When I came into work Tuesday night I got a bad piece of news from my co worker. She told me that now ANYTIME we want to use a sick day, we HAVE to bring in a doctors note. If we have a bad cold we have to go get a doctors note, if we have...PINK EYE we have to go get a doctors note...no matter what it is we have to get a doctors note...but that's not the best part!! Even when we get a doctors note, they still do not want us to call in (they don't want us calling in sick at all!), they get mad at us!
And they get mad when we try to use our vacation time. I believe that I have only used ONE vacation day...and that was during training when i first started!! I'm getting a little fed up, and am feverishly looking for another job. I'll just feel bad leaving my co workers to fend for themselves!
[question posted by LilyoftheThorns]
responses and comments:
Report them to the 'Labor Board' in your city. You CAN do this anonymously, you don't HAVE to give your name at all. I had this same problem once & reported it, & they don't KNOW who reported it, but things got a whole lot better very fast!! Good Luck..Lori [dumblnddzzy]
X.X Oo...Well there are only 3 night people...and I'm not sure if it's only effecting us (dont know if it's effecting the day people). So it wouldn't be very hard for them to figure out who did it X.X [LilyoftheThorns]
Actually I don't think that's legal in the U.S. I believe the Labor Dept. has rules about sick time that would frown on that practice. I am not sure about vacation time; it may depend on the employer's guidelines and your status (like fulltime vs part-time, etc.) You might want to check your employee handbook on those issues. [nova1945]
Muscles I DEFENIATLY know that what happens to you on Sundays is illegal. Either after every 3rd or 4th hour your company has to let you take a 15 min break. And with 7 1/2 hours you should be getting a 30 minute lunch break. I've had to work 8 hour nights alone before, but I always took my break. I think you should defeniatly complain about that! [LilyoftheThorns]
Yup time to move on Lily, doesn't sound like a nice place to work if they don't take care of their employees. Sorry this is happening to you. I do hope you find something better! [maddysmommy]
Yeah I'm looking, but no luck right now. I asked my dad to talk to a lady he works with, who needs a nanny for her neborn and I think 2 year old. She's offering 15 dollars and hour and insurance! I bet I would be happy working for her, but I don't know what's gonna happen with that. [LilyoftheThorns]
We have sick leave and vacation leave benefits here in my country. Though, any unused sick leave and vacation leave are converted to cash at the end of the year, our company still requires us to present a medical certificate or note from the doctor that we have been sick when claiming for our sick leave benefit. Getting a note from the doctor is a normal procedure here in almost all companies here in my country as proof that one was really sick. [cdparazo]
We don't usually ever have to get a doctors note, we didn't before...they just changed it. But I think that's really dumb, especially for me. Because I work so late. I work from 10-6am. What if I get sick around 8pm? I won't have any way to get a doctors note. Maybe I have food poisoning or something that will only last through the night. We are suppose to get those benefits here too, but we don't get cash for not using them. You're lucky. We just get paid vacation time, so we get money at the end of the year for any vacation we took. [LilyoftheThorns]
What kind of employer are they? I hate company like that. they don't want whats best for their employee. Yes they are the one's paying us but the truth is employee is a their resources, they have the right to render that vacation. If they are using any vacation or sick leave, these are there right, it is already given to them and they are the ones who happens to know if they will use it on a right way. And to your discussion , i just realized your employer don't trust you. What if something happened and it really bad, it is still you that will go report personally about your condition before they allow you to take your leave, am I right? That's horrible. [grecychunny26]
Yeah I don't think they trust us at all! I don't know if this is just for the night workers, or everyone. But I have only taken 3 sick days in the 8 months I've been working there. And 2 of those days I had the stomach flu and the 3rd day I had a bad cold and I had gotten zero sleep that day. I am sick ALL the time, and if I called in everytime I was sick, I would literally be missing 1 day a week, if not more. But i am searching for a new job (with no luck). But they are really spreading my patience thin. And the other 2 nightshift people are unhappy too, if they aren't careful they are going to lose all their nightshift workers and then they are going to be in a big pickle! [LilyoftheThorns]
First off I would report them. But more over it sounds like its time for a change in jobs. [monkeymade]
Yeah I'm trying to find anyway to quit. I asked my sister if I could babysit my nephew for her when she goes back to work...but my mom already is. I'm trying to find anything online that will help me make enough where I can quit...no luck there. My dad is talking to a lady he works with her needs a nanny for her newborn and 2 year old (plus she is paying really good and offers health insurance), but I'm not sure I'm going to get that either... I look at the classifieds everyday for jobs. No luck so far....ugh it's a pain! [LilyoftheThorns]
i think few employers are making these rules to make life more difficult for employees. these are the tricks so that you do not take leave.i think its just ridiculous way to take doctors note for 1 day leave. [subha12]
Well it defeniatly makes me not want to call in. I mean, I just called in for a family emergency and got the night off, but I also got written up. And I was told if I call in again I get fired (but that might make me more happy than upset). But I don't want to lose this job without having another way to get money. [LilyoftheThorns]
Yes, I also think that is a bad news.This often happened in some companies, like my company, In my company, the extra-works are the common thinfs and nobody against it. [zhangqweqaz]
Well it is really stressing me out. Because I am sick all the time...I get colds every other week and have them for weeks at a time. But I have only called in 3 times in the 8 months I've been working there, and I was sick everytime I called in. 2 of the days were for stomach flu. Now, knowing that it is going to be a lot harder for me to get sick days just stresses me out! I mean, I'm sick right now--but I can't call in tonight... [LilyoftheThorns]
That's too bad. If you cannot bear the new regulation, then by all means, get another job. I'm lucky to be in a job where my supervisors understand the need for me to absent everytime someone gets sick in my family, or if there is an emergency. In my office, we only need to present a doctor's certificate if we've been absent for more than five days. Maybe you can also write the higher management to incorporate some flexibility, and not to enforce it absolutely with no exceptions. Goodluck! [steney]
Yeah you are really lucky to be working for a good fair company. The thing is, when I first started work here I was happy. They seemed to care about me a lot. But over the pas couple of months it has been going downhill big time. I am trying to find a new job, but no luck right now. I still want to find one where I can work with animals, but it's like that doesn't exsist outside where I work right now! [LilyoftheThorns]
wowww... that sounds to me that your company is definitely violating the legal labor law and don't know how to take care of its co-workers... every worker deserves a sick leave and annual leave... the place that i am working now treasure the co-workers very much and i feel appreciated working there... i had just been sick for 2 weeks and hospitalised... they pay me my sick leave for those 2 weeks that i am sick... so i guess you have to take it further to the labor department... otherwise, just look for another job... good luck... [lingli_78]
Wow I hope you're feeling better! But you defeniatly seem to be working for a good company! Lucky. I have been looking hard for a new job (listed all my serachings above on another response) but I haven't had any luck. It sucks! But I am defeniatly trying to find a new job! [LilyoftheThorns]
I don't blame you for looking for another job. I hear this kind of information all the time from people who work in all walks of life. Employers are clamping down on employees about taking time off. If people are entitled to paid time off, they deserve to get it. If someone is sick, they deserve time off to get well. Some businesses use the point system which I don't thoroughly agree with since it irritates the good employees who make every effort to be at work on a regular basis. They get sick or take a day off and points are given to them. Too many points in a certain amount of time and the employee is fired. Does your employer expect you to pay for a doctor's visit when getting a note from the doctor? Sometimes the co-pay is more than a person earns in one day, depending on their insurance plan. [carolbee]
You said exactly what my brother in law said! Tell them I can't afford to go get a doctors note everytime I'm sick. But my company should really appreciat me, more than they know. I am sick ALL THE TIME. I always have headaches, I get colds every other week and they last for weeks...if I was calling in sick everytime I felt really bad I would be calling in at least once a week. So far in 7 months I have taken 3 sick days (2 of those I had the stomach flu). But I am trying really hard to find a wya to be able to quit. Because I am really losgin my patience with everything they are doing now. The only thing I feel bad about is leaving the other 2 night people, because they are as unhappy as me. If my company isn't careful they aren't going to have any night people! [LilyoftheThorns]
That is horrible. Couldn't you use the Family leave act to keep from legally getting fired. It is so terrible that you are being treated so wrong. [Thoroughrob]
well if they are going to fire me over something like that then their loss. They dont have enough night people, and if I get fired then they'll be in a world of hurt. So if they do then I'm gone, if I don't quit before that. [LilyoftheThorns]
Most jobs, due to previous nitwits, require a note from a Doctor, some for day 1, like yours. Others if you're going to miss more than one day, some after three, etc. Not wanting you to take time off when you're sick and have proof of it; however, is unreasonable. I quit a job that was getting stupid like that and it was in Corrections! Can you imagine having a sick correction officer to back you up? Esp one with pneumonia? One of the Sgts. had an enlarged heart and after a few days off, they ordered him in. Another time, he was throwing up and they ordered him in. We had too few Sgts. Instead of training and promoting someone, even temporarily (They've done that before), they were ordering them in. But this is not usually for jobs. It's unreasonable and can end up having either a Union or a Lawyer get involved. But I would be careful, I worked one job where a co-worker told me some things and I went to supervisor. The Supervisor said that only the co-worker had to have a note every time because she had missed so many days and had been seen carrying-on around down on a supposed sick day, that she was on probation. Some of it applied to no one else. That's also unusual, most places make rules for all and stick to them. So everyone gets punished. She later on hurt her back, got a note from a doctor saying she couldn't work, but then went out as a volunteer and fought a fire on a slippery, icy, wet night, hurt her back more, needed more time off and they canned her. She went to court and lost. How can you call in sick to work as a teacher and yet go fight a fire? If your back is too messed up to teach, then what are you doing fighting a fire? She never made any sense anyway. I tried not to ever work with her. But this illustrates why jobs become more and more unreasonable about sick time. Instead of going after people who abuse the system, they go after everyone because they're afraid they will get hit with charges of prejudice or have to spend time in court. I'm sorry you're going through so much trouble. Working for PetSmart should be fun and wonderful. Basically, it is, but all this gets to be too much. I hope you're able to find a really good job soon. Take care. [writersedge]
It depends on how often other people call in. The first year I worked one job, I worked the entire year without taking a day off. I was exceptionally healthy and my family was, too. The next job, I broke my color bone in three places, it wouldn't heal. I was out for three months right after I started. Different people's circumstances are different and they change at different times. A friend of mine kept track of absenses and many people took more time off than that Sgt who they really went after. Some people never got spoken to when they missed a day and others got harassed. I wouldn't be surprised if that is the way it is where you are. Take care [writersedge]
Wow!! This is unreal, and not fair at all. I would definately be finding ways to challenge this if you are still there, as this does not sound right at all. I know that there are places like this that try to walk all over their employees and show no respect. If you have since left that job, and moved onto something else, I am wishing you the Best there as well. [KrauseHome]
I'm still working at the same place; it's gotten a LITTLE better overall, but there are still times I get mad at management. I called in sick the other day because I had the flu, and the manager actually asked me if I had any coworkers numbers and made ME call other people to see if they would work for me. They have everyones number in their computers, so I don't know why she made me do it, I thought she was suppose to. And she defeniatly didn't hide the fact that she was annoied at the fact I was calling in. [LilyoftheThorns]