Is having three days sick in a year bad?

Question

My manager just threatened to sack me for having three days off sick last year. I have doctors note to prove that I had accute gastroenteritus but is three days a lot? How many sick days did you take last year?

Answer 1

We have people here who have 3 sick days off a week!!!

Answer 2

If you have the doc's note then no its not. technically I don't think you need one for anything up to 5 days. If you have been threatened with the sack, and you have witnesses it could be grounds for disciplinary action against your manager, however if you have a history of "throwing sickies" then you may be on shaky ground. If you are a member of a union chat to your union rep. If you have clear HR policies on sickness read them, and see where you stand. If you want to keep your job and are not a union member consider joining one. It sounds like your manager is either an ar------ole or an idiot and you could probably do with a bit of protection. I took 2 days last year. I have included a link to the national statistics office's figures for 2005 hope this helps

Answer 3

I was a manager in a big company. Three days seems about average to me for office staff; manual workers could be expected to need more time off especially if they are working outdoors in winter. I went through my entire school life without a single day off - but subsequently was ill a few times - Appendicitis, Flue, Scarletina. People go through periods when their health is perfect and through other times when they get knocked down by everything that's going about. If you have some bottle, tell you boss that he is a pratt and tell him you will claim for wrongful dismissal or substantive dismissal if he threatens you again.

Answer 4

I think your manager is totally out of line. Most companies give at least 5 sick days allotment. So, I think your 3 isn't bad. Maybe you took them sort of close together and that had him worried about your commitment to work? I used to have a boss that would let us call in for a mental health day, if we felt stressed out. Your manager should feel lucky that you only needed 3 days!!!!

Answer 5

Three days off in one year is an excellent record, your manager could not sack you for this alone, if there are not other problems affecting your work then I suggest that the manager needs some retraining himself.

Answer 6

Good God, THREE DAYS????
Is your boss a robot? Look in your employee handbook and see if there is anything about sick days, and if there isn't, and if you have a human resources department, ask them if there is a specific policy.
You can also try to call the Employment Department and see if there are any laws.
It's not like you had a cold. Gastroenteritus is HORRID! And if you had a doctor's note, your boss should just shove it.
My prayers are with you.

Answer 7

i don't think 3 days off sick is bad at all especially if you where actually sick!!was your manager not off sick at all??
i really don't think 3 days could result in sacking!your manager is out of order to say this i feel,whats your company's policy on sick days?surely if u rang up on the day to report your sickness and have doctors notes 3 days is more than acceptable.

Answer 8

i think your manager is being ridiculous.
However, what you need to do is to "complain" in writng to the one senior to the manager. If you do not do it in writing, then your manager can turn around and say the he/she never questioned your sick leave.
it is very likely that the person above your manager will see how ridiculous it is. you must do it writing , be polite but firm.you can also send a copy to your manager who threatened you. that should protect you from further harassment.
The other thing to think about is why is your manager acting in this way. is he/she doing the same to all others or only to you. there may be other issues between the two of you that need to be sorted, the sick leave just being the tip of te iceburg.

Answer 9

I asked a simlar question a few weeks back as i wondered how many days people have off sick.... The last time i was off ill from work was July 1994 when i had an op on my knee.

Answer 10

If you live in the UK you can have 6 days from work without a doctors certificate(called med3) the point of this is to allow people to deal with their own self limiting illnesses. Your employer therefore is well out of order. Furthermore if he/she has an issue with your time away there are specific steps that should be taken before dismissal. He should write to your GP to see if there is anything they can do as employers to facilitate your position at work. I think you have a strong case for unfair dismissal if this goes ahead.!!!!