USING SICK DAYS FOR VACATION?

Dear Career Doctor:

I said I was sick but I really went to Disney.

Gin

Dear Gin:

Is this a confession or a question? If you got caught, then apologize and tell your boss you will work very hard to earn back his/her trust. If you didn't get caught, be grateful. Don't tell anyone what you did, and don't do anything like that again.

If you are a healthy person, it's tempting to use accumulated sick days for fun. There are wonderful bosses who will give you permission to take a few and use them any way you want. If you work for a tougher boss, an occasional "mental health day" may be ok, if you stay home to field calls from the office. . But in any other circumstance, especially if you go out of town on a trip you want to talk about, it's too easy to get caught. The penalty could be anything from losing the trust of your employer to getting fired.

The Career Doctor