I have worked construction and truck driving most of my life. Most of my employers have been understanding if I need sick time or personal leave, but the rule is you get paid when you work.
Sure, paid leave would be nice, but I knew going in what the deal is. Sad to say, there are people I have worked with who would happily game the benefit. Some of my employers are close to the bone, just couldn’t afford it.
We have a very generous leave setup where I work. A ridiculous amount of vacation time, and you earn 7 hours of sick leave every month.
I have only ever called in sick when I am, but we have several co-workers who use up ALL their sick leave every year. I’ve tried to explain why that’s a bad idea (but we’ll lose it if we don’t use it), but my recent surgery drove my point home.
I expected to be back to work within 3 weeks. I was off for nearly 3 MONTHS, as recovery was slower than normal.
I STILL have over 3 months of leave left on the books.
I showed the “chronically unwell” my leave allotment, and explained why I keep a big bank.
It takes 6 MONTHS for long term disability to kick in where I work. One could get into serious financial trouble without a cushion of some sort. I’m lucky I have one, and I do everything I can to protect it from idiots who abuse it.