Emplyee off sick but I think it is not true

MacMickster

The time to ask questions was when she called in sick.

Did she ask for time off to go to London this weekend? Is she usually a reliable employee?

If you harrass her when she is genuinely ill in bed then you will probably find yourself looking for new staff member and possibly facing a tribunal.

When she returns to work you could always ask her when her London trip is (presumably a weekend when she is not scheduled to work) and ask her to get you something whilst there as a favour (maybe a programme for the show that she has tickets for).

ohreally

ILW wrote: »

Nobody is ever too sick to take a phone call. She is taking the mick.

She's off the clock - should the employee to be beholden to the employer 24/7?

mountainofdebt

Is she on facebook - if so request her as a friend and see if she hangs herself with any posts on there lol!

tbh yes I do think you were out of order - it is just possible that, although she had tickets for a show, she could have got rid of them or even (perish the thought!) be actually ill.

As for having no cover I do think that its unfair to knock the OP - it may be that they have asked staff to cover but everyone have refused for whatever reason.

Sagz_2

purcel wrote: »

Like the title says, one of my employees called today sick for the whole weekend. But I remembered that she told me a while ago that she had theatre tickets for a show in London tonight. So I called her on her landline to talk to her and I have been told by her son that she is ill in bed, I've asked for her to be woken up and her son hang up the phone saying he will ask her to ring us back if she wants to talk to me. I think she is not home.
Now, is it unreasonable for me to want to talk to her and demand for her to be woken up? Or this is not to be done? I am really annoyed as I have no staff to cover for her and I have to work a 12 h shift tomorrow to start at 7 when I only finish work at 11pm tonight.
Thanks

What sort of manager allows someone to phone in sick for a whole weekend? How, on Friday, does the person know they will be sick on Sunday? (unless it's a food hygene matter, and in that case I'd find them something non-food related to do on Sunday)

smileylondongal

ILW wrote: »

Nobody is ever too sick to take a phone call. She is taking the mick.

OP, you may as well hire a private detective as that is as ludicrous an idea that the quote above. Of course you can be too sick to answer the phone and if you re-read, this lady was asleep in bed!

ohreally

purcel wrote: »

I am really annoyed as I have no staff to cover for her

Neither is this the o/p's fault that you have insufficient employees available.

Uncertain

ILW wrote: »

I would be tempted to knock on her door and if she is not there post her P45.

It is moronic "advice" from idiots like you that spoil this forum.

This would be a sure fire way of ending up in an employment tribunal without a leg to stand on.

First of all there is no hard and fast requirement for a person off sick to be at home. They might be at the doctors or the pharmacy for example. Depending on what is wrong with them they may be out getting some fresh air.

The OP has been told by the employee's son that she is ill in bed. He has, in effect, called the son a liar and has compounded this by making a totally unreasonable request to somebody who will no doubt testify to this effect if need be.

Although this is not a criminal matter there is a cherished concept that somebody is innocent until proved guilty. It seems the OP doesn't subscribe to that view.

Obviously the OP will have a properly run business with all the correct procedures in place for dealing with staff absence?

No? Don't tell me he is one of the sadly typical inadequates who likes someone else to blame for his shortcomings.

You two should get on well!

purcel

To reply, no it is not my own business, but I am her line manager and it is down to me to cover for everyone who is sick , on top of my 40 h work week. She is not the most reliable person, and she apparently is off sick with food poisoning( no, we are not a catering establisment). She said that her doctor advised her to take the weekend off.
I had a meeting with her 2 weeks ago for performance related matters and she wasn't happy about it. She said she cannot quit so she wanted to get sacked. I am following the company's procedures with regards to this but she did said she hates the job. Yesterday was her last day of holiday and she asked for today off as she had her show to go to, to which I agreed. This is why I think she is taking the mick.

activitymaguire

It would not be unreasonable to have daily contact for the first 7 days of absence unless it is absolutely clear there is no way they would make it back to work in that time ie broken leg. Rationale would be to enquire after their well-being, offer reasonable adjustments if that would help facilitate an early return to work. On return to work, again not unreasonable to raise your concerns re coincidence with theatre tickets etc and set expectations that if similar suspicions were to arise in future, then disciplinary action may be considered for trust and confidence issues. Good luck.

mrcow

Okay then, you need to lay off her until she coms back and get advice from HR about starting a disciplinary if you think it neccessary.

She says that she can't afford to quit, she does understand that being sacked for misconduct amounts to essentially the same thing doesn't she?