In well over 20 years I was never called questioning the veracity of a sick call.

As I type this I am at home recovering from surgery. Prior to the surgery I called my Chief Pilot and discussed the upcoming surgery, told him the date it was scheduled and the lengthy period of recovery. In short; it was fully disclosed ahead of time and no surprise.

But under the new sick leave program I got a call roughly 15 days after my first day out. "...we're calling everyone, it's the new policy..."

Maybe it's because I'm a former military officer, but I don't like it one bit.

I tend to be naive and trusting. I try to do a good job, genuinely. I've never considered myself to be one of the few "problem children" within the pilot group. With that one phone call Flight Operations squandered a lot of goodwill.