Sick Days

[NewMum]

My sister is a relatively new employee at a busy grocery store in Florida.

Today, she had to call in. She told the supervisor she had a medical emergency and needed to get to her doctor's office right away. This was not her immediate supervisor, but one of the other heads of the dept. she works in.

After seeing the Dr., it was determined she had had a flase alarm, but was still given a note from the Dr. for the day's absence.

Sis called work and told them she had gone to the Dr., had a note, but would still come in if they had been unsuccessful in covering her shift. Her immediate supervisor told her to come in as soon as she could to discuss her being penalized for the "inappropriate call-in." Their rule is that they must call an hour before their shift starts.
Sis called about 35 mins before her shift started, as soon as she recognized there was a problem she needed to have addressed.
She did relate this to the supervisor, who still insisted that she should have called earlier, and would still be penalized.

I understand when an employer sees a pattern or suspects abuse of sick day policy, but she has not used all of her sick days, so I can't see that the issue is that.

Has anyone had issues like this before, and what can be done? With a doctor's note, shouldn't her tardiness be excused and go unpunished?

What do you think??

[KerryS]

What was the issue?

[NewMum]

Facing a penalty for not following proper call-in procedure when she had no choice in the matter.

[KerryS]

No, I mean what was the health issue?

[haleysmom]

When I was a manager of a store, the employees had a 90 day probation period where they could be terminated for things such as calling out, coming in late, etc. I know you mentioned she was a newer employee. Maybe that's the case?

[NewMum]

When I was a manager of a store, the employees had a 90 day probation period where they could be terminated for things such as calling out, coming in late, etc. I know you mentioned she was a newer employee. Maybe that's the case?


She is past 90 days already.


The health issue was a large, uncomfortable mass in a delicate area that appeared overnight.

[KerryS]

Unless the mass appeared 30 minutes before her scheduled shift, she had plenty of time to call in within the required hour before her shift started. I'm going to have to side with the employer. Except for freak accidents, there's nothing that comes up so quickly that a person wouldn't have enough time to call in sick at least an hour before the shift.

How was the mass a "false alarm"?

[NewMum]

She woke up and noticed the mass, then immediately called in. She really didn't have much warning while she was asleep.

[vulturemom]

I think I would side with the employer on this one too.

[KerryS]

She woke up 30 minutes before her scheduled shift? Again, how was the mass a "false alarm"? Did it turn out to be a wad of toilet paper stuck between her legs?

[haleysmom]

She is past 90 days already.


The health issue was a large, uncomfortable mass in a delicate area that appeared overnight.


Every place is different. I was just saying where I worked there was a 90 day probationary period.

There are rules for a reason. She didn't call within the correct amount of time so there are consequences. It sucks, but that's how it works. 35 minutes is not a lot of time for bosses to figure out shifts and things.

[NewMum]

I meant false alarm as in it wasn't actually anything serious or life threatening, but she didn't know that at the time.

She couldn't feel it lying down and only noticed it when she stood up. She said it felt as if there was something "falling out" of her. When she felt it, it was a large, hard mass and she was swollen and tender.

[NewMum]

She woke up 30 minutes before her scheduled shift? Again, how was the mass a "false alarm"? Did it turn out to be a wad of toilet paper stuck between her legs?


You don't have to get snarky.

You side with the employer and that's fine, but don't make light of people's medical problems. It's just plain mean.

[KerryS]

Oh, relax! I'm not being snarky. I couldn't figure out how a "large mass" could be a false alarm. So what did it turn out to be?

Again, the policy is in place for a reason - so they have enough time to find someone else to cover the shift.

Perhaps she needs to make sure she gets up at least an hour before she's scheduled to be at work, for situations such as this.

[PiccoloRose]

My DH has two jobs and the policies are very different at each of them.

At Target he is supposed to call in 2 hours before hand, but since he is night shift he is supposed to call both at least 2 hours before hand, and then again an hour before his shift is supposed to start to talk to the night time manager when they arrive. If he is late, then as long as it isn't a pattern, and no more than a few minutes here and there, they don't care. You really only get in trouble for no call no show, and then you don't get in trouble for that if you have a note from a doctor.

At Sara Lee they have a point system. Each time you are late or call in you get half a point. When you get 6 you are fired. Period. If you go an entire month without receiving any points or half points, then you get half a point removed from your record. It doesn't matter if you have a doctor's note. Hospitalization is the only exception unless it is something specifically covered under benefits (work related injury, paternity leave, FML, etc.).

DH recently had bronchitis, and was so sick one night he couldn't even lift his head off the pillow to drink some water. He missed 4 shifts at Target and 2 at Sara Lee. He took his doctor's note to Target and they just filed a copy and said everything was fine. He took it to Sara Lee, and while they filed a copy, he got a point for his 2 missed shifts, and another half for the day that they sent him home sick.

Different companies have different policies. Some are much more strict than others. Not really too much that can be done about it.

[NewMum]

Her cervix was swollen. They don't know why yet. Poor thing was terrified.

[KerryS]

Rough sex? How old is she?

[NewMum]

LOL
But seriously, no, she hasn't done it for weeks.
She turned 18 this month.

[NewMum]

Dr. thought it could be irritation from her nuva ring. But like I said, not sure yet. They swabbed her.

[TuetonicWillow]

This thread is just bizarre.

[Shaunsmom]

She woke up 30 minutes before her scheduled shift? Again, how was the mass a "false alarm"? Did it turn out to be a wad of toilet paper stuck between her legs?

ROFLMAO!!!

Sorry, I had to laugh at Kerry's response as I had the similar thought in my head.

I'd side with the employer on this one.

[TuetonicWillow]

My job was really lax with this, by the way. You had to call in if you weren't showing up but if you shopped your shift to someone else, that's fine, too. Just make sure someone is showing up in your place. Of course, the replacement person couldn't be over X amount of hours that month or you had to get clearance for overtime.

My new job is even better. Imagine a place where you can pick up donated leave/sick days or give them away to someone else...I wish I started tomorrow.


All that aside, I can imagine the verbal beat down if I failed to show up and said I couldn't come because something was stuck in my hoohah. I'd never live it down AND I'd be written up.

How strange.

[Bohemian]

I'd have to side with the employer too.

How in the world does she get up only a half hour before a shift? How long does it take her to get to work?

[TuetonicWillow]

Sounds to me like a case of a kid who didn't want to go to work so she ran to a doctor with some lame excuse, hoping to get out of it.

I HOPE it's that. I hate to think of an 18 yr old that can't even tell if she has a 'mass' on her vulva.

[Bohemian]

I also have a hard time imagining a 18 year old teenager going out without showering, make-up, and hair being done.

[TuetonicWillow]

Yeah.. even if I worked next door to my house I cannot be asleep, wake, cleansed and dressed/ready and AT WORK in 30 minutes. No way.

[rock__]

I did at 18. I showered in the evening, and beyond that, my prep was to put my hair in a ponytail.

[rock__]

Also, I can imagine how a swollen cervix might feel like a mass to someone. Course at 18 I didn't even know what my cervix was exactly. :blush2:

Though I do believe an employer has a right to expect an hours notice.

[Bohemian]

Well, even if she really does get up only a half hour before her work shift starts, she broke the rules. She knew the rules and by choosing to get up a half hour before, she knows she'll never be able to call in sick by the required time. Whether it's for a mass, a cold, or sore nipples.

[NewMum]

I've just never had an employer who was so strict, I guess. When I worked and needed to call in, they already had a plan in place for shift coverage, so that wasn't an issue normally. And when I became a supervisor, I implemented this as well. The way I saw it, you never know when someone is going to be sick and have to call in and part of my job as a supervisor was making sure we always had the coverage we needed.

As a supervisor, I never reprimanded any employee for thinking they needed medical attention, as long as they brought a doctor's note. And I never asked the details of someone's doctor visit if they said it was personal, unless it happened on more than one occasion. In that case, I would explain that whatever was going on was affecting their ability to perform, and we would need to discuss whatever accommodations/consequences were necessary.

I guess overall I feel it's counterproductive to penalize a normally reliable employee for something they had little or no control over.

Anyway, I was just curious what others thought and had experienced. Thanks for your insight! : )

[rock__]

That much I agree with. Part of having a job is having to consider other people. If someone can't show up, and they will need a replacement, they are putting a lot of pressure on other people. It's only fair to plan ahead as much as possible in order to help avoid situations like this.

I would hate to be called and told I had 30 minutes to get to work, on my day off. Not that they would generally make an employee do that, but if they don't, then a manager or someone will have to.

[KerryS]

Some jobs are more prone to having people habitually call in "sick" or call in at the last minute, more than others. I would think places like grocery stores and fast food restaurants and places that hire lots of teenagers probably have problems with that happening, which resulted in the rule being implemented in the first place.

[NewMum]

Some jobs are more prone to having people habitually call in "sick" or call in at the last minute, more than others. I would think places like grocery stores and fast food restaurants and places that hire lots of teenagers probably have problems with that happening, which resulted in the rule being implemented in the first place.


I can see this.
I worked in retail for a long time. I just had a different approach.
Well, I'm sure she learned her lesson and will wake up earlier from now on. : )

[paper_]

Honestly, if this happened to me I would quit and find a new job - or at LEAST look for a new job.

[NewMum]

Well, she has to stick it out until her classes start in 6 mos. She's going to be a pastry chef! I'm so proud of her! =) Her school's 4 hours from here and she'll have to get a new job anyway.

[HammBugga]

They have the rule for a reason. Chances are she will just get a written warning or a write up. If she is an otherwise good employee it won't affect her job to get a write up.

[3girls2luv]

Here where I work its pretty strict. You must be on time since 3 tardies equal one unexcused absence. After 3 unexcused absence you are verbally reprimanded then when you get one more then you are written up, after five you are canned. You get 3 excused absences per 6mos period, if you go over the 3 then the same policy as the unexcused absence applies. You must call in 2hrs before your shift if you are not coming in. You can request days off but those are different than the excused absences. If you're out more that three days due to an illness you must have a Dr. excuse and will only count as one excused absence. After the second no call not show, you are canned.