Using Sick Leave before company is sold?

   / Using Sick Leave before company is sold? #31  
As a school district manager working under Calpers, my roughly 6 months of accumulated sick leave was transferred to service time when I retired. Nice bonus.
 
   / Using Sick Leave before company is sold? #32  
Ultra... I work for a old bay area medical equipment firm....based in Palo alto......Its not the same as it was.... Get your benefits now before they are gone...Dealing with lots of loss of benefits pay and otherwise that made it a good place to be.....currently 52 yo been with them for 26 yrs counting the days for the end to come.

Sick bank gone no buy out, PPl balance reduced/soon to be no carryover, incentatives dropped, moral gone. its the new world
 
   / Using Sick Leave before company is sold?
  • Thread Starter
#33  
^^^Do we work for the same company?

Many of my co-workers that retired years ago had tears in their eyes... they loved coming to work and they all left with nice nest eggs... some said it was just dumb luck back when the profit sharing was alive and well. It was also common to stay in touch.

I came in about two years prior to the first changes being implemented... still have my employee handbook and HR from 1991... glad I kept it because few would believe it...

It's hard to be a cheerleader when the writing is on the wall...
 
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   / Using Sick Leave before company is sold? #34  
Sorry to hear about your buyout, we have been through that several times. It is always a stressful situation and yes we have lost jobs because of it. But some of those large healthcare companies have really good benefits and make sound personnel decisions in a takeover so it is not always bad.

I have paid time off (PTO) and extended sick leave (EST). PTO covers vacation and the first two days of an illness, after that EST kicks in. PTO gets paid out on separation, EST does not. You can take PTO for any reason, vacation, illness, family illness, etc. EST is limited to you being sick or in the hospital and requires physician certification.

I agreed to my compensation package when I agreed to take the job and re-affirm that decision every two weeks when I collect my check. Not getting EST paid out on separation was part of that package. EST was there when I needed off 8 weeks for knee replacement surgery. Sounds like everyone is burning their EST but you.

I may be in the minority but I could not in good conscience take off EST without a valid reason. I was taught the first three questions of any business decision matrix are "Is it legal? Is it ethical? and "Is it morally right?" I think you have to answer those questions for yourself. From what it sounds like you already know the right answer.
 
   / Using Sick Leave before company is sold? #35  
I've been salary for over 20 years and I've been told the salaried position I hold will be going away...

There's your answer right there. They know there might be a lot of this type of debt on the books and this will wash it all away.

Use it. Can you find another job if need be?
 
   / Using Sick Leave before company is sold?
  • Thread Starter
#36  
Lots of good points and perspective.

About this time last year I decided to just see how this will all pan out...

We were to be sold in 2009... the crane was changing the name on the building and a court injunction stopped the sale... nothing to do with us... it was the company that was acquiring us... so for about 7 years things have been in limbo... with suitors coming and going.

My ace in the hole is I'm still the go to person for a lot of things...

The changes have not been all bad... I have branched out with a lot more responsibilities...

Kind of reminds me years ago when the management of the Oakland A's ballclub was hollowed out... there was a guy that was there through thick and thin that kept it all together.
 
   / Using Sick Leave before company is sold? #37  
I am similar, I've never used a sick day on my day job in my life, I just work those days where I am not feeling well at home and work as hard as ever. I did have surgery once but took calls as I was coming out of anesthesia and worked late to compensate. I take calls 24/7. There is no trust after I don't know how many re-orgs and buyouts.
 
   / Using Sick Leave before company is sold? #38  
The company for which I work has been bought and sold a few times, and each time, the policies change somewhat. Early on, there was no sick leave. Then there was sick leave, but only for when the employee was sick. Then the sick leave became viable for things such as sick dependents, then it morphed into PTO, then back to sick leave, etc.

Over the course of the years, there has always been a cap on how much sick leave/PTO/Vacation/etc. time could be accumulated. For the most part, sick leave was not allowed to be carried over. I have worked with a great number of great people, and many of them are much like the OP - worked for 20 plus years and never used sick leave. Early in my career, I used sick leave if I was sick, then if the kids were sick, etc. When we started using PTO, it didn't matter what you were doing - sick or well - you just didn't have to come to work. Currently, we are back to having separate "Occassional Leave Days" and vacation time, with limited carryover of each.

I use all of my time every year.

Why? I became jaded to the corporate mandates very, very early. At my location, at least, we have yet to give out the very first award for "Working While Sick". Personally, I rarely get sick. It doesn't bother me if someone else comes to work sick, but I'm not admiring their dedication either.

"Back in the Day" of family-owned businesses, personal sacrifice probably was noticed and potentially rewarded. In the business world today, with interchangeable management components, there's a good chance that my boss today won't be there in a couple of years and he wouldn't remember how many days I missed and how many I didn't.

I'm already of the assumption that I'm probably going to have to be gainfully employed in some capacity until I'm at least 70 - at least that's what I tell myself. We already own our property and home free and clear (except for taxes, of course), are generally healthy and live well but not lavishly. However, I tend to be a bit of a negaholic about things, and beyond my wife, I don't trust anyone about anything (especially coworkers!). I have also witnessed many people work tirelessly year in/year out, chained to their jobs (which is what I feel I am interpreting from the OP), planning to enjoy their retirement, only to have the rug pulled out from under them due to changes in their employer or their health.

I try to live every day as a good day, and not put off rewarding myself until retirement. If I can sneak out 15 minutes early (I'm salaried, so I'm not on the clock anyway), then I do. I'm an early riser, and generally spend 9-10 hours per day at work. Due to the nature of my job, sometimes I work weekends and holidays to complete projects while the manufacturing plant is down. However, if I do that, I take off some "comp time" - informally - to make up for it.

This may be coming across as though I am a slacker, but I don't feel that I am. I give my time and talents to the company in exchange for payment, and that is likely where my dedication to them, and theirs to me, ends. I don't shirk my responsibilities, but I know that giving more of myself will not result in any better rewards.

In the end, the decision rests, as others have said, with whatever you can personally deal with, morally and ethically. If you feel that taking the time off is immoral and unjustified, then ride it out to the end with that, and sleep well at night. Or, start taking time off and tell yourself that you are overdue for it.

I work in a facility that (more or less) operates 24/7/365. We have had many folks that are like the OP - integral to the operation, on call when they are not here, etc. Irreplaceable, or so they think. I've seen dozens of "irreplaceable" people come and go, sometimes of their own accord, sometimes otherwise. Does it cause a temporary hardship? Of course. But the business moves on. I feel that being so dedicated to a company, and being so important to it, can be a bit of a martyr complex, but that is up to the individual how much they will allow for a company to intrude upon their personal life.

Some of my favorite memories with my children and wife have been when I've taken the day off to use up accumulated time for the year. Those that let their time go to waste got neither compensation nor prizes.

Over the years, I've mowed a lot of cemeteries. I have yet to trim around a tombstone that reads "I Wish I Spent More Time At Work."

Sorry about the dissertation. Didn't really think that I had that much to say, but it is a current topic at my workplace, due to a recent change in ownership, so this subject is very much at hand in my personal life. In the end, make whatever decision suits you best, and I wish you well.

Good luck and take care.
 
   / Using Sick Leave before company is sold? #39  
Lots of good points and perspective.

About this time last year I decided to just see how this will all pan out...

We were to be sold in 2009... the crane was changing the name on the building and a court injunction stopped the sale... nothing to do with us... it was the company that was acquiring us... so for about 7 years things have been in limbo... with suitors coming and going.

My ace in the hole is I'm still the go to person for a lot of things...

The changes have not been all bad... I have branched out with a lot more responsibilities...

Kind of reminds me years ago when the management of the Oakland A's ballclub was hollowed out... there was a guy that was there through thick and thin that kept it all together.

^^^
A glass-half-full approach (that alone takes significant energy, in today's corp world), coupled with your skills..... there's a chance things will work out well for you. Here's hoping :thumbsup:.

I've never been one to take much sick time for myself, but I've taken some (unpaid, in my circumstances) off in recent years for family matters...... If you could use some time-off for personal matters, go ahead and take it. In corporate circles, a spotless record like yours doesn't mean as much as it really should.

You may have covered this already ur, but if not, go see a labour (labor ;)) specialized lawyer re. your potential severance. While the USA has always been known as litigious, the reality today is that Canada is not far behind. Many of the AM talk-radio stations run employment law shows here, and being out of Toronto, they have some of the top lawyers in the country on once in a while. Granted, these law firms have a service to sell, but what I pay attention to is the general trends........ employers will offer the absolute minimum in a severance package - smart companies will be at the legal-minimum, some, not even that. In recent years here, I've seen a significant rise in the difference between the legal minimums the govt mandates for severance, and what court action will produce... even after allowing for the legal fees.

Long way of saying - esp. considering how long you've been there.... if it comes up, don't sign anything without feedback and approval from a competent labour lawyer. These things usually get presented (late-nite-infomercial voice...) as Limited Time Offer, Must Sign in 48 Hours ! , so just wanted to light this issue up now....

Rgds, D.
 
   / Using Sick Leave before company is sold?
  • Thread Starter
#40  
I think rtimgray made a good point... when you have a good relationship history with your supervisor/boss they know and appreciate your contributions to the business... having the same one for 23 years that also happened to be one of the founders would seem to be unusual in today's business world.

It's been almost 2 years without an on site CEO or Administrator... leaving just two of us taking care of business and for the most part doing a darn fine job.

Certainly has changed my job... if there is broken glass in the parking lot I get the call to sweep it up... if we need a $70,000 piece of equipment or contract negotiation... it is my signature on the purchase order... I just won a successful half million dollar over 10 years property tax appeal six months in the making...

In one way it is very much an opportunity to step up and shine... just not sure if it will be valued/recognized when all is said and done.

Also... the question of all the other department/managers leaving without so much as a word is noticed by those still here.

One observation to add... it has taken as many as 3 people to do the job after a key worker leaves... at least in the beginning... last year one manager left and we now have two full time people doing that job... each paid about 60% of what the manager was getting... so while the job is getting done... the cost to the company is at least 30% higher when it is all said and done.
 

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