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Retirement and Sick Leave
- Thread starter Montana
- Start date
Mike
Active member
imported post
I deal with most of the lab's sick calls when I'm working, and to say it's abused is an understatement. :shock:
I told the supervisors that these people are lucky I am not in charge and have the authority to fire because I would certainly do that if I could. :s:s:s
I deal with most of the lab's sick calls when I'm working, and to say it's abused is an understatement. :shock:
I told the supervisors that these people are lucky I am not in charge and have the authority to fire because I would certainly do that if I could. :s:s:s
poornurse101
New member
imported post
OUCH!! Sick time is a benefit to be used Mike...A benefit of employment just like TSP
OUCH!! Sick time is a benefit to be used Mike...A benefit of employment just like TSP
imported post
I have to put at least half of the blame on those that changed sick leave in FERS. If you're not going to give the employee any credit for not using their sick leave, then wth do you expectemployees to do?
If i call in sick, what are you going to do, call me a lier? Quit penalizing people, in effect,for not using sick leave, andthey'llquit calling in sick.
The current system penalizes the honest and the healthy. What's wrong with this picture besides the obvious? Worse, the honest are having their heart strings tugged at to even "donate" their AL for those that abused their SL in the past and thus have none to use for a chronic illness.
I have to put at least half of the blame on those that changed sick leave in FERS. If you're not going to give the employee any credit for not using their sick leave, then wth do you expectemployees to do?
If i call in sick, what are you going to do, call me a lier? Quit penalizing people, in effect,for not using sick leave, andthey'llquit calling in sick.
The current system penalizes the honest and the healthy. What's wrong with this picture besides the obvious? Worse, the honest are having their heart strings tugged at to even "donate" their AL for those that abused their SL in the past and thus have none to use for a chronic illness.
Mike
Active member
imported post
Yes, the lack of compensation for unused leave is certainly a major problem.
However, I still do not believe that is sufficient cause to justify abusing the leave. That's unprofessional and a gross disservice to those we are supposed to be helping.
BTW, I would have no qualms about calling certain people liars. Getting "sick" every couple of weeks year-round? I don't buy it.
Yes, the lack of compensation for unused leave is certainly a major problem.
However, I still do not believe that is sufficient cause to justify abusing the leave. That's unprofessional and a gross disservice to those we are supposed to be helping.
BTW, I would have no qualms about calling certain people liars. Getting "sick" every couple of weeks year-round? I don't buy it.
Show-me
Well-known member
imported post
Spaf wrote:
People will always abuse any system and yes we are getting the short end of the stick in FERS.
Point is you never plan onbeingsick or in a accident. Bank your sick leave ( 6 months or more) while you are young and in good health because you have a good chance of being sick when you get older. I have seen it to many times in our office.
For those who "burn" their SL for long weekend, time off, and because of "use it or lose it". So sorry you did not use the system to plan for your future. I will not donate one fraction of a hour to you when you get ill. You had the same opportunity to protect yourself as the rest of us. (Sound like the people who don't PLAN for retirement.) You want to burn some fine, save some first!
Protect you and yours because no one else will.
Spaf wrote:
Amen!
People will always abuse any system and yes we are getting the short end of the stick in FERS.
Point is you never plan onbeingsick or in a accident. Bank your sick leave ( 6 months or more) while you are young and in good health because you have a good chance of being sick when you get older. I have seen it to many times in our office.
For those who "burn" their SL for long weekend, time off, and because of "use it or lose it". So sorry you did not use the system to plan for your future. I will not donate one fraction of a hour to you when you get ill. You had the same opportunity to protect yourself as the rest of us. (Sound like the people who don't PLAN for retirement.) You want to burn some fine, save some first!
Protect you and yours because no one else will.
G
Guest
Guest
imported post
azanon wrote:
azanon wrote:
Absolutely. I never understood donating leave either..
G
Guest
Guest
imported post
cowboy wrote:
cowboy wrote:
Exactly..that's why I mentioned it...it's analogous...
Wimpy
Member
imported post
Re: Sick Leave Abuse
I look at this way. Everyone has a different pain/sickness threshold. For some the number3 on a scale of 1-10 might be enough to call in sick. Others, might be able to wait until hitting number 8 before calling in. And that threshold could change over the years. Ifone was young and didn't have much sick leave,one might be willing to endure a little more discomfort before making that call. On the other hand, ifone had an abundance of sick leave on the books, they weren't going to get reimbursed for in retirement, they might make the call a little sooner...or a lotsooner.
In any case, pain threshold is personal. No one can judge for the other how much pain or discomfortone shouldendure before making the call. It is up to each of us to manageOURbenefits for our overall comfort and long-termwell being. Given the incentives or lack of incentives under FERS for sick leave reimbursement, it is understandable that people have varied opinions on its proper usage. But those opinions are still personal and they don't apply to anyone other than themselves...in theory and operationally.
The key to narrowing the disparity, operationally speaking, in how sick leave is used is by providing incentives to save it. We can ALL buck up a notch or two on the pain threshold scale if given the right kind of incentive. And those incentives would certainly cost less than what it costs under the current system. Until then...
Re: Sick Leave Abuse
I look at this way. Everyone has a different pain/sickness threshold. For some the number3 on a scale of 1-10 might be enough to call in sick. Others, might be able to wait until hitting number 8 before calling in. And that threshold could change over the years. Ifone was young and didn't have much sick leave,one might be willing to endure a little more discomfort before making that call. On the other hand, ifone had an abundance of sick leave on the books, they weren't going to get reimbursed for in retirement, they might make the call a little sooner...or a lotsooner.
In any case, pain threshold is personal. No one can judge for the other how much pain or discomfortone shouldendure before making the call. It is up to each of us to manageOURbenefits for our overall comfort and long-termwell being. Given the incentives or lack of incentives under FERS for sick leave reimbursement, it is understandable that people have varied opinions on its proper usage. But those opinions are still personal and they don't apply to anyone other than themselves...in theory and operationally.
The key to narrowing the disparity, operationally speaking, in how sick leave is used is by providing incentives to save it. We can ALL buck up a notch or two on the pain threshold scale if given the right kind of incentive. And those incentives would certainly cost less than what it costs under the current system. Until then...
D
Dave M
Guest
imported post
Mike, I am surprised to hear you say you would not donate leave. That is not the way Minnesotans behaved toward one another when I lived there.
It is the duty of your supervisor to detect and correct abuse of sick leave. He/she shouldrequire a signed slip from an MD for any leave exceeding 3 days, and can do so forleave of any lengthif abuse is suspected.If he is not doing this, you ought to let him know you intend to contact his superior.
In my office it goes the other way. In order to show their dedication, folks come in and spread their germs all over the place when they clearly should be home getting better. This results in MORE leavebeing used, in the end.
Dave
Mike, I am surprised to hear you say you would not donate leave. That is not the way Minnesotans behaved toward one another when I lived there.
It is the duty of your supervisor to detect and correct abuse of sick leave. He/she shouldrequire a signed slip from an MD for any leave exceeding 3 days, and can do so forleave of any lengthif abuse is suspected.If he is not doing this, you ought to let him know you intend to contact his superior.
In my office it goes the other way. In order to show their dedication, folks come in and spread their germs all over the place when they clearly should be home getting better. This results in MORE leavebeing used, in the end.
Dave
fendertweed
New member
imported post
I don't condone sick leave abuse (I'm a middle manager), but OTOH the list of nicks & nickels & dimes taken out of Feds' hides including the FERS sick leave shortchanging convinces me that if one is doing their work conscientiously, it's entirely possible & reasonable to use (need to use) a "mental health" day now & then, perhaps several a year. I and my colleagues are sick & tired of hearing we'll do "more with less" and the fact is we are at the point of doing less with less. And that includes making ourselves sacrificial lambs, even as we do a professional and conscientious job.
I'm kicking in about 20%+ of my gross the max. plus catchup to TSP and several $K elsewhere (no Roth, got capped out of that unfortunately).
Jon
I don't condone sick leave abuse (I'm a middle manager), but OTOH the list of nicks & nickels & dimes taken out of Feds' hides including the FERS sick leave shortchanging convinces me that if one is doing their work conscientiously, it's entirely possible & reasonable to use (need to use) a "mental health" day now & then, perhaps several a year. I and my colleagues are sick & tired of hearing we'll do "more with less" and the fact is we are at the point of doing less with less. And that includes making ourselves sacrificial lambs, even as we do a professional and conscientious job.
I'm kicking in about 20%+ of my gross the max. plus catchup to TSP and several $K elsewhere (no Roth, got capped out of that unfortunately).
Jon
imported post
I'm under CSRS and I save about half my sick leave. You never know if you will need it near the end of your career like my boss with heart surgery or others with car accidents. So its good to save up for those possibilities. But now that I have a lot of hours in I use sick leave for doctor or dentist appointments rather than searching out the limited times after work or on weekends. So I guess FERS "abuse" would have to occur near careers end. I would say just use it reasonably. And if you feel sick at work, well then you could go home. Coworkers may appreciate not getting your germs.
I'm under CSRS and I save about half my sick leave. You never know if you will need it near the end of your career like my boss with heart surgery or others with car accidents. So its good to save up for those possibilities. But now that I have a lot of hours in I use sick leave for doctor or dentist appointments rather than searching out the limited times after work or on weekends. So I guess FERS "abuse" would have to occur near careers end. I would say just use it reasonably. And if you feel sick at work, well then you could go home. Coworkers may appreciate not getting your germs.
D
Dave M
Guest
imported post
We earn 4 hours SL per pay period which equates to around 100 hours per year. After 19 years I have over 1600 hours which works out to about 85% of my total accrual.
In five years when I am eligible, I willhave around 2000 hours.Were I in CSRSI would thus have about one year's service time credited for my balance. As I am in FERS I guess I get nothing. (Since service time gets us only 1% per year, crediting us for unused SL would not be all that expensive for Uncle Sam. I bought two years service credit for my military time and it cost me only $600 which is a nice offset for the above.)
Yetitseems prudent to let it accumulate. I can think of lots of things that would require an extensive period of leave. For instance we may take family-leave to care for our aging parents; I believe up to 16 weeks may be authorized.
Here's a story: In the 80's a young female intern withless than one year's service timein our office got into the habit of using SL whenever she felt bloated or had a hangover. Then she wrecked her car and required extensive therapy, had a metal rod in her leg, that sort of stuff. Naturally she wound up on the leave-donation list. I donated her one pay period's worth of AL, 4 hours for me at the time, figuring that if we all did the same, she would get a week's worth out of us at least, our fair share. When shereturned to duty, she told me I was the only one in our office who gave her any leave. I thought this was a disgrace.Yes, I disapproved of her bad habits but at least I still had a little ordinary human compassion and what harm did it do me? None.Today she is a middle-manager and runs the Louisville office I believe.I suppose I could transfer there anytime I wanted, heh.
Dave
We earn 4 hours SL per pay period which equates to around 100 hours per year. After 19 years I have over 1600 hours which works out to about 85% of my total accrual.
In five years when I am eligible, I willhave around 2000 hours.Were I in CSRSI would thus have about one year's service time credited for my balance. As I am in FERS I guess I get nothing. (Since service time gets us only 1% per year, crediting us for unused SL would not be all that expensive for Uncle Sam. I bought two years service credit for my military time and it cost me only $600 which is a nice offset for the above.)
Yetitseems prudent to let it accumulate. I can think of lots of things that would require an extensive period of leave. For instance we may take family-leave to care for our aging parents; I believe up to 16 weeks may be authorized.
Here's a story: In the 80's a young female intern withless than one year's service timein our office got into the habit of using SL whenever she felt bloated or had a hangover. Then she wrecked her car and required extensive therapy, had a metal rod in her leg, that sort of stuff. Naturally she wound up on the leave-donation list. I donated her one pay period's worth of AL, 4 hours for me at the time, figuring that if we all did the same, she would get a week's worth out of us at least, our fair share. When shereturned to duty, she told me I was the only one in our office who gave her any leave. I thought this was a disgrace.Yes, I disapproved of her bad habits but at least I still had a little ordinary human compassion and what harm did it do me? None.Today she is a middle-manager and runs the Louisville office I believe.I suppose I could transfer there anytime I wanted, heh.
Dave
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