yeah, i was very sick last week and had to call out 2x. our sm sent a message to everyone in the store as a "reminder" that we needed to be putting down sick time or else it would be considered unexcused. i had enough time to cover it but still i'd never been told that so

Sick time is protected and that’s the reason you cant get written up or in trouble for not finding shift coverage. If you don’t use sick time, your missed shifts appear as just regular absences in the system and attendance issues get flagged.