Job Discussion Forums

[Markness]

How many of you folk work in some sort of organization that demands 24 hours of notice before you will call-in sick? Are sick days deducted?

By law here, if you are sick you are still supposed to get 70 percent of pay per sick day. Anyone get docked for a full day of work if they miss one?

edit: forgot to mention that the contract was rock solid except for this clause was rather vague and was an oversight and I never followed up (which was my bad).

[Son of Bud Powell]

All of my contracts have called for some sort of penalty for being sick, but I've never been docked for pay. Then again, I have missed very few classes through the years.

In truth, others whom I know who work for public institutions have never been docked except for those who are chronically absent.

I remember seeing a clause in a contract requiring 24 hours notice for calling in sick and I questioned it. It was explained to me that "sick" was just a euphemism for unexplained absence. I got that straightened very quickly.

[jimpellow]

My first observation about sickness in China is that Chinese almost always keep on working. If course, this is one of several reasons why most people in China get sick very often.

My first job at Web gave me three days a year. When I tried to use them, my boss allowed me per se, but begged me not to take the day off as he didn't have another teacher to cover the day. So I sucked it in and suffered for the school. When I renewed my contract I realized after signing that my sick time had not carried forward. When asked he said that one loses all sick time when a contract ends. I was miffed, but half at myself as I had then been in China a year and should have known their slimy ways by then. Needless to say, I made sure I used all my allotted sick time the second contract.

By the end of second contract, I was sick less often. My system seems to have acclimated to China better in at least some ways, and I learned to be Howard Hughes like with frequent hand sanitizer applications and such. Hence, I was only seriously sick once during my second job teaching high school A-levels for three years.

Of course, the one morning I did try to call in, while taking a break from over the toilet bowl, I was told I could not as I did not have a doctor's notice. So I went in and did the classes, then went and yelled at the school's FAO, then wrote some nasty messages to my employer, who then called the FAO and apparently yelled at them because when the second teacher came on when the program expanded, and called in sick every other week, nothing was ever said.

I think some of the attitude towards sick leave is due to the power the employer traditionally has had over the employee. I think the other part is cultural, you are either not-sick, or you are deadly sick. Whenever I was in the hospital getting the standard IV, I would see sick Chinese getting carried in by their family as if death was imminent. On one occasion a sick young man was deposited in the seats across from me, and then when they family disappeared to do something for five minutes, his health improved remarkably, and then when he saw the family reappearing, he went back into death bed mode.

But yeah, the 24 hour requirement always baffled me. I just assigned it to Chinese lack of logic, but the above poster's comment with the way it was explained to him makes sense to me.

[Markness]

Thanks for the replies from the standard solid posters.

Jim - that's the kicker. Why have sick days if we're not allowed to use them? There is some sort of fetish that is had by most of the employers where they get off on trying to deduct/guilt you into coming in, even if you are legitimately sick.

It's one thing if its a hangover, but, its an another if I have food poisoning or the flu. The folks here are nuts.

"24 hours or no pay", my part-time employer said.

"Fine, I'm not coming to work anymore", I replied.

"Okay okay, this time it's okay, just come next time please?", and then I received frantic calls from the Chinese manager.

These people I tell you...

[Deats]

How do you know 24 hours BEFORE you are going to be sick? Do you sit down and think 'Hmm, I'm gonna go for a long walk in the city and spend the evening licking the soles of my shoes. So I'll give the school a ring now and then I will take my sick day.' Clowns.

My old uni was good. If I took a sick day, it was fine. I always compensated the lesson though.

In my contract then and my new contract it claims that sick pay is due for up to 30 days. HOWEVER, in my new contract it says I must work 512 hours a year - nothing about per week etc - so miss a lesson and I will have to compensate somewhere down the line. I don't have a problem with this though.

Where I worked we were also supposed to have a Chinese co-teacher in some dumb ass 100+ oral English classes to NEM who we only saw once a semester. Often the Chinese teachers wouldn't turn up. So occasionally I would call in 5 mins before my lesson and say I was sick. They screwed me when they chose, so quid pro quo amigo. I was never docked pay, and if they tried that, I would walk out on them. I have no problem compensating, as that is the reasonable solution for all concerned.

[GreatApe]

Personally, I'm afforded a certain amount of sick days each contract (but I forget the number because I haven't read my contract in quite awhile).

If I miss more days than I'm technically allowed, I generally have to supply my school with a doctor's note and/or some receipts and it's All Good at that point. It's happened only once in the last two years, but I've never had my pay withheld or cut short due to taking too many sick days. I don't miss unless I have to; last week I missed one day due to a cold and fever.

All better now!

--GA