Is this a good thing or a bad thing? (Question for working moms)?

Question

I am starting a new job. They told me that I get 10 vacation days a year. When I asked about sick days, they said that there were no sick days beyond what is scheduled as vacation days. However, they indicated that the most important thing is that I work 2,000 hours per year (which averages out to 40 hours per week). Thus, they stated that if I need to take time off when my daughter is sick, then I can make it up later, as long as it equals out to 2,000 hours at the end of the year. My question is, is this a good thing or a bad thing? At first, I was very upset, as I assumed that I would get no time off for sickness and would have to use my minimal vacation days. But, now I am thinking it may be better than getting a certain number of days off designated as "sick days" because it is more flexible and it's not a set amount. I am wondering what other moms think of this. Is this policy good or bad for me?

Answer 1

To tell you the truth, the vacation is decent, but I don't think that the sick policy is all that great (there really isn't one). What happens if you get the flu and have to be out of work for 4 - 5 days, or even longer? Then you would have to make up that time? That would be really hard to do considering you have a baby you need to get home to, especially if your child is in day care (then you would probably end up paying extra for them to keep your child longer). If I were you, I would take the job temporarily (just to have some money coming in), but continue to look for a job with better benefits. Let me tell you, the first year of your child's life you will have a lot of doctor's appointments. Doctor's appointments can take FOREVER. We usually have to plan for at least a 3 hour block for every doctor's appointment. That can add up fast when you have to make all that time up.

Good luck! At least you have a job, but I hope you can find something better for the sake of your little one.

Answer 2

I work in a Human resource Dept, and this is pretty common across the board. Some companies designate Sick Days some do not.
The standard Full-Time employee must work 2080 hours per year. That is 52 weeks at 40 hours a week.
I personally do not have Sick days. I get 80 hours a year of Vacation/personal time. I can use this as I wish.
It is flexible, and works for me. Most companies that implement Sick time, will require a Doctors Note along with it.
As long as your company is flexible with your vacation days and understand that your child is priority, then I don't think this will be an issue at all.

Answer 3

It is not a very flexible policy. I work in a hospital and we get 2 weeks vacation per year, and we accrue sick days, for every 8 hours worked we get 1.5 hours sick time which builds up over time, even if I don't have much sick time, they do not penalize me if I have to take a day off. I also have a very flexible medical and family leave program so if my kids ever get sick for an extended period of time I can take the time to care for them. And when I got pregnant I got very sick and had to take off at 3 months pregnant and my job was still there 3 months after delivery. There are better companies out there that are more flexible for working mothers that have better benefits. This company sounds very strict and impractical for someone with children. You child will get sick more than a couple of times a year so you would have to make up a lot of time to make sure you have your 2000 hours. I would keep looking and keep your options open. You have to know that most companies don't not care that you have children, they care that you show up every day and do your job and want you to make them a priority not the kids. I had a job like that and had to quit when they told me that my job had to come before my kids and no way that was happening. You need to find a company that is willing to work with you and be flexible. If not, you will eventually find yourself torn between both your kids and work, and your kids will always come first.

Answer 4

It is better than most , some jobs do not get sick days , you don't work you do not get paid , you have to decide what is more important , or if your child's illness is bad enough to stay home...you sound more concerned with loosing vacation days , a vacation is not a necessity , 10 days with pay to stay home to take care of you or your child is pretty good , plus if either of you are sick more than 10 days a year you do not need to go on vacation you need a doctor .. if the job pay is sufficient to live on then you should take it , from what I hear on the economy it is not getting any better ..

Answer 5

Well even though it does seem fair to the company, It isn't fair to a mom. Say your daughter gets chicken pox- that's all your vacation days right there, then if you get sick well your outta luck right, you'll have to make up the hours via, holidays or weekends. But, it seems like you have to work, so I would find a family member or trusted friend that could help you out when your daughter gets sick. That way you won't look bad to the company and can enjoy your vacation time with your family doing something fun!

Answer 6

I would love that. As a teacher I would love to be able to make up time. However, if I need to leave an hour early for a doctors appointment I have to use part of sick day. Also if your child has a long illness your sick days could disappear quickley. Remember, the job is not permanent and if it doesn't work for your family you could try to find a new one. I believe it is most important to make sure your job works for your family.

Answer 7

Sounds kind of strange to me. By make it up, do they mean that if you miss a full day of work (8 hours) you have to work on a Saturday or stay later several days a week to make up the time? I don't think I like that policy at all. Sure, you'll be able to stay home with your daughter when she's ill, but when she's not sick--when she's feeling fine and is playful, happy, etc. and wants to spend time with you doing fun things, you'll be stuck at the office making up your missed time.

Answer 8

Many companies are moving to this type of "paid time off" system, where you have a bank of time that you use for any reason you might need to miss work. It's really no different from having so many "vacation" days and so many "sick" days. If they will let you make up any time you take off, that's a pretty good deal, because it won't deduct from your bank of PTO days.

Answer 9

The sad thing is this is commonplace in America. We are the ONLY country that puts work before family. I dont know why, but our employers are able to make us work right after giving birth, whether we are sick or not, whether we need to care for someone who is sick and or injured, or whether we need time off for rest.

In europe, women get upwards of 6 months PAID leave for birth, and everyone takes vacations atleast every 3 months.

Its not healthy, but it sounds normal for American employers. I'd go with it if you can handle it. It just sucks not being able to take time off when you need to.

Answer 10

It sounds good to me, but I would be cautious about doing the "make up" thing too often. When you get started and get to know some people, ask around and see how that policy works and whether or not people actually use it.

The company's idea of reasonable use of "make up" time might differ significantly from YOUR idea of reasonable, and you don't want to end up getting fired because you didn't fully understand how the policy works.

Good luck to you.