How much does your sickness record work against you?

katerinasol · 1 November 2011 at 11:24AM

Hi all,

I would like to know if you have a chance of getting hired if your sickness record is more than 0 in the last year or so.

My sickness record isn't perfect, I personally don't think it's anything too major, but I'm not sure. Can someone give me hope?

JulieElizabeth · 1 November 2011 at 11:29AM

How many sickness periods in one calendar year?

an9i77 · 1 November 2011 at 12:03PM

I'd say for most jobs, unless the employer is ultra fussy a few days won't count against you. I'd say less than five is perfectly reasonable, 5-10 may be reasonable depending on the circumstances and over 10 doesn't look good unless there's a very good reason

katerinasol · 1 November 2011 at 12:19PM

I have 9... is that really terrible? Most of them are just one day long, and one is two days.

JulieElizabeth · 1 November 2011 at 12:24PM

katerinasol wrote: »

I have 9... is that really terrible? Most of them are just one day long, and one is two days.

This is what is classed as persistent short term absence.

Have you faced any disciplinary procedures in your current job?

nannymiaow · 1 November 2011 at 12:36PM

I have utterly trashed my sick record this year so this'll have a knock on effect for about two. I've had a four day period with complicated toothache; this resulted in a stage one discipline meeting at which I was told my target was not to have any further periods of illness until December. Immediately after that I got a vicious cold and had another two days off. Then, less than a week after the time off with my cold I got the illness I have now - Gastroenteritis. I've been very ill, lost half a stone in less than a week (so far) and am likely to have ended up having a week to ten days off with this. It happens; prior to this my sick record was pretty good.

ILW · 1 November 2011 at 12:40PM

When I was involved in these type of issues, a lot of single day sicknesses was very much frowned on. Say two weeks off for an operation would not be an issue though.

katerinasol · 1 November 2011 at 12:51PM

JulieElizabeth wrote: »

This is what is classed as persistent short term absence.

Have you faced any disciplinary procedures in your current job?

I see. No, no disciplinaries (touch wood).

I love this forum, you learn something new every day! Like, not to go off sick with a cold haha.

heretolearn_2 · 1 November 2011 at 12:52PM

IF someone had several 3 or 4 day absences (like the poster above) I might ask for longer term records. Anyone can go through a bad patch and they are genuine problems.

9 x 1 day absences would ring huge alarm bells to me - that's a skiver (sorry poster if that's not the case with you). Usually if it's bad enought o be off work, it's bad enough that you don't get over it in one day. Something that only needs one day's absence is very minor, a bit of a snuffly cold or a headache or something, that most people would work through. Fine, now and then we all get hit with a 24 hour bug or a 'cold' where you really can't face getting yourself out of bed. It does happen. But 9 times in a year? Not likely. Sounds like someone who takes a day off at the slightest excuse and having employed a couple of those, (day off for inflamed nostrils, anyone?) there's no way I'd risk getting lumbered with a skiver again. It's amazing how many of these one day sicknesses come on a Friday or a Monday.