What Do You Do About Those Who Call in Sick Tomorrow?

[Brain Cramp]

Does your shop get flooded with scheduled staff calling in sick on New Year's Day? If so, do you assume that these folks are really just too hung over or still drunk and can't work?

I'll admit this is an issue that pushes my buttons. I think it's incredibly irreponsible for someone to drink themselves silly knowing that they have to work the next day. I've drank my fair share on New Year's Eve over the years but I'm enough of an adult to know when to say "when," especially when I have to be coherent the next day.

Is it that important to you to drink on New Year's Eve that you'd risk being incapacitated and unable to perform your duties the next day? Should people who call in sick on New Year's Day be held accountable for proving their "illness" or do you just chalk it up to what it is and move on into the new year?

[TVMattNYC]

Calling in sick on a day like New Year's should result in being docked a week's vacation.

NO excuses.

Yes, that's right ... come to work sick if you must. And don't even start with that "oh but my KIDS are sick" BS.

That's what a SPOUSE is for.

[Fargin Icehole]

Originally Posted by TVMattNYC

Calling in sick on a day like New Year's should result in being docked a week's vacation.

NO excuses.

Yes, that's right ... come to work sick if you must. And don't even start with that "oh but my KIDS are sick" BS.

That's what a SPOUSE is for.

...unless the spose works as well. But that's a debate for another time.

Anyway, "spouse" and "kids" don't exactly go hand-in-hand these days.

[sleet10]

hate to rain on the parade, if you drink and you get sick, YOU ARE SICK, whether you planned it or not. Really, New Year's Day shows (mornings) should not exist, NO ONE IS WATCHING. Hell, for the matter, there are so many football games on, they should not even have evening news, no one cares. Happy New Year to everyone.

[Marty McFly]

The 'problem' is that you're in a new year... with new sick time to use and abuse!

If it were that important to companies and tv stations to have people work on certain holidays, especially ones where people may call in sick, there should be incentives to NOT call in sick.

Namely... buy back the unused sick time.

[newz2me]

What can you do? People get sick. If they have sick days to use then there's not much you can do. Are they sick? Probably not. But do you want to show up at their door with a thermometer? All you can do is ask them if they would please drag their butt in anyway. Yes it is irresponsible to get so hammered where you cannot come in but people do legitimately get sick. You just have to accept their excuse and mentally file it away. If they show a pattern of calling in sick after a holiday or a lot of sick days on Fridays or Mondays then we have a problem.
As far as the kid is sick excuse it does happen. My kid was sick Christmas day with a 102 fever. My wife just got back to work on the 17th after being out a week for surgery. She had no sick days and would have to take an unpaid day off not to mention pissing off her bosses. While I have sick days to burn. However I choose NOT to stay home because of how bad it looks and I was already filling in for someone who I knew was on vacation. It financially hurts especially since 2 of her surgery days were unpaid to begin with. Now we have to add another one?!! But it does happen and people have good reasons. The day after New Years or any other holiday is just another day and sickness doesn't play favorites.

[Sir Dropham Pants]

Originally Posted by sleet10

hate to rain on the parade, if you drink and you get sick, YOU ARE SICK, whether you planned it or not. Really, New Year's Day shows (mornings) should not exist, NO ONE IS WATCHING. Hell, for the matter, there are so many football games on, they should not even have evening news, no one cares. Happy New Year to everyone.

BUT - if there is a New Year's Morning show, and you're scheduled to work it, drinking to the point of getting sick the night before is irresponsible and unprofessional. Yes, you are sick, but if I were the poor SOB who had to fill in for the person who drank himself sick the night before having to work, I'd be one angry dude.

[Diplomat]

Originally Posted by Sir Dropham Pants

BUT - if there is a New Year's Morning show, and you're scheduled to work it, drinking to the point of getting sick the night before is irresponsible and unprofessional. Yes, you are sick, but if I were the poor SOB who had to fill in for the person who drank himself sick the night before having to work, I'd be one angry dude.

It is as if they're almost PLANNING to be sick. And you'd be right to be angry.

I like Marty's idea of buying back sick time.

[TV Dad]

Originally Posted by newz2me

Yes it is irresponsible to get so hammered where you cannot come in but people do legitimately get sick. You just have to accept their excuse and mentally file it away. If they show a pattern of calling in sick after a holiday or a lot of sick days on Fridays or Mondays then we have a problem.

That's the key right there. Is this a one time thing or part of someone's overall pattern of disregard for their job? The only reason this is even a problem is because too often it's pattern behavior, but isn't treated as such.

[adam & doctor drew]

Originally Posted by Brain Cramp

should people who call in sick on New Year's Day be held accountable for proving their "illness" or do you just chalk it up to what it is and move on into the new year?

how exactly would you like them to "prove" their illlness?

[CKMD]

Originally Posted by adam & doctor drew

how exactly would you like them to "prove" their illlness?

You can't.
As a manager, you follow patterns. You write it down, keep it to yourself and watch the pattern. If calling in sick on days after you know there was a big party becomes an issue, there are legal ways to deal with that employee.

We all know people who do this...or take planned sick days.
But, companies should be more vigilant...I agree with TV Matt: if you call in sick on a holiday, you have to bring a doctor's note. It's not my problem if you can't get one...if you can't, you get docked pay.

[Chicago Dog]

Originally Posted by CKMD

You right it down, ...

"Right?"

Are you in a management position?

[!]

Originally Posted by sleet10

hate to rain on the parade, if you drink and you get sick, YOU ARE SICK, whether you planned it or not. Really, New Year's Day shows (mornings) should not exist, NO ONE IS WATCHING. Hell, for the matter, there are so many football games on, they should not even have evening news, no one cares. Happy New Year to everyone.

Doesn't matter.

Should you get paid less for working on days when "no one is watching"?

Your job is your job. You work when you are scheduled.

Or you get fired and let someone who is willing to work do it.

Originally Posted by sleet10

hate to rain on the parade, if you drink and you get sick, YOU ARE SICK, whether you planned it or not.

Hate to rain on your parade, but responsible adults don't do this when they are supposed to work the next day.

Attitudes like your are why companies can justify eliminating paid sick days. If kids like you abuse them, you lose them. Then you get stay home as much as you want...without pay.

[sleet10]

Nice to see the reaction to this post. Thanks for calling me a kid, I enjoy that. Just to put the record straight, I am older than dirt. Anyway, since being in the business for 13 years, I have taken 1 (one) thats right one sick day in all that time, not to be a martar, but I rarely get sick and getting someone to fill in for me on short notice is next to impossible. Listen, I agree that calling in sick on a holiday when one is scheduled to work is a load of crap, BUT, it is going to happen whether management likes it or not and keeping record of it (pattern) may just get someone fired, however, fire someone, got to train someone else for the lousy pay, etc, etc. It is a viscious circle. Management in our station has a hard enough time keeping people around due to the fab pay.

[News Is Broken]

Originally Posted by sleet10

Nice to see the reaction to this post. Thanks for calling me a kid, I enjoy that.

I wouldn't take it personally. He's a curmudgeon - says so right there under his name.

[jrat33]

Originally Posted by TVMattNYC

Calling in sick on a day like New Year's should result in being docked a week's vacation.

NO excuses.

If we are talking legit illness, I say keep your butt at home. Don't get the rest of the newsroom (or work place) sick. Don't play the hero. The company gives you sick time. Use it. News Directors that get upset that people take time off for being legitimately sick (flu, pnemonia, etc.) are idiots. That leads to people who are sick coming in and getting the rest of the newsroom sick. Newsrooms are worse than daycares when it comes to passing around germs.

Here in state gov't, if you call in sick the day before a holiday, you don't get paid for the holiday unless you can provide a legit sickness excuse.

[News Is Broken]

Feed them to The Thing:

[Sir Dropham Pants]

thanks for the pic of my favorite car ever, NIB. "iViva la cosa! Hecho en Mexico!"

[SamG]

Why does it make a difference that it's New Year's?

I produced the morning show when I got married. Morning crew took me out to my bachelor's party at 1pm on a Thursday. Wrapped up around 6, and went back to the station to get in our cars (I wasn't driving).

I wasn't let out of the car and the EVENING crew came out and took me out AGAIN. Naturally, a lot of drinks were consumed, including shots (note plural) bought by the ND. Finally beg out around 10pm (scheduled in at 1am). Get back to the apartment and my wife (then fiancee) wakes me up at midnight. I literally can't move.

I call in sick and the AE says "you will be in". I refuse. The 11pm producer from Thursday gets called back in to work Friday morning because the noon producer (normal fill-in) wouldn't answer her phone. I take the 11pm producer's Saturday morning shift.

Wedding on Sunday, honeymoon the following week, do the morning show the first Monday back, get called into the NDs office and get a two day suspension.

So, surprise bachelor party + boss buying shots + noon producer not answering phone = 2 day suspension.

This story is now part of station lore... oh yea, I'm still here. That was 14 years ago.

[RollTide98]

If you're my station, you consult the on-call schedule... Then ignore it... And call me in.

[News Is Broken]

Originally Posted by RollTide98

If you're my station, you consult the on-call schedule... Then ignore it... And call me in.

Sounds like everywhere else I've always worked. Which reminds me, what's your phone number again?

[MyracleMan]

Originally Posted by RollTide98

If you're my station, you consult the on-call schedule... Then ignore it... And call me in.

Are you me? When did I change my screen name? I'm so confused...

Originally Posted by adam & doctor drew

how exactly would you like them to "prove" their illlness?

Doctor's note. I don't care if you're puking your guts out, get down to the local clinic, get a doc to say you've got the flu/cold/pneumonia/gonaherpasyphillAIDS or whetever, and bring it in on your next scheduled day. If you don't do that, you're docked a day's pay, sick leave or not.

[ewink]

Originally Posted by Diplomat

I like Marty's idea of buying back sick time.

The only problem with that is that it encourages people to come in when they ARE sick, making everyone else sick which annoys me more than extra workload.

As for the calling in sick... one station I worked at would not give you holiday pay if you called in sick on the holiday, or the day before/after depending on if you were scheduled to work it or not.

Usually made sure people wouldn't call in unless they were really sick (if that happened and you brought in a doctor's note, you got your holiday pay).

[SamG]

Originally Posted by ewink

Usually made sure people wouldn't call in unless they were really sick (if that happened and you brought in a doctor's note, you got your holiday pay).

How in the heck are you supposed to get a doctor's note on a holiday? Go to the ER because you've got the flu? Yea, that makes sense.

[Angel's Hell]

I like news2me's idea of showing up at someone's door with a thermometer!