Sporting Injury, what to tell employer?

Evilm

IF they find out (and there are ways even if you don't believe there is a connection between "real" life and "work" life) then you could get sacked for gross misconduct and lying.

I would be honest if they ask but stress that it was not a "league" or regular game of any kind but just a kick around with mates. That should be ok and I don't think it would be counted as a "sports" injury in that case and disqualify you from sick pay (but it depends on your contract / staff handbook).

SarEl

I may have missed someone else making this point because I skimmed the thread, but to state the obvious, has it occured to anyone that maybe the other two had discretionary sick pay, and maybe the OP doesn't??? In which case the friends may be assuming that the refusal was related to a "sporting injury" when in fact it was just a refusal? Or even that the circumstances of their injuries may be so completely different as to be more unusual. Mt friends 19 year old son got his sick pay docked too - but since his broken arm was a result of him and his mates having a silly game of "hurdles" over the entire of the back row of terraced yards and he fell off a 13 foot wall, not only could me and his parents not blame them, but I am not sure the concussion came from the fall (it may have been his mother knocking him over the head to see if he had any sense in there!). Needless to say - and it was three years ago this happened - he has learned that hurdles and the back walls of terraces don't mix! So maybe they were doing something just plain silly?

I think I would also go with the truth - but I think I might be also doing everything I can to convince the employer that if they have a job I can do during this period, something that doesn't involve lots of standing, that I really want it and I want to be in work. These days, sickness absence isn't something you want to be ratcheting up if it can be avoided.

zaffi

SarEl wrote: »

I think I would also go with the truth - but I think I might be also doing everything I can to convince the employer that if they have a job I can do during this period, something that doesn't involve lots of standing, that I really want it and I want to be in work. These days, sickness absence isn't something you want to be ratcheting up if it can be avoided.

due to shift patterns, distance from work and H&S considerations (have to walk through a yard with delivery lorries and forklifts all over the place to get to the lab, not to mention evacuation protocols) asking for another role would possibly make me look a bit naive. I've had 1 sick day since Nov 09. I'm gonna go with the truth, as I said earlier, I'm 95% certain it'll be fine, but the difference between salary and SSP is a hell of alot!

Mistral001

zaffi wrote: »

Happy 2012 to all,


A couple of friends of mine have independently said to me not to say it was football related as at their respective works they wouldn't get full sick pay. One works for a small surveyors the other for ASDA.


.

Just a general point. Are you sure these are friends. Would a friend advise you to lie to your employer?

As others have pointed out, their situation could be entirely different to yours. Besides, does your employer expect you not play sports which involve healthy exercise like five a side football? It might be different if you were always having crashes in your rally car at the weekends in your motor racing hobby or something like that.

zaffi

Mistral001 wrote: »

Just a general point. Are you sure these are friends. Would a friend advise you to lie to your employer?

As others have pointed out, their situation could be entirely different to yours. Besides, does your employer expect you not play sports which are not active and healthy like five a side football? It might be different if you were always having crashes in your rally car at the weekends in your motor racing hobby or something like that.

I've known them both for 25 years. I'm 30.

mountainofdebt

are we seriously discussing whether a)the OP should tell the truth and b) wheehter the OP is too sick to go into work.

For my 2p worth the OP is an idiot if he decides to lie and b) they must breed them soft in zaffi world ....6 weeks off with a broken toe would get me laughed out of the office......but there again I would never dream of having 6 weeks off with something like a broken toe.

Googlewhacker

OP if they do decide not to pay sick pay then maybe take it as a light if possible to build a buffer of cash for something similar in the future?

Vejovis

mountainofdebt wrote: »

are we seriously discussing whether a)the OP should tell the truth and b) wheehter the OP is too sick to go into work.

For my 2p worth the OP is an idiot if he decides to lie and b) they must breed them soft in zaffi world ....6 weeks off with a broken toe would get me laughed out of the office......but there again I would never dream of having 6 weeks off with something like a broken toe.

i agree, i broke my toe two years ago, never took a day off. wasnt playing football though, i accidentally kicked the sofa foot doing some vacuuming :rotfl:

zaffi

mountainofdebt wrote: »

are we seriously discussing whether a)the OP should tell the truth and b) wheehter the OP is too sick to go into work.

For my 2p worth the OP is an idiot if he decides to lie and b) they must breed them soft in zaffi world ....6 weeks off with a broken toe would get me laughed out of the office......but there again I would never dream of having 6 weeks off with something like a broken toe.

I guess your the strongest man in the world! grrrr...

Im in a cast up to my knee, please enlighten me as to how I can carry dangerous chemicals round a lab (note LAB not OFFICE) on one leg.

Total clown.

fenwick458

can you not read the policies and procedures manual for a full version of the sickness and absence policy before you inform HR?

but if you ask me, it seems ridiculous to have a policy where you can't get sick pay if you injure yourself whilst keeping fit. if that were the case, they should have made you aware of it when you started.