Originally Posted by
ImEbee
I find the term "abusing sick time" amusing. How can you abuse something that you have earned? I find it hard to believe that most companies require sick notes when employees take sick time. I have never heard anyone I know outside of the industry having to do this in order to take a sick day.
Scenerio: Memorial day is coming up. An employee has no vacation left (vacation is earned), but has sick time left (sick time isn't earned - it's given). That employee wants a four-day Memorial weekend. They use sick time when they're not sick. That's abusing the sick time policy. That's why companies have that policy in place. If, however, there is no holiday, most companies say they must bring in a doctor's note only if they take more than three-days sick time. The airlines work on a 24-hour clock, so I'm sure their policy is different than most.
If the argument of earned vs. given comes up, think of this: If you left the company and had two-weeks vacation left and five-days sick time, what do you think you're entitled to on your last check? I guarantee you wouldn't get paid for the sick time.