Posted on 02/06/2006 11:06:48 AM PST by sully777
LONDON (Reuters) - More British workers will call in "sick" Monday than on any other day in 2006, many opting to make their excuses by text message or by phoning in with an artistic cough or splutter, research revealed Monday.
Widespread dissatisfaction with holiday allowances combined with a post-Christmas comedown will contribute to thousands of Britons, who work some of the longest hours in Europe, staying at home to recharge their batteries.
"Early February is a very popular time for taking a 'sickie', the first bank holiday still seems a long way off, the days are gloomy and many people are still feeling the post-Christmas blues," said Cary Cooper, a professor of organizational psychology and health at Lancaster University, who headed the study.
Over 4,000 workers took part in a poll by digital channel Sky Travel which showed 78 percent of respondents were reluctant to use their holiday allowances so early in the year, preferring to wait until spring before taking official leave.
The average official holiday entitlement was 22 days a year.
The findings threw up a couple of gender-related anomalies. While men and women will take an average of nine "sickies" a year, female workers believe they could get away with taking twice as many days off than their male colleagues.
The survey also found that while a cowardly 17 percent of workers would get someone else to call in sick on their behalf, 28 percent opted for the tried and tested cough and splutter phone call.
As for regional variations workers in the northern city of Liverpool admitted to taking on average an extra 13 days a year off compared with a mere three days for Londoners.
The study offered some consolation to long-suffering bosses with five percent of those polled saying they had been caught out -- including being spotted having lunch with friends.
One respondent even admitted being forced to hobble around the office on crutches for two weeks after claiming to have been knocked down by a car.
Must...not...call...in...sick...on...day...after..Super Bowl...
I got to work 2 hours late today.
:^)
You nailed it, friend!
About 20 years ago, there was a young lady in my department who started out with excessive absences and went up from there.
In a matter of months, she had used all her sick days, all her personal days, and all of every other kind of days-off she could arrange.
Since all her no-show days were on Monday or Friday, it didn't take long to realize she simply wanted to work a four-day, 32 hour week.
And get paid for five.
I was not her supervisor. The man who was finally took his frustrations to the company manager, who called her into his office to discuss the situation.
She immediately played the race card, not really knowing who she was dealing with.
It never took much to set Phil (the manager) off, but having a subordinate tell him to his face that she could punish him for not playing her game was more than enough.
Phil had a stentorian reputation. OK, he was a screamer. That day, he did not disappoint.
Within ten minutes, the young lady in question was not only no longer motivated to pursue her threatened, bogus affirmative action charges, she gave notice and left later that month.
Which meant no filing for unemployment.
She went back to the sister company from which we hired her. They didn't want her back either, for the same reasons.
Many of you reading this probably have similar stories; I'm glad to be able to share one with a relatively happy ending.
You work too damned hard!
TR-7 - I had one of those "cars from hell". That was my introduction into debt. Great looking car - period.
LOL! Time for some *sweet revenge* on that flu giver. Tack on the desk chair, curdling milk in a drawer, shoe polish on the telephone earpiece ... I could go on and on.
I'm in "flu preventative mode": 2-3 dbl screwdrivers daily and no darned flu is coming near me. Besides, I avoid doctor's offices, shopping malls, crowds and all forms of sick people.
I had a cow-irker who was 15 minutes late 3 out of 5 days for a month. That is why I refer to him in the past tense. He came in late one day to find his stuff already boxed.
DO you know why the british never have made a line of computers?
Never could figure out how to make then leak oil.
3 out of 5 days for a month = 3 out of 5 days a week for a month
Did his job depend on him being there on time, or was it more of a clck-watcher, thing? Did he stay 15 mins. late?
I'm truly lucky. I can set my own hours (I currently work 4 10-hour days) and I can come in when I want, and can leave basically when I want.
My employer really just wants 80 hours within a 2-week period. But no one really keeps track.
I've only had one sick day in 20 years. I really don't understand the mentality of people who take sick time. I would be ridden with guilt if I ever took a sick day just to get some extra time off. Saddling one's co-workers with additional work is a pretty crappy thing to do in my opinion.
Wonderful story, thanks for sharing it. Re: stentorian, thanks for the new word too.
um... is this a joke? there are 5 workdays, each day is 20 percent of the work week. if sickdays are equally distributed, 20% will be mondays, 20% will be fridays, 40% will be monday or friday... what's the issue?
Yes.
Yes, it's an old joke.
Yes, it is, and it makes fun of how completely expected statistical results can be represented in a sensationalist manner.
calling in sick once in a while is fine, besides, if you've earned the days, you should be able to use them.
what's worse is the phenomenon that has been manifesting itself in my office. doctors diagnosing people with "too much stress" and writing them out a note for excessive leaves of absence. 12 friggin weeks. there have been 3 people here who have done this in the last 1.5 years.
and i *might* could understand it if these people weren't either doing it to themselves or have it be caused by not work related stress.
Like Lotus Elise S1 quality control. I swear they pushed all of their quality control onto the dealers during the 12-month warranty.
Nah...Chicago Teacher Virus....???
Mine, too. It really helps when you have kids. Me coming in a bit late or leaving early for some school event is fine as long as it doesn't affect the mission and I cover for the time.
Do it right and you could get bennies, too.
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