4/16    I have a subordinate who is sick a lot. I think she's legimately sick
        most of the time (if not all) since she has doctor's notes (and
        even had a surgery once for a problem) but she is sick so often that it
        jeopardizes her ability to get work done and strains her teammates.
        This latest time she was out 3 weeks for bronchitis, which seems
        like an awful long time to me but she does have a doctor's note. She
        has more than once used all of her sick time up and had to go
        on unpaid leave (just to give an idea of frequency). I don't know
        what to do. I feel bad for her, but I have work to do. I am not
        sure if I can reprimand her or what options I have. I am paying
        for a full-time employee but getting 75% time work. Her work is
        good when she is present and she has a long tenure with the company.
        \_ Seems like maybe something HR could help you with.  I know for
           the most part HR tends to be full of people that talk a big
           game, and never really accomplish much, but this is exactly
           the kind of thing that they are supposed to be getting payed for.
           the kind of thing that they are supposed to be getting paid for.
        \_ This can be tough, I had a guy like this, who was a top performer,
           had a kid, then started calling in sick all the time and falling
           way back. I kept reprimanding him for missing deadlines, finally
           wrote him up and threatened to fire him and then he straightened
           out. If I would have had to fire him, I would have felt like a
           heel, but then again, no one told you that management was going
           to be all a bowl of cherries, did they? You should talk to your
           boss first, to make sure they are on board with whatever you are
           going to do.
        \_ People get old.  sucks.  we can't all work 12 hours a day every
           day like a single guy fresh out of school.