Employer Contact while Sick (and passing details of sickness around)

Sambucus_Nigra

A - as long as it's standard for everyone, and it is part of the sickness management policy then good on him for taking sickness seriously. It will affect those who are swinging the lead more than the serious sick people.

B - The info is half good [levels] and half very very bad [reasons and disciplinaries]. However the only way to deal with this is if people take out grievances.

Savvy_Sue

it does seem a bit of a waste of time if you have a Fit Note from the GP signing you off for a set number of weeks, though, doesn't it?

I can see how the conversation goes:

Day 1: "Hi Fred, just phoning to find out when you'll be back at work."

"Well Joe, as I told you this morning, the fracture clinic has signed me off for 8 weeks. It was a very serious break, and I'm going to need surgery and a considerable period of recovery."

Day 2: "Hi Fred, just phoning to find out when you'll be back at work."

"Well Joe, as I told you yesterday, the fracture clinic has signed me off for 8 weeks. It was a very serious break, and I'm going to need surgery and a considerable period of recovery."

Day 3: "Hi Fred, just phoning to find out when you'll be back at work."

"Well Joe, as I told you yesterday, the fracture clinic has signed me off for 8 weeks. It was a very serious break, and I'm going to need surgery and a considerable period of recovery."

And so on ...

honeypop

Lol Savvy Sue, I think that's exactly how it goes! If they are 'signed off' then set days other than those I mentioned are agreed for contact so it isn't as regular, but for something like the flu, for example, where it knocks people down for days (I mean proper flu, not a bad cold), I imagine it goes just like your scenario 'Still got the flu, just like yesterday, still won't be back until next week, speak to you tomorrow, bye'.

Madsy11

Unaccpetable for them to email out that personal sickness information. That is confidential!

Couldn't anyone named or indeed in receipt of the email raise a grievance? I'd kick off if I received personal info about a colleague, whether they wanted to complain or not!

patricia50

In my last job you had to ring in every day if sick. I think if you were signed off it did not have to be every day but as for the thing about information being sent out as to why someone was off sick etc that is just wrong. Those things are not for everone to know about. It should be just your manager or whoever you have to contact and there should be some confidentiality about it. You might as well walk into your place of work and shout out " Hi everyone, I've been off with flu, womens problems, piles, depression,thrush or whatever the problem was. As was mentioned this could be very sensitive information and the reason for your sickness, whether you are being disciplined and if you are being paid is no ones business other than you and your boss. It seems they are crossing the line in doing this.

honeypop

Thanks everyone, as I said we KNOW this is wrong - that's not up for question. But just needed a source to point him to, to SHOW him that he shouldn't be doing it and exactly why. It seems just hearing it from someone that he shouldn't be doing it wouldn't be enough, he needs to be shown an official source of info to believe.