Sick Days

[TimG]

I've tried searching the alberta labour board's web site, but i can't seem to find any info on this. maybe someone here can help?

Is there a legal number of sick days that an employer must give to employees? Like 1 sick day for every month (150 hours) worked ?

[PINOY-X]

ur employer should inform you of all those things ... if u guys get sick leave's and stuff ... like my work we get 80hours of sick leave per year ... so try asking ur employer maybe .. unless u just want to call and sick for kicks and giggles...

[HyperZell]

Isn't a sick day usually just taken when needed? Unless abused or disallowed, this usually isn't a problem, is it?

[TimG]

right now we have 10 sick days/year. the rumour mill is that it's going to be cut in half. i want to know if they can legally do this.

[Euro838]

Everyone company's policy on sick leave is different. I'm not sure what the law is from the gov't. A lot of places may not have a set number of sick days but they may make you go on short term disability if you are sick for more than like 3 days. Other places will have set numbers i.e. 3-5 per year and after that it just becomes unpaid leave. Some other places may only pay sick days at 60% so it really depends and it should state it clearly if something is in place. Otherwise, there isn't a policy they can hold you to.

[grock698]

in alberta the employer is not requred to provide any paid sick days.


http://www.canadabusiness.ca/servlet/ContentServer?cid=1084286444821&pagename=CBSC_FE%2Fdisplay&c=Regs


"There is no provincial legislation in Alberta dealing with paid sick leave. The employer must only pay for hours worked."

[Tik-Tok]

^^^ Sadly true.

This is probably an effect from people abusing the 10 day system. You can thank all your co-workers that took the sick days as extra vacation.

Personally I'm of the belief that 80 hours sick days should be in effect, but a doctor's note is required for anything more than 2 days in a row.

[~Leah~]

My company only has 8 sick days/year, and I got in shit for using 5 of them -- they deemed me "unreliable" and my boss basically told me she thinks I was faking it (3 of the days were in a row) because the company average is only to take 2. God I can't wait to go on mat leave and never go back there....

[HybridTheory]

Originally posted by Tik-Tok

Personally I'm of the belief that 80 hours sick days should be in effect, but a doctor's note is required for anything more than 2 days in a row.

I agree with you there.

I think I get 7 or 8 sick days at my current employer. This girl I work with calls in sick at least once every two weeks. I have no idea how she gets away with it. Anyway, when I worked at Scotiabank you could go on short term disability after missing 5 days straight.

[Audio_Rookie]

I only get 4 and I work for a big shot oil company :(

[gatorade]

Is this for fulltime only?

[98type_r]

i get 0 official sick days.
but if i'm sick and stay home i do still get paid.

[joyridder]

Originally posted by 98type_r
i get 0 official sick days.
but if i'm sick and stay home i do still get paid.

:werd:
Also depends on your employers policy. Current employer has always paid my sick days (average 1-2 per yr). Previous based on hours worked. Some companies in addition to paying for sick days may also have a "flex" day policy. My sisters company has one flex day per month - can be used for a sick day or a personal day....

[tirebob]

Sick days should come off holidays... why should someone pay an employee who is sick and not working, but not give the person who shows up every day sick or not nothing extra? If you are so messed up you can't work then take holiday time... Why should be an employers responsibility someone is not in good health?

On a side note though, if someone busts their ass at work and does extras nobody else does, works late when needed, shows up every day and is ready to work early instead of rolling in the door just on time but not ready to actually be working until 10 minutes later, stays through lunches if needed etc, and not bitching about every 1/2 hour the company "owes them" then they usually have no problem taking time when needed because they are not a system abuser. If someone does all these things and their employer doesn't recognise it in a time of need then they have the perogative to find a new job.

I know I have never ever been bothered about taking days when truely needed, or even mini pre-planned holidays (extended weekends etc) and have never had my paycheques docked for these times, but that is because I am a valued employee because of the things described above...

It is amazing what a truely good employee is worth vs someone who just does a job...

[BokCh0y]

I get 10 sickdays/year - so 80hrs in total. I only take them when i absolutely am sick as shit. Last year I took 1 day, the company I worked for before I took 5 in 5.5 years. Not because I didn't want to but because my old manager would think i was faking and the day I got back he would work me twice as hard....asshole.

Anyways I think if you are sick - like really sick then you are entitled to use your sick days. Be it all 10 throughout the year or whatever but if you're just having a day where you're too tired or want to rest......use holiday time instead. It's the people who abuse the system that fock shit up for all of us. I know this girl that takes like 3 weeks worth a year.....the company she works for doesn't have a set amount of sick days so it's basically unlimited but yeah she takes about 3 weeks a year plus her 3 weeks vacation. Not cool. This other dude i know says he has this program that calculates the hours he works and sick hours earned so he thinks because he is entitled to them he'll take them even if he's not sick. People who abuse the system piss me off. Being given sick days is a privilege not a right. As stated Alberta does not have a policy where the employer is required to provide people with these days.

[SteveyBoy]

We Don't give our employees any sick days, it's a slightly different job than most but it is dependent on the employer i belive the longer your there the more you'll have. when you start tho you won't usually have any because they don't want to give you that option till they knwo your a good employee.

[topmade]

Sick days are 100% up to your employer I believe. In Alberta anyways. We get sick days and flex days and we also just started a bonus system this year as well so if you take less then 4 sick days/yr you get a $200 gift certificate, nothing spectacular, but just a pat on the back to say good job I guess.

[Redlyne_mr2]

I never understood the reason why not to give sick days. You pass on your cold and it effects everyone in the office, even your pretty little boss. On the flip side there are alot of fat lazy women in the office I work at that take sick days all the time and totally abuse the system. That, and some skanky chick who I think gets rammed and jammed all weekend then takes Mondays off to go get the morning after pill.

[HybridTheory]

Originally posted by Redlyne_mr2
That, and some skanky chick who I think gets rammed and jammed all weekend then takes Mondays off to go get the morning after pill.

:rofl: The chick who sits in the cubicle next to me is definitely one of those

[pinoyhero]

If you dont feel you get enough sick days, then quit, don't look to the law to protect you. THink about this, if your in a job and the employer tells you that you've taken too many sick days but you come back and show him that the law says you get more, you think you're going to be up for promotion anytime soon? If you don't like the circumstances then quit and find a job where you do, there are tons of people looking for workers in Calgary. However if you do like you job then suck it up, deal with the sniffles and work.

[SunniSunShine]

Originally posted by ~Leah~
My company only has 8 sick days/year, and I got in shit for using 5 of them -- they deemed me "unreliable" and my boss basically told me she thinks I was faking it (3 of the days were in a row) because the company average is only to take 2. God I can't wait to go on mat leave and never go back there....

preggy?

[tirebob]

Originally posted by Redlyne_mr2
I never understood the reason why not to give sick days. You pass on your cold and it effects everyone in the office, even your pretty little boss. You are contagious before symptoms start to show... Once you are showing the symptoms you are usually past the contagious point, or at best everyone has already caught it from you before... lol

[Aleks]

I get 0 sick days but I stay home whenever I am sick :dunno:

3 weeks holidays
13 days flex...

When I stay home sick all the work I didn't do that day I have to catch up on myself so people here generally don't abuse the policies...

[~Leah~]

Originally posted by SunniSunShine


preggy?

Yep... one of the only circumstances where the law actually protects you for sick days.

I still get the "faking it" excuse... even though my boss is one of those power trip corporate females who has never (and never will) have kids because she's too important. So pregnancy doesn't make someone sick because she's never gone through it.

[5t3v3]

Originally posted by tirebob
Sick days should come off holidays... why should someone pay an employee who is sick and not working, but not give the person who shows up every day sick or not nothing extra? If you are so messed up you can't work then take holiday time... Why should be an employers responsibility someone is not in good health?

On a side note though, if someone busts their ass at work and does extras nobody else does, works late when needed, shows up every day and is ready to work early instead of rolling in the door just on time but not ready to actually be working until 10 minutes later, stays through lunches if needed etc, and not bitching about every 1/2 hour the company "owes them" then they usually have no problem taking time when needed because they are not a system abuser. If someone does all these things and their employer doesn't recognise it in a time of need then they have the perogative to find a new job.

I know I have never ever been bothered about taking days when truely needed, or even mini pre-planned holidays (extended weekends etc) and have never had my paycheques docked for these times, but that is because I am a valued employee because of the things described above...

It is amazing what a truely good employee is worth vs someone who just does a job...

I agree.
Many people definitely try to abuse the system. I also dislike the clock watchers who count the "overtime" minutes but ignores the minutes extra taken for lunch and breaks. It's folks like that break the honor system.