I have a friend who is currently picking up slack for a forth maternity leave in 5 years (two different employees). She often jokes that she’s trying to find out what it would take for her to be diagnosed with a mental illness that would allow 6-12 weeks of leave. She’d never do it, but if a high level, honest worker has thought of it, the ne’er-do-well’s certainly have.
Sick leave is already abused. Ever work with someone who has Monday/Friday disease?
.....that would be my boss.....
I'm not one of those people who expects everyone in the office to drag in, sick or no. If you're sick, you're sick. Stay home, get better, and don't infect the rest of us.
Ditto maternity/paternity leave, or time to take care of family members. Life intrudes, and at the end of the day, work really shouldn't be a top priority in comparison.
But then you have people like my boss - who realistically only puts in three days a week, most weeks. Or the person on my team who took several days of sick time because "her ferret (referred to as 'her fur child') wasn't feeling well". Legit, earned time, in most cases .... but unquestionably abusive.
And the gov't is going to give people like this a blank check? Gimme a break.
I never had trouble with co-workers abusing sick leave. I did once have a problem with a coke-sniffing co-worker and that was pure hell. Back in the day before maternity leave, one of the companies I worked for would have mommy bring in her kids and make secretaries babysit them. How I longed for those selfish broads to take maternity leave!