Basically the title. I have about 7 sick PTO days that I need to use in the next 3 months. I'm of the use it or lose it mindset. The only reason I have so much time off is that I went a year without missing but like 1 day.
Now I have to miss a day pretty much every other week to get full value for my labor and I'm wondering how I can do it without tipping my supervisor off or disrupting my coworkers a ton.
For what it's worth, I wouldn't do this if I loved my job. This place has been a radioactive hazard to my mental health due to its toxicity. A dozen others in this department have quit in less than a year, which is a big deal considering this is a small office. Me, one older lady about to go into retirement, and management are the only people from the original team I started with about 2 years ago. I'm the only person left in my team that is supposed to be five people at all times and I'm just being saddled with all the work and being slapped in the ass to get it done. I feel so burnt out that my mind gets hazy and my heart rate goes up just thinking about going in.
The way I'm setting things up with using my PTO, I should only have to work about 65% of the work days over the next 3 months. I have these 5-7 sick leave days that I can spring up any time. Any suggestions on how to best use them? Creative excuses I could use so I don't have a stomach bug every two weeks?
Let me reiterate that I would not be doing this if my job wasn't a toxic wasteland. I know this is borderline unethical but I'd rather not go to work as often as I can for the sake of my mental health.
I'm currently a full-time MA student so my weeks look like 40hrs work and 20-30hrs coursework. By January I am planning to have a part-time job or graduate assistantship to get me by until graduation. I think it is important to note that I work for the same place I study at.