'Tis the season for Christmas farewells and retirements.
Festive office parties around the country will also be doubling as "good-byes" for colleagues who are moving on, or swapping the daily grind for their retirement place in the sun.
In Masterton, enrolled nurse Sally Bartlett is embracing retirement after working at the Wairarapa Hospital her entire career. And while her 44 years represents impressive loyalty and dedication, it's her sick leave balance that really sets the standard.
Her final service print-out reveals a whopping 7992 sick hours in lieu.
Dividing that figure by eight hours — for a normal work day — equates to almost 1000 days of sick leave, or put another way, almost three years' worth.
Bartlett, who turns 65 in April but is retiring now "to enjoy the summer if we get one", said the figure seemed unbelievable but she had been told it is accurate.
She said she has always been loathe to claim a sick day unless it was absolutely necessary — a legacy of her childhood when her parents refused to fall for "sickies" from school.
On gaining her job at the hospital, her father Fred reminded her that taking unwarranted sick days was akin to "stealing from your employer".
"Yes, it is quite an old-fashioned attitude these days, but it has always stayed with me."
Just as well, then, that she has enjoyed good health all her life — other than two bouts of Covid which eroded her balance ever so slightly.
And just to be sure, Bartlett wanted the point to be made that in these days of Covid, she is in no way advocating that people come to work sick.
Bartlett's career has been divided almost equally between working on the wards as a younger nurse — "that was pretty tough" — and now in the outpatients unit where the tempo was slightly less demanding.
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