Absence because of pet death

paddyrg

I have the best people working for me in the world.

You are clearly mistaken...I'm self-employed!

Initially you have s sick-note from the docs, so it doesn't matter what any of us think, she is ill and to be handled as such. I would carry on being a great employer, but do be prepared for this one to turn out to be a tougher than usual case in the end. The employee may be a bit of a fragile type, and may need a lot of tending over the years. A pet dying is upsetting, but this suggests that if the employee hits a bump in their lives, it'll be you, the employer, who is expected to carry the disruption. You may want to think about how you'll handle that long-term?

Labsettings

Maybe you could ask her to consider taking some half days off as holiday at the end of the sickness period, as you probably don't want to start a precedent of phased return for 2 weeks off, and that way she can settle back with a little more leeway.

Savvy_Sue

Pete111 wrote: »

I think you should agree only to to discuss the situation once they are signed fit for work and make every effort to meet with this employee as soon as they are back.

However, in the more normal situation where a phased return is requested - ie after an extended period of sickness - you'd expect to have had the discussion before you were signed as fit. I certainly would, and I've had to have one twice now. No way would I return to the office before I'd had had some discussion about what I felt able to offer and how that would work.

Poppie68

I sympathise over the death of her pet, but struggle with the sick note stating 2 weeks off then a 4 week period of phased back to work.The GP's i work for would'nt even comtemplate issuing a note stating 4 weeks phased back to work until after reviewing the patient as the 2 week note was coming to an end. It looks like this maybe a patient request and the doctor reacted to what he was seeing that day or listening too over the phone.

Pete111

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

However, in the more normal situation where a phased return is requested - ie after an extended period of sickness - you'd expect to have had the discussion before you were signed as fit. I certainly would, and I've had to have one twice now. No way would I return to the office before I'd had had some discussion about what I felt able to offer and how that would work.

The request doesn't appear to have come via the Dr....this is an additional request from the employee and one the employer clearly feels is pushing it, hence my suggestion to agree only to a return to work meeting as soon as they are signed back on and at which they can discuss all the issues.

To turn it on it's head why would you expect an employer to automatically agree to a non-medically sanctioned phased return before they have met with the individual to discuss the situation?

There appears more to this than a dead cat for sure, but I don't think the onus should be the OP to immediately agree to every random request without at least a conversation being had first.

Errata

I think there's more going on than a reaction to a cat dying and I wonder what the manager knows and is up to by immediately giving the worker three days paid sick leave.

Poppie68

Errata wrote: »

I think there's more going on than a reaction to a cat dying and I wonder what the manager knows and is up to by immediately giving the worker three days paid sick leave.

I think the manager reacted without thinking straight. the frist 3 days of sick should be unpaid, so this lady is on a winner from day one.

Pete111

Poppie68 wrote: »

I think the manager reacted without thinking straight. the frist 3 days of sick should be unpaid, so this lady is on a winner from day one.

I think you are referring to Statutory Sickness Payu (SSP) - company sick pay or compassionate leave can be whatever the company wants it to be.

In this case it appears to be uncapped and from day one. Though as the Op stated, there is no overall issue with sick pay.

ohreally

Poppie68 wrote: »

the frist 3 days of sick should be unpaid.

Why? The op informed sickness absence is paid form day one anyway.

Poppie68

ohreally wrote: »

Why? The op informed sickness absence is paid form day one anyway.

The thread is that long i forgot what was written in the OP's original post....Just a mistake.