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When I lived in Australia I had to present MC if I too time off on Monday or Friday. So I used to show up to work sick and get sent home because it was cheaper

When I lived in Australia I had to present MC if I too time off on Monday or Friday. So I used to show up to work sick and get sent home because it was cheaper than seeing a doctor for a sniffle. In Singapore we have the MC requirement but I’ve been with the company 9 years so I just tell my boss when I’m sick. Don’t bother seeing doctor. Unless I’m sick for a few days with no feeling of getting better than I go and take time off work at that point.

dheera 5y ago
Damn. Even in Australia? Yeah, I mean, the employee should decide if they need medical help. The company should trust the employee if they say they are sick. Staying at home in bed is a valid way to deal with minor sickness and minor injury. Not all health issues need a doctor. The body is wonderfully good at recovering from minor issues by NOT trekking out when you don't need to. That fact should be recognized. I generally didn't understand at all the bureaucratic trust issues in such a well-educated place where most people were trustworthy to start with.
- philliphaydon 5y ago
  Australia is super common for people to take sickies on fridays or mondays to get long weekends hence the request for mc. While tuesday-Thursday usually not required. Depends on the company tho. Singapore is more strict tho.
  - dheera 5y ago
    > super common for people to take sickies on fridays or mondays to get long weekends Why not just give them enough PTO so they can get a few long weekends here and there, and they won't need to lie.
    - philliphaydon 5y ago
      I assume PTO is personal time off? In Australia its called AL, or Annual Leave. The problem is that people will have a huge party weekend then be hungover on Monday, or want to spend Friday getting the party started. And they decide this at the last minute, so they take a sickie instead of planning in advance. Often you cannot take AL ~1-2 weeks, you need to plan it out in advance.
      - phist_mcgee 5y ago
        I don't mind that Australia has 6 weeks of PTO (4 weeks holiday, 2 weeks sick), but I wish it was a little easier to combine the two. Some companies are very strict with sick leave not going into negative, so may get anstsy if you use too much. It would be nice if we had 6 weeks pooled. I also don't like that emplyoers can mandate the 1 week shut down over christmas too, which eats into your own leave.
        dheera 5y ago
        > very strict with sick leave not going into negative Why? Do they at least allow unpaid negative sick leave? Some surgeries and heart operations and things need a month to recover. Pooling it IMO isn't always the best result. The problem is that the people who get sick a lot are the ones who also get a lot of work stress, the work stress compounds into more sickness due to lost sleep / lost vitamin D / etc., and they are actually the ones who need the holiday time the most. People who have zero health issues probably have good work life balance already, at least enough to get exercise, eat healthy, and sleep well, and although they too deserve holiday, they need it less than the people who are already exhibiting the symptoms of overworking (lots of body issues). Especially in the US where many only have 2 weeks of paid leave, or in many cases, 0 weeks.
        melbournegrad 5y ago
        You can take leave its just not paid. IIrc you can take abscences of up to 12 months due to illness or inury unpaid, before they may be justified in letting you go. Most jobs have at least: 4 weeks paid leave (annual) 2 weeks sick leave (which may require a note depending on company policy) 12 months parental leave for new/adoptive parents 6 weeks of Long service leave after 7 years, growing at the rate of roughly one week per year thereafter In addition to this we have 13 days of public holiday Source: Australian employment lawyer
    - refurb 5y ago
      Don’t they already get like 25 days off in Australia?
phist_mcgee 5y ago
Couldnt find a bulk bill doctor?

dheera 5y ago

Damn. Even in Australia? Yeah, I mean, the employee should decide if they need medical help. The company should trust the employee if they say they are sick. Staying at home in bed is a valid way to deal with minor sickness and minor injury. Not all health issues need a doctor. The body is wonderfully good at recovering from minor issues by NOT trekking out when you don't need to. That fact should be recognized. I generally didn't understand at all the bureaucratic trust issues in such a well-educated place where most people were trustworthy to start with.

philliphaydon 5y ago
Australia is super common for people to take sickies on fridays or mondays to get long weekends hence the request for mc. While tuesday-Thursday usually not required. Depends on the company tho. Singapore is more strict tho.
- dheera 5y ago
  > super common for people to take sickies on fridays or mondays to get long weekends Why not just give them enough PTO so they can get a few long weekends here and there, and they won't need to lie.
  - philliphaydon 5y ago
    I assume PTO is personal time off? In Australia its called AL, or Annual Leave. The problem is that people will have a huge party weekend then be hungover on Monday, or want to spend Friday getting the party started. And they decide this at the last minute, so they take a sickie instead of planning in advance. Often you cannot take AL ~1-2 weeks, you need to plan it out in advance.
    - phist_mcgee 5y ago
      I don't mind that Australia has 6 weeks of PTO (4 weeks holiday, 2 weeks sick), but I wish it was a little easier to combine the two. Some companies are very strict with sick leave not going into negative, so may get anstsy if you use too much. It would be nice if we had 6 weeks pooled. I also don't like that emplyoers can mandate the 1 week shut down over christmas too, which eats into your own leave.
      - dheera 5y ago
        > very strict with sick leave not going into negative Why? Do they at least allow unpaid negative sick leave? Some surgeries and heart operations and things need a month to recover. Pooling it IMO isn't always the best result. The problem is that the people who get sick a lot are the ones who also get a lot of work stress, the work stress compounds into more sickness due to lost sleep / lost vitamin D / etc., and they are actually the ones who need the holiday time the most. People who have zero health issues probably have good work life balance already, at least enough to get exercise, eat healthy, and sleep well, and although they too deserve holiday, they need it less than the people who are already exhibiting the symptoms of overworking (lots of body issues). Especially in the US where many only have 2 weeks of paid leave, or in many cases, 0 weeks.
        melbournegrad 5y ago
        You can take leave its just not paid. IIrc you can take abscences of up to 12 months due to illness or inury unpaid, before they may be justified in letting you go. Most jobs have at least: 4 weeks paid leave (annual) 2 weeks sick leave (which may require a note depending on company policy) 12 months parental leave for new/adoptive parents 6 weeks of Long service leave after 7 years, growing at the rate of roughly one week per year thereafter In addition to this we have 13 days of public holiday Source: Australian employment lawyer
  - refurb 5y ago
    Don’t they already get like 25 days off in Australia?

phist_mcgee 5y ago

Couldnt find a bulk bill doctor?