I think most employers still care about reliability, at the end of the day. They may not count sick days as being unreliable, though. I know that the reason I’m still employed and three of my coworkers were let go is that I am never absent. Two of my ex-coworkers refused to change their vacation days when the boss asked them to, and they came back to find their jobs weren’t waiting for them. The third guy asked for a Saturday off for a party (and asked for it on Friday night) and insisted that finding someone to cover his shift wasn’t his problem. Being reliable generally works in your favour, and I don’t think it ever really works against you.
It depends. The company where DH works did a study of sick leave use. You can be assured that the pattern of use of sick leave that they found left a bad taste in their mouth and the people who were flagged as abusers would be more likely not to be kept on if a major lay-off ever materializes. A few people were shown to use sick leave on a regular, patterned basis. Infamous the guys who call in sick almost every Friday or Monday; the ones who have a pattern of calling in sick to extend a long weekend to 4 days, etc. Those guys would probably be the first to be let go if a lay-off was in effect.
Reliability means everything… but who are you being reliable for?
Do expect a pat on the back? No. Do I expect to be treated decently and better than the guy who had 3 no call/no shows? Youbetcha! Have you ever heard of something called office politics? For everyone person treated accordingly at their job, I can find you 5 victims of office politics. Most employers these days don’t want a good job, they want it done for cheap. I might take sick days once in two or 3 years time, I’m a getting done mode person who is very much a perfectionest. Have I gotten raises or promotions ever? No ! Because I’m not in the clique or the in crowd. Good pay for good work may have applied 30 to 50 years ago, but those days are long gone.Reliability means everything… but who are you being reliable for?
If you are just doing it because you expect a pat on the back, think of the guy with the vineyards who hired the men at the end of the work day… you weren’t hired to get a pat on the back for doing what you’re supposed to do.
This isn’t about you, either, it’s sadly a cultural bent for many Americans.
I grew up in a home where my father went to work every day. We used to laugh about it when other people were snowed in, my father would drive his ‘puddle jumper’ and go to work. He never took sick days. He did take pride in his work, and in doing what was expected of him.
He worked on the Detroit River (Canadian side) and had a heart attack on his way to work. He worked a full day, came home, then went to the hospital. That was nearly 30 years ago, and it’s still a source of pride for him (ok, that was crazy… he should have gone to the hospital, but being a man, he thought he could tough it out. Thank God he was able to tough it out!)
When I went to work, I worked every day I could. I took one day off when my car was stolen. It hurt me that I wasn’t able to go in and take care of that stuff after work.
When I got sick, I was told by the doctors to stay at home and rest… but ‘rest’ ain’t restful for me, and I went any way. I would just use a couple of hours a week for physical therapy. Imagine my shock when I was accused of padding my time off when I was away for 10 days due to Chicken Pox.
All this may seem like things to be bitter over, but I’m very proud of the work I did when I was there. It wasn’t for the management, or for the company. It was for the sake of saying ‘I was hired to do this, and I’m doing it to the best of my ability’.
If we adjusted our standards based on the standards of those ruled by money, where would that leave us?
I don’t even want to think about that!
My birthday is this Friday and I doubt if anyone will make anything of it. My brother came to spend last weekend and – since my teevee was blown up in a massive downtown blackout not that long ago, and since he is a good and enthusiastic reader – he spent Sunday afternoon and evening reading aloud to me “The Children of Green Knowe.” Last weekend Mama took me and my sister to lunch (our birthdays are one week (and two years) apart) and I have had two birthday cards. I expect that will be it.
Think of the alternative to turning 61 and you should feel better.
This year we are forced to take half a day off for doctors appointments, when in years past we were permitted to take only the time it took for the appointment, thus saving our sick days for times when we were sick.