I’m expected to be on my feet for most of the day (my class is now working the line for the school restaurant). But–what am I going to do, when even lifting a 10lb. bag of potatoes hurts? Common sense tells me to stay home, but can’t help but feel very guilty about it.

11

Yes, but only because I’m a total lunatic. I mean, that’s what sick days are for, right? So you don’t have to work when you’re sick? But all I can do is think about how someone else is being put out by having to work for me. :rolleyes:

12

I hate calling in sick. I’ve been miserable for the last fwe weeks with this nasty flu thing, and I woke up today feeling like shit. My mom was doing everything short of tying me to my bed to keep me home. Not only did I go to work, I pulled a double shift.
It was one of the worst nights of my life…damn I wished i’d called in sick!!

13

I used to get guilty about sick days, because I seldom really got sick, but now they are called Personal Days, so I don’t. But it then seems wrong that the sick don’t get any breaks.

14

What lucie said.

15

Currently I have about 580 sick leave hours in my “bank”. Does that answer your question?

16

If I’m not SO sick that I’m literally unconscious (or have a killer migraine–then I’m totally apathetic and couldn’t make myself care about anything), yes, I often feel guilty about taking sick days.

17

I only get sick once - maybe twice - a year, but I absolutely hate calling in. I have that twinge of guilt that I’m letting everyone down. But like most everyone else already said: when you’re sick, everything suffers. And the stupid thing is that when people do come here into work sick, I always think, “Get the hell home, idiot!”

Ah well…

18

I only feel guilty about taking sick days when I’m taking them because I’m actually sick.

Now before the calls of “Slacker” and “Lagabout” start flying, I rarely get sick and I only took a total of two days last year. I don’t know that I took any at all this year. Hell I had a stroke (although I didn’t know what was wrong with me at the time) two years ago and I only took 5 days.

19

I used to feel guilty about it, but not so much anymore. I think I have about 150 sick days in the “bank” at work. They don’t expire, so to speak, and if I leave the company before they are used, I get paid for them.

I see my sick days as part of my benefits and compensation package. I think my company does too, because information about taking sick days is in the “benefits and compensation” brochure. I don’t give back my pay check, and I feel ok using sick days when I need to.

A few years ago, my boss wanted to give an award for the person who used the fewest sick days. I pitched a big fit about this, because I thought that people shouldn’t feel pressure to decline a benefit that is rightfully theirs. Plus, who wants sick people coming into the office and getting their germs all over everything? (although I know that things like colds are often passed around before the person feels any symptoms.) I also thought it looked funny for an executive, whose sick days aren’t monitored in any way, to be giving this sort of award to staff, whose sick days are carefully counted. After all this hoopla, I was the person who “won” the award. Good grief.

I do still feel a little bit guilty when taking a sick day means other people will have to do more work. But I’ve found if I can spend even 1/2 hour on the phone in the morning, I can rearrange most things so that they are “on hold” until I recover and come back to the office rather than passed off on to someone else.

20

I never take sick days when I’m sick. Only when I don’t feel like working, or have something else to do. When I’m sick I tend to go to work because the timing is all bad (too much to do at work).

I hate staying home all day. I get soooooo bored. I can’t play playstation games for 8 hours straight (makes my mind crazy), and there’s never anything on TV except soaps.

Although I’ve never felt guilty about taking a sick day even though I’m not sick.