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Poll: About how many sick days do you usually take per year? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "About how many sick days do you usually take per year?".
View the poll results »
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| Sick days? None | May 13, 2020 |
I don’t take sick days: I’m a freelancer, not an employee. The last time I didn’t work for health reasons was in 2018: I had a pelvic fracture in January as a consequence of a fall at home, it wasn’t serious and though it was extremely painful and it took a long time to heal I could go on working, except for 2 or 3 days (as a coincidence I had no work). Otherwise, I can’t remember being so sick that I couldn’t work (at least since I started freelancing again in 2006)...
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| As many as I need | May 13, 2020 |
I don’t buy into that whole “you can’t take time off if you’re self-employed” thing.
Yes, you can.
That said, I don’t think I’ve ever pushed back a deadline due to illness. The trick is not to overcommit.
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| Strange question | May 13, 2020 |
Such things as sick leave, vacation, holiday, etc. are inapplicable to freelancers
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Edwige Thomas
France
Local time: 19:49
Member (2014)
English to French
+ ...
| freelancer life | May 13, 2020 |
I remember working hard in my bed while I had a fever. I would never had gone to work in such circumstances as an employee.
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Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:49
Member (2008)
Italian to English
ProZ.com Staff wrote:
This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "About how many sick days do you usually take per year?". View the poll results »
None. I am self-employed. Sick days do not exist.
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Thomas Pfann 
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:49
Member (2006)
English to German
+ ...
Probably closer to 0 than to one, so I selected none.
And being self-employed has nothing to do with it. When I was an employee it was the same – I probably lost one day every two or three years due to sickness.
I don't buy into the whole 'freelancers can't afford to be sick or take holidays'. When you are sick you are sick – sometimes you can continue to work, at other times you will want to stay in bed or will even spend a few days in hospital. Losing one or more... See more Probably closer to 0 than to one, so I selected none.
And being self-employed has nothing to do with it. When I was an employee it was the same – I probably lost one day every two or three years due to sickness.
I don't buy into the whole 'freelancers can't afford to be sick or take holidays'. When you are sick you are sick – sometimes you can continue to work, at other times you will want to stay in bed or will even spend a few days in hospital. Losing one or more working days is equally inconvenient for employees and the self-employed but it is not a problem. ▲ Collapse
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| silly question | May 13, 2020 |
Freelancers do not take sick days, the question should be rephrased.
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Freelancers, you can even take a vacation, but you need to be aware that the days when you don't work don't get paid.
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| I rearrange my schedule | May 13, 2020 |
I probably take more time off than I am aware of, but I never note it as time off sick. I am a freelancer after all!
Even with medication, I cannot work when I have a migraine attack, but I can usually deliver on time anyway.
I have once or twice contacted a client and asked for a little extra time, or delivered a job that needed proofreading with a note that it should be carefully checked before delivery to the end client. Good clients usually understand that we are only hum... See more I probably take more time off than I am aware of, but I never note it as time off sick. I am a freelancer after all!
Even with medication, I cannot work when I have a migraine attack, but I can usually deliver on time anyway.
I have once or twice contacted a client and asked for a little extra time, or delivered a job that needed proofreading with a note that it should be carefully checked before delivery to the end client. Good clients usually understand that we are only human!
[Edited at 2020-05-13 13:35 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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| Freelancers don't take sick days in the strict sense | May 13, 2020 |
Teresa Borges wrote:
I don’t take sick days: I’m a freelancer, not an employee.
Exactly what I thought when I read the poll question. Sometimes I'm a bit sick and can deal with ongoing work, if needed with help of paracetamol. Actually I probably dealt with COVID-19 this way in March; I was extremely tired and had a headache for 24 hours while my husband was very ill with typical symptoms for almost two weeks. Anyway, if I'm ill, I stay in bed and don't try to do my work - it would only be mediocre anyway. Fortunately I have not had this situation since I've been a freelancer, but I have several trustworthy colleagues who could take over assignments that really can't wait.
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Mario Freitas
Brazil
Local time: 15:49
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
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| Question for in-house workers? | May 13, 2020 |
Sometimes the questions posted in this forum are clearly meant for other publics.
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Lincoln Hui
Hong Kong
Local time: 02:49
Member
Chinese to English
+ ...
The only legitimate illness I've suffered these few years is recurring stomach inflammation, which is mostly kept in check now by prudent eating habits, but which flares up every now and then. It has occasionally resulted in me being completely out of action for hours, but if I'm not actively vomiting my guts out I'm usually working rather than doing something else, since lying down makes it worse, and if I'm just sitting down I might as well have something to do to distract myself.
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Bora Taşdemir
Local time: 21:49
Member (2012)
English to Turkish
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| I Don't Know | May 13, 2020 |
Well, I don't really remember when was the last time I took a sick day-off, but I certainly take a day off if I feel too overwhelmed and the urge to take a break. I do this to keep the high quality of my service and avoid a burn-out. I also take weekends most of the time off (I don't really believe that you should work over the weekends just because you're freelancer and/or work from home), so I don't really need to take a sick day-off in general.
[Bearbeitet am 2020-05-13 14:33 GMT]
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neilmac
Spain
Local time: 19:49
Spanish to English
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Unless of course, I am actually sick. By which I mean too sick to work. Which isn't often. And I no longer suffer from the customary hangovers of a misspent youth.
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