Off sick for 4 weeks boss insisting on visiting me at home.

Zazen999

PaulusCliftus wrote: »

Surely its for when I'm fit to return to work? That's not for him to decide which he seems to think it is. I cannot tell him when I'm going to back right now.

Well it does not exactly matter anyway, as he is not taking on for an answer. So short of not answering the door and never leaving the house there is not much I can do.

But how is he to know when you are hoping to return if you don't communicate?

How is he to offer support to try and facilitate your return if you don't communicate?

If you do not want his to enter your house, tell him that you are not going to be meeting him at your home, but that you are happy to meet him at a suitable venue. I'd suggest the cafe at the nearest hospital - just to make the point.

SueC_2

PaulusCliftus wrote: »

I cannot tell him when I'm going to back right now.

But how does he know that if you don't communicate with him?

He is sitting in an office, with nothing other than a sick note in front of him. He doesn't know whether you are likely to be back to work next week (or whenever the current note runs out) of if it is likely to be a prolonged period of sickness and you are not likely to be back for months/years.

He doesn't know if your sickness is a binary situation (ie. you are either completely fit or completely unfit for work) or if there is an area of grey (ie. if he adapted your work situation in any way - reduced your hours, took away certain duties for example) you would be able to return to work sooner in some capacity.

In fairness to him (which I fully understand he may or may not deserve) he needs to be able to manage his business and arrange cover for your absence. Without the relevant information from you he is not able to do this.

All I am really trying to get across is that communication is key to some kind of mutually beneficial resolution, and isn't necessarily a bad thing to get worked up about.


Note: Cross-posted with Zazen, so obviously am not completely alone in thinking this way!

lynzpower

SueC wrote: »

But how does he know that if you don't communicate with him?

He is sitting in an office, with nothing other than a sick note in front of him. He doesn't know whether you are likely to be back to work next week (or whenever the current note runs out) of if it is likely to be a prolonged period of sickness and you are not likely to be back for months/years.

He doesn't know if your sickness is a binary situation (ie. you are either completely fit or completely unfit for work) or if there is an area of grey (ie. if he adapted your work situation in any way - reduced your hours, took away certain duties for example) you would be able to return to work sooner in some capacity.

In fairness to him (which I fully understand he may or may not deserve) he needs to be able to manage his business and arrange cover for your absence. Without the relevant information from you he is not able to do this.

All I am really trying to get across is that communication is key to some kind of mutually beneficial resolution, and isn't necessarily a bad thing to get worked up about.


Note: Cross-posted with Zazen, so obviously am not completely alone in thinking this way!

The sick note changed to a fit note at the beginning of April .
Tne GP will be making an assessment as to whether adaptation and preps to return ( eg phased , part time etc) and this will be written in the note

However, if GP feels that no work is appropriate at the moment, then they will sign you off.

I have experienced this myself recently.

Uncertain

SueC wrote: »

He doesn't know if your sickness is a binary situation (ie. you are either completely fit or completely unfit for work) or if there is an area of grey (ie. if he adapted your work situation in any way - reduced your hours, took away certain duties for example) you would be able to return to work sooner in some capacity.

Of course the employer knows the OP is not completely fit otherwise he would not have a sick note!

The next note issued by the GP will have to be of the new type where he can chose between "unfit" and "maybe fit subject to certain adjustments". This will give the employer something approaching an OH assessment without having to pay for it!

I don't think it is unreasonable to tell the employer to wait for this and (if correct) that his medical advice is that a meeting at the moment would not be helpful. If the employer chooses to ignore this then it is probably one tick on the harassment list.

My view it that the OP should gently but firmly take the initiative. Update the employer regularly by email (even if this doesn't provide any useful information) and, subject to his doctor's agreement, decline any offer to meet on medical advice. Also establish if his illness amounts to a disability in the legal sense.

Meanwhile, choose between:-

Resign and move on.

or

Sit tight, string it out and wait to be pushed (and maybe make claim if not done properly).

or

Make one last effort to see if problems can be resolved.

PaulusCliftus

Well I can confirm I have been keeping them updated as much as possible via email. There is nothing I could tell them face to face that I've not already communicated to them. So I shall politely refuse again for now as it is genuinely making me feel extremely unwell. I shall also hint at the possibility that if it does become long term then I won't stand in the way of company progress. I'm still of the opinion that this will be nothing short of an exercise in making sure they can replace with me with the people they are already interviewing.

As I've said before, he has an appalling track record of bullying people into doing things his way and has no compassion for employees, only for clients. I can't really go into great detail on here but at the end of the day I know its really having an adverse effect on me at this moment in time. The doctors already expressed concern for my well being and I think I'm not far off finding myself sectioned. Something I shall let my employer know in my response.

Thanks for all the advice and varied opinions though, they have all influenced fairly positively me to some extent.

lynzpower

The next note issued by the GP will have to be of the new type where he can chose between "unfit" and "maybe fit subject to certain adjustments". This will give the employer something approaching an OH assessment without having to pay for it!

I don't think it is unreasonable to tell the employer to wait for this and (if correct) that his medical advice is that a meeting at the moment would not be helpful. If the employer chooses to ignore this then it is probably one tick on the harassment list.

THIS ISNT correct.

GPS can still sign off if they feel no work is appropriate. It doesn't have to have adjustments on it.

PaulusCliftus

lynzpower wrote: »

THIS ISNT correct.

GPS can still sign off if they feel no work is appropriate. It doesn't have to have adjustments on it.

Yeah from what I've seen of the note its an optional part they can fill if they see it as appropriate.

The last time I spoke to my doctor he said to try and make a decision concerning what I wish to do about work. I'm seeing him a week on Monday. I'm not intending on stringing along my boss for months and months if I decide not to go back. With my rambling posts on here it may have seemed that way.

Uncertain

lynzpower wrote: »

THIS ISNT correct.

GPS can still sign off if they feel no work is appropriate. It doesn't have to have adjustments on it.

Read my post again, that is exactly what I said!!!!!!!!!!

The GP can choose between "unfit" and "maybe fit subject to certain adjustments"

Unfit = sign off!

SueC_2

Uncertain wrote: »

Of course the employer knows the OP is not completely fit otherwise he would not have a sick note!

The next note issued by the GP will have to be of the new type where he can chose between "unfit" and "maybe fit subject to certain adjustments". This will give the employer something approaching an OH assessment without having to pay for it!

By your own reasoning your logic is flawed.

Sick notes issued before April didn't have the 'third' option (ie. a "maybe fit..." box).

That doesn't mean that all employees who were signed off before April were completely unfit for work, or that there were no employees who may have been fit for work had reasonable adjustments been made, it just means that box wasn't on the form!

dmg24

PaulusCliftus wrote: »

Well I can confirm I have been keeping them updated as much as possible via email. There is nothing I could tell them face to face that I've not already communicated to them. So I shall politely refuse again for now as it is genuinely making me feel extremely unwell. I shall also hint at the possibility that if it does become long term then I won't stand in the way of company progress. I'm still of the opinion that this will be nothing short of an exercise in making sure they can replace with me with the people they are already interviewing.

As I've said before, he has an appalling track record of bullying people into doing things his way and has no compassion for employees, only for clients. I can't really go into great detail on here but at the end of the day I know its really having an adverse effect on me at this moment in time. The doctors already expressed concern for my well being and I think I'm not far off finding myself sectioned. Something I shall let my employer know in my response.

Thanks for all the advice and varied opinions though, they have all influenced fairly positively me to some extent.

From the employers POV, you have sent them an email saying that your doctor has mentioned schizophrenia. The employer probably has no knowledge of the condition, but will be well aware that it is a serious condition that may lead to long term absence. They may wish to ask you more about what your GP has said, how this may impact on your work, and how they can help.

Look at the meeting another way - what harm do you think it will actually do? Whilst it is never nice having unwelcome people come into your home, this is the one time you can control what happens. If the meeting is going in the wrong direction, then you can ask him to leave, and you have not lost anything. If the meeting goes well, that is a bonus. Sounds like a win win to me!