Phased return to work

j.e.j.

This thread brings back wonderful memories (*seeks roll-eyes smiley*) of working in an office full of women!!

All the b1tching and griping about who is 'really' ill and who isn't, who's taking more than their fair share of annual leave, who's getting paid more when they don't deserve to be, who's 'doing all the work' but getting no reward for it, how the boss is rubbish, how unfair/stupid it all is.. yadda yadda

The OP doesn't seem to have given much away as to the reason for their question, so not sure if they're asking from an HR point of view or as a fellow colleague. I don't know if there are national guidelines about it, - it may be something company-specific?

Newly_retired

Surely it all depends on the T & C of the company / individual's contract?

Lizzybop

Well thank you all for your comments.

Just to clear up a few points.

I do not work with this person. I have never met this person. The person is not female, but the situation is real. So thank you for the comment about bitterness on my part - made me smile (sorry I'm not good at quoting parts of other posts!)

My personal view is that they are taking the pi$$.

They originally went off sick when they asked for a cut in their working hours and it was considered but turned down. They are not close to retirement age. They don't have any children or sick or elderly relatives to look after, they want to have every friday off.

It is feared, by the person I know who is connected with the situation, that they will make it back to 4 days per week and claim they can't do any more.

They are paid a good wage (double national average ish) and live very close to the office. Alternative employment on such a good salary, so close to home isn't available, they would have to travel to nearest large city. So they want to hold on to what they have.

To make clear. They have been paid full salary all throughout their period of sickness. Which co-incided nicely with the tour-de-France & Olympics. They are a cycling fan!

They are still being paid full salary throughout their phased return to work, and expect to be back to full time by the end of the year.

They have not been expected to use any of their holiday entitlement for any of the time off they have had so far.

Has anyone changed their view?????????

j.e.j.

Lizzybop wrote: »

Well thank you all for your comments.

Just to clear up a few points.

I do not work with this person. I have never met this person. The person is not female, but the situation is real. So thank you for the comment about bitterness on my part - made me smile (sorry I'm not good at quoting parts of other posts!)

My personal view is that they are taking the pi$$.

They originally went off sick when they asked for a cut in their working hours and it was considered but turned down. They are not close to retirement age. They don't have any children or sick or elderly relatives to look after, they want to have every friday off.

It is feared, by the person I know who is connected with the situation, that they will make it back to 4 days per week and claim they can't do any more.

They are paid a good wage (double national average ish) and live very close to the office. Alternative employment on such a good salary, so close to home isn't available, they would have to travel to nearest large city. So they want to hold on to what they have.

To make clear. They have been paid full salary all throughout their period of sickness. Which co-incided nicely with the tour-de-France & Olympics. They are a cycling fan!

They are still being paid full salary throughout their phased return to work, and expect to be back to full time by the end of the year.

They have not been expected to use any of their holiday entitlement for any of the time off they have had so far.

Has anyone changed their view?????????

In my opinion it's between the employee and the company. It's not for others to judge whether that person 'should' be trying to cut their hours or not, or to cast aspersions about whether they're wagging it so that they can watch the olympics.

Sounds like typical office b*tching to me, sorry.

GobbledyGook

Impossible to judge without knowing the person and the full facts.

They could be swinging the lead to get the office to cut down the hours or it could just prove that they were right to believe that they need to work less hours for health reasons.

Just because it's a good job with not a lot of travelling doesn't mean that it's not a stressful job or they don't have health problems or stress issues outside of work.

Unless you know every bit of their job and every bit of their personal life then any judgements on them is just that imo.

Bambam

Unfortunately some people see sick leave as an extension to their holiday entitlement.

I worked in a wages office quite a few years back when people had specific paid sick days. One employee came to my office with a query on her pay. After phoning Head Office we discovered that she had taken one more day sick than she was entitled to (I can't recall the specifics or how many days were involved.) Her response? "Why wasn't I told, I would have come into work!!"

Lizzybop

We all judge other people all the time. I think this is a clear cut situation, where a grown man is throwing his toys out of the pram because he can't get what he wants.

He has worked at the company for a very long time and enjoyed a cushy well paid job.

His department is going through change, and his reply is " that's not the company way". Well it is now sunshine, and if he doesn't like it he should look for alternative employment. But you see his cushy number isn't a reality out there any more, and he has been forced to confront this, and he doesn't like it.

So I do have some sympathy - but only to a certain extent. The company have bent over backwards to help him through, but he doesn't want to acknowledge any of this. He is focussing on working 4 days per week, and believes that this will solve every problem he has.

I guess Life just isn't fair all of the time!

Lizzybop

GobbledyGook wrote: »

Impossible to judge without knowing the person and the full facts.

They could be swinging the lead to get the office to cut down the hours or it could just prove that they were right to believe that they need to work less hours for health reasons.

Just because it's a good job with not a lot of travelling doesn't mean that it's not a stressful job or they don't have health problems or stress issues outside of work.

Unless you know every bit of their job and every bit of their personal life then any judgements on them is just that imo.

Just to add I know every bit of their job.

j.e.j.

Lizzybop wrote: »

We all judge other people all the time. I think this is a clear cut situation, where a grown man is throwing his toys out of the pram because he can't get what he wants.

He has worked at the company for a very long time and enjoyed a cushy well paid job.

His department is going through change, and his reply is " that's not the company way". Well it is now sunshine, and if he doesn't like it he should look for alternative employment. But you see his cushy number isn't a reality out there any more, and he has been forced to confront this, and he doesn't like it.

So I do have some sympathy - but only to a certain extent. The company have bent over backwards to help him through, but he doesn't want to acknowledge any of this. He is focussing on working 4 days per week, and believes that this will solve every problem he has.

I guess Life just isn't fair all of the time!

There are people like that, and yes they are annoying (!) but I'm a bit puzzled. You say you've never even met this person so who is feeding you all this stuff about him and more to the point why is it making *you* so angry?

GobbledyGook

Lizzybop wrote: »

Just to add I know every bit of their job.

Just because you know every bit of his job doesn't mean you know what bits of the job he finds stressful or may struggle with. You've never met him though so you don't know every bit of his life and what has made him decide that working less hours is something he needs to do.

You could look at it from the opposite view in that this man has worked for this company for a very long time and now for health reasons wishes to reduce his hours, but his company won't allow it despite the fact he has had a lengthy absence. For some people working 4 days will solve everything. I worked with a woman who didn't work Wednesdays. That day of rest in the middle of the week helped her stay in work as it helped her health wise. Better to work 4 days than end up signing on imo.

Only he will know the truth really.