Well, calling in sick is fine. Just don’t post the fact that you faked it on Facebook. From Ananova:
An Australian call centre worker is in trouble after he bragged about “chucking a sickie” on Facebook. Management…(is) investigating after a viral email containing an exchange between Kyle Doyle and his boss was circulated around the world.
In the email, Doyle, 21, tried to convince his human resources department that he was genuinely unwell and could not come in to work. However, his plan came unstuck when Niresh Regmi sent him back a snapshot of his Facebook page with the status “not going to work, f*** it i’m still trashed SICKIE WOO”.
The email, which some reports had suggested was a hoax, starts with Regmi asking Doyle for a medical certificate to prove he deserved a day off. Doyle wrote back saying he did not need a medical certificate for one day’s leave.
Regmi replied that his line manager determined his leave was not due to medical reasons and when Kyle asked him for proof he sent him the Facebook posting.
Does this guy deserve to be employed? I’m sure 10 million Americans would be happy to have his job…
He could be the most productive worker there, but because he calls in sick one day he should lose his job?
The business should not care why he is sick unless he is using more than the 10 days of paid sick leave he is entitled to under Aussie law. Where do you draw the line in determining when someone is sick enough to stay home anyway?
America should get over the mentality that your productivity and usefulness to a company is directly related to the number of hours you put in on the job. We are woefully behind other developed nations when it comes to annual vacation and sick leave.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_statutory_minimum_employment_leave_by_country
There is also plenty of evidence that taking vacations and a sick day once in a while makes you a MORE productive worker….