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There is nothing like encouraging people to go to work so they can help the spread of influenza, the common cold, and other maladies. Within a few month they will have even lower attendance, while incurring higher medical costs. What a winning solution! Its time to stick a fork in this company. It's management is showing itself to between inept and pathetic.

Doesn't matter. Besides, you know what's going on here.

BS. You cannot believe the abuse of sick pay and FMLA. You simply cannot believe it. My s-i-l manages a group of service reps who make 50K/year have the best benefit package available anywhere, and can't manage to get to work on time, if at all.

By the end of February, all have used their vacation allotment for the YEAR. (This is a minumum of 3 weeks including personal days and often 4-5 weeks) They then start taking sick days, and signing up for FMLA for some made-up condition.

How do you run a busness like that? They can't fire these people unless they can prove fraud. How do you get that type of information? You hire investigators and dig into their 'private' lives. What else do you expect a company to do? What would you do if it were YOUR company?

There is nothing like encouraging people to go to work so they can help the spread of influenza, the common cold, and other maladies. Within a few month they will have even lower attendance, while incurring higher medical cost.

Incorrect. That's not what they are asking. If you are sick, stay home. Just let's see some proof, is all.

Some years ago, my grandfather worked for an auto manufacturer. Much of his job could best be described as the "drunk wrangler." Absenteeism was so high on Mondays that his job was to go out and roust enough employees out of bed so they could start the assembly line.

The problem isn't illness, it's laziness -- and union contracts.

There is nothing like encouraging people to go to work so they can help ~~the spread of influenza, the common cold, and other maladies~~ their friends move, the local ball team win and their favorite bar prosper. Within a few month they will ~~have even lower attendance~~ have reigned in these sick leave abusers, while ~~incurring higher medical costs~~ increasing productivity and improving the bottom line. What a winning solution! Its time to ~~stick a fork in~~ pin a medal on this company. It's management is showing itself to ~~between inept and pathetic~~ be responsive to stockholders and intolerant of employee theft of sick time.

So I guess we won't be seeing any posts from you that bitches about the quality of US made goods!

When the guy who's supposed to show up to put on the steering wheel doesn't make it into work, and doesn't call in, and dosen't care because he is not measured, and paid, and advanced for his superior output or attendance or even lack of body odor, that means either the line stops, or someone else has to do the job that the trained guy was supposed to do. So, either the company has a few hundred extra guys around waiting for an assignment when the shift starts; or the line is stopped; or the car goes down the line without a steering wheel. If this pool of extras arn't needed for today's no shows, they get paid anyway.

Now take that example for a really complex part, that's buried in an engine or electronic part. We don't want to hear from you that your car broke down because of some stupid engineer at GM designed your car wrong.

It should be that if you don't show up, you're fired, and the company should be able to call back one of their laid off workers, who they continue to pay 90% wages and benefits. But that's against the union contract, so the company is totally stymied.

So ARCADIA, what would you do?

There is nothing like encouraging people to go to work so they can help the spread of influenza, the common cold, and other maladies. Within a few month they will have even lower attendance, while incurring higher medical costs.

If people have real influenza or a stomach virus, then by all means stay home. The common cold is part of life and if people don't catch it at the office, they'll catch it at the mall or on the subway or in McDonalds etc. Too many people call in sick because of the sniffles or a headache. My response, "Suck it up and get your ass in here."