Declaring sick leave on application form

Skint_yet_Again

I am in the process of applying for a new job and the first page of the application form asks for the number of sick days during the last year. My question is what should I declare on the form considering the following:

closing date for applications 14/9/12 by email
application form to be signed at interview if successful first week in oct
my sick leave in last year at present (6/9/12) is

13/9/11
14/9/11 - 2 days

feb 2012 - 9 days

I am considering putting 9 days, as the 2 days in Feb 2011 will have dropped off by the closing date/interview date. Does anyone know if this will be a false declaration ?

Thanks

MissSarah1972

Skint_yet_Again wrote: »

I am in the process of applying for a new job and the first page of the application form asks for the number of sick days during the last year. My question is what should I declare on the form considering the following:

closing date for applications 14/9/12 by email
application form to be signed at interview if successful first week in oct
my sick leave in last year at present (6/9/12) is

13/9/11
14/9/11 - 2 days

feb 2012 - 9 days

I am considering putting 9 days, as the 2 days in Feb 2011 will have dropped off by the closing date/interview date. Does anyone know if this will be a false declaration ?

Thanks

The 2 days will have dropped off from where? You mean its older than a year ago when the closing date of the job is?

It will be the days off sick when you date or send in the application electronically not when the application date ends.

Id always tell the truth.

Aryndeneth

I'd tell the truth too. The recruiter can see for themselves that the 2 day absence was a year ago. Also, if it gives the opportunity I'd give the reasons for the absence to put it in context. 9 individual absences would be potentially cause for concern. 9 days comprising one period of absence, so long as for a good reason i.e. broken bone, infection etc, isn't unreasonable and could happen to anyone with even the best absence record.

MissSarah1972

Aryndeneth wrote: »

I'd tell the truth too. The recruiter can see for themselves that the 2 day absence was a year ago. Also, if it gives the opportunity I'd give the reasons for the absence to put it in context. 9 individual absences would be potentially cause for concern. 9 days comprising one period of absence, so long as for a good reason i.e. broken bone, infection etc, isn't unreasonable and could happen to anyone with even the best absence record.

Well yeah the op gives the impression the 9 days were all in one month so hopefully its one bout of 9 days all in one go. I had once 7 days in one go which looks bad if you say I had 8 days (including the 7) off in one year but the 7 was for when I had kidney stones and visited the doctor twice and was on two lots of antibiotics and painkillers (have the 11 stones in a pot) haha

marybelle01

It is illegal to ask this question on the application form! Employers are only able to ask about periods of sickness after they have made an offer of employment.

MissSarah1972

marybelle01 wrote: »

It is illegal to ask this question on the application form! Employers are only able to ask about periods of sickness after they have made an offer of employment.

For sure? I have filled a few forms asking this and to give full details as to what each sickness was for etc. One form I remember was sickness for the last 3 years.

Skint_yet_Again

Thanks for all your replies. Someone else on another forum has just told me its illegal too... but what do you do.... if you want to apply for the job you have to answer?

The 11 days were indeed over 2 occasions. However there is nowhere on the application form where you can explain this or say what the sick leave was for (disability/type of illness etc)

LittleVoice

Don't answer the question on the form.

Contact the Equality and Human Rights Commission to report what the employer is doing.

They have helpline numbers for Wales, Scotland and England - see www.equalityhumanrights.com

Catherine_Johnson_2

LittleVoice wrote: »

Don't answer the question on the form.

Contact the Equality and Human Rights Commission to report what the employer is doing.

They have helpline numbers for Wales, Scotland and England - see www.equalityhumanrights.com

Human Rights......well, someone had to bring it up, I suppose. It's almost obligatory these days!

marybelle01

MissSarah1972 wrote: »

For sure? I have filled a few forms asking this and to give full details as to what each sickness was for etc. One form I remember was sickness for the last 3 years.

For sure. Funnily enough, just because employers don't always know or pay attention to the law doesn't make it not the law. http://www.mddus.com/mddus/resource-library/2010/practice-manager-03/in-sickness-or-in-health.aspx

Skint_yet_Again wrote: »

Thanks for all your replies. Someone else on another forum has just told me its illegal too... but what do you do.... if you want to apply for the job you have to answer?

Leave it blank. If your application is just perfect, they will be so busy reading all the exciting stuff you have put on it that they won't notice. And if they do, they aren't going to throw a good application in the bin because you didn't answer this question.

Catherine_Johnson wrote: »

Human Rights......well, someone had to bring it up, I suppose. It's almost obligatory these days!

Well if you don't like the fact that discrimination laws are managed by "human rights", blame the government - it was them that "brought it up" by combining the various bodies that support discrimination legislation into one Commission.

madvixen

Catherine_Johnson wrote: »

Human Rights......well, someone had to bring it up, I suppose. It's almost obligatory these days!

It's nothing to do with human rights, it's to do with the Equality Act 2010 which prevents discrimination against people on many grounds, one of which being disability. It just happens to be governed by the same dept that looks after human rights.

OP, the way I see it, you have 2 options:
1) answer the question (honestly)
2) refuse to answer the question
Personally, I would give ACAS a call and ask their advice. They understand the Equality Act and may be able to provide you with some advice should you choose option 2. Is it a big company that you are applying for?