# Should I call in Sick Tomorrow? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 5, 2012, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-call-in-sick-tomorrow/639916 "2012-11-05T02:49:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-call-in-sick-tomorrow/639916/41 "2012-11-05T15:19:10Z")
Mental health is just as important as physical health. I take a couple of mental health days a year if I need them. I hope you didn’t go in today! ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-call-in-sick-tomorrow/639916/42 "2012-11-05T15:35:33Z")
If someone has to cover for your sorry drunken ass, then go in hung over. You’re considering calling in sick and taking a day off to accommodate your drinking, no matter how you slice it and dice it. 1. That’s a big old red flag for alcohol issues. 2. You’re begging to get the worst possible flu, lasting for 10+ days. 3. You’re somewhat obligating yourself to being nothing but understanding toward other sick/faking employees, also those who lack even minimal work ethic. 4. Aren’t you a grown ass adult? Shouldn’t you be acting like one? ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-call-in-sick-tomorrow/639916/43 "2012-11-05T15:51:06Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > If someone has to cover for your sorry drunken ass, then go in hung over. > > You’re considering calling in sick and taking a day off to accommodate your drinking, no matter how you slice it and dice it. > > 1. That’s a big old red flag for alcohol issues. > 2. You’re begging to get the worst possible flu, lasting for 10+ days. > 3. You’re somewhat obligating yourself to being nothing but understanding toward other sick/faking employees, also those who lack even minimal work ethic. > 4. Aren’t you a grown ass adult? Shouldn’t you be acting like one? Totally disagree with this. He’s just started a divorce process and a mental health day seems like a very legitimate use of his sick days. Also he only gets 6 a year and still has two left so he obviously isn’t taking fake sick days willy nilly. Again, those 6 days have been negotiated into your benefits package, you are entitled to use them. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-call-in-sick-tomorrow/639916/44 "2012-11-05T17:33:28Z")
He mentioned neither ‘divorce’ nor ‘mental health’ in his OP. If he had, my response may have been different. Such is the risk with a one sentence OP. _You_ are clearly privy to information the rest of us lack, so I leave it entirely in your hands, and graciously retract my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-call-in-sick-tomorrow/639916/45 "2012-11-05T17:56:24Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Been going through a lot lately, as mentioned in another thread. > > Beer good. > [@elbows](#): > > _You_ are clearly privy to information the rest of us lack, so I leave it entirely in your hands, and graciously retract my opinion. He did sort of mention it in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-call-in-sick-tomorrow/639916/46 "2012-11-05T18:14:29Z")
> [@FloatyGimpy](#): > > He did sort of mention it in this thread. And also in the thread talking about his “long and winding divorce.” ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-call-in-sick-tomorrow/639916/47 "2012-11-05T18:16:39Z")
I needed the day off. Thanks. I just awoke from a nap. Now I shall clean the kitchen and start making supper for everyone. I might take the dog for a walk too. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-call-in-sick-tomorrow/639916/48 "2012-11-05T18:25:09Z")
Go for it. Make sure its not a Monday. Employers are aware of hung over workers. Also taking a day before or after a holiday. Extending a holiday will be noticed. Take a vacation day instead. Overall, if you’re normally punctual no one will question an occasional sick day. ---
**Author:** ![RockytheflyingS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a9adbd/32.png) [@RockytheflyingS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RockytheflyingS)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-call-in-sick-tomorrow/639916/49 "2012-11-05T18:34:50Z")
Do you have tomorrow off? If you do, it might look bad. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-call-in-sick-tomorrow/639916/50 "2012-11-05T18:39:28Z")
I voted no. The more people treat sick time as vacation time that they can/should use all of, the more employers move to a “flex time” system (where you simply get e.g. three weeks off per year for vacation and illness) that ends up giving people less overall time off. It also tends to encourage people to come to work sick, since they’d rather not waste a vacation day being sick at home, thereby exposing all their coworkers. Having separate sick time is better for everyone, but only if people don’t abuse it. So don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-call-in-sick-tomorrow/639916/51 "2012-11-05T18:58:00Z")
> [@manila](#): > > Well seeing as you answered your own question back in post 14 or so. > > Can I ask the teeming millions how much fake sick time ( or even genuine sick time) they have taken in their working days? In about 25 years of working, I’ve taken fewer than 5 legit sick days. I want to say only 2 or 3. I’ve taken probably a week or so of fake sick days, maybe 7 or 8 work days worth over 25 years. The fake days were always days when I felt like I might murder someone if I left the house. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-call-in-sick-tomorrow/639916/52 "2012-11-05T19:37:37Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Go for it. Make sure its not a Monday. \ I think that ship has pretty well sailed. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-call-in-sick-tomorrow/639916/53 "2012-11-05T20:45:34Z")
I generally use all the sick days I receive, but they are genuine cases of illness. I get sick a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-call-in-sick-tomorrow/639916/54 "2012-11-06T03:11:52Z")
In Thailand, I believe the law mandates 30 sick days a year, with none rolling over into the next year. Not sure if this part is law, but companies routinely ask for a doctor’s note if three or more days in a row are taken. I knew one HR manager who would not allow sick days just for scheduled doctors’ visits. She said the employee could always find a doctor with office hours during their free time. But that would have meant changing long-standing doctors for many of them, so they just called in sick on the day they had a scheduled visit. So _my_ question is: Where do Dopers stand on the issue of not being sick but taking a sick day for a scheduled doctor’s visit? Shoot, many of the employees in my example above would probably have been happy to work half a day if they’d been allowed to take the other half off. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-call-in-sick-tomorrow/639916/55 "2012-11-06T06:11:02Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > In Thailand, I believe the law mandates 30 sick days a year, with none rolling over into the next year. Not sure if this part is law, but companies routinely ask for a doctor’s note if three or more days in a row are taken. I knew one HR manager who would not allow sick days just for scheduled doctors’ visits. She said the employee could always find a doctor with office hours during their free time. But that would have meant changing long-standing doctors for many of them, so they just called in sick on the day they had a scheduled visit. > > So _my_ question is: Where do Dopers stand on the issue of not being sick but taking a sick day for a scheduled doctor’s visit? Shoot, many of the employees in my example above would probably have been happy to work half a day if they’d been allowed to take the other half off. I checked, and yes, Thai law does stipulate that an employer can require a doctor’s note for sick leave of three days or more before paying up. However, this is really just a formality. I know an American here who paid a doctor to certify he was sterile, for his application for permanent residency. An unwritten rule makes it extremely difficult for foreigners to gain residency if they’ve not had children with a local wife, and his Thai wife was adamant about not wanting any. It worked, and he was granted permanent residency. But he’s since divorced that wife and has had three children with his new one. And has since been granted Thai citizenship, so that earlier application never came back to haunt him. So you can pay a doctor for a note, easy peasy. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-call-in-sick-tomorrow/639916/56 "2012-11-06T18:56:37Z")
**Leaffan** old chap, haven’t heard back from you! As soon as you sober up enough 🆒 check in here and tell us all how your Monday went for you! ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-call-in-sick-tomorrow/639916/57 "2012-11-06T19:01:47Z")
Ha ha. Well, twas nice and relaxing. Unfortunately I napped yesterday, couldn’t sleep much last night, and am extremely tired today. Another few hours and all will be well. I don’t really take mental health days, and that one was nice, I must admit. Although I did feel guilty coming in this morning. Cheers. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-call-in-sick-tomorrow/639916/58 "2012-11-07T12:08:35Z")
I don’t have anything against using sick days when you aren’t sick. But, since you’ve had four sick days already, I think it’s quite likely you’ll need more in the interim. Unless they’ve all been for hangovers, I’d say it will come back to bite you. I know you’re going through a lot, so I hope I’m wrong. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-call-in-sick-tomorrow/639916/59 "2012-11-07T12:12:08Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > I’ve taken none. > > I wouldn’t take this personally, and it isn’t meant personally, but I detest this civil service culture of being ‘allowed’ sick days. Its ridiculous, and pretty much sums up what is wrong with the civil service and its many inefficiencies. And I freaking hate this position. At least part of the time when you are sick, you are contagious, and you are not being selfless when you go to work and cause other people to get sick. Sick days have a legitimate purpose–to keep other people from getting sick. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-call-in-sick-tomorrow/639916/60 "2012-11-07T15:42:45Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I don’t have anything against using sick days when you aren’t sick. But, since you’ve had four sick days already, I think it’s quite likely you’ll need more in the interim. Unless they’ve all been for hangovers, I’d say it will come back to bite you. > > I know you’re going through a lot, so I hope I’m wrong. Three sick days were used because I had to get an abscessed molar extracted. Day one: Appointment, assessment, antibiotics, painkillers. A week and a half later: Day two: Extraction Day three: Recovery. The other sick day I’ve taken this fiscal year was because at 11:00 at night the dog was sprayed by a skunk. None of us got much sleep, and I took the day off to get her, and the house, all cleaned up. Am I back in your good books? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-call-in-sick-tomorrow/639916.md?page=2)