Fired for faking sick day?

Soubrette

InsideInsurance wrote: »

Employers dont mind someone whos had 2 occasions of sickness and a total of 8 days (using the normal method it scores 32 points) but having say 7 occurrences totaling 8 days is going to look very suspicious (392 points). Of cause it could be true but then they really should look into why they keep getting sick so much and what can be done to avoid it.

I used to work for NHS Direct - 2 instances of sick leave within one rolling year put you on a disciplinary and another instance within one rolling year of the disciplinary put you on a stage 2 disciplinary, one more time within one rolling year of the stage 2 and you could be sacked. In theory (and worse case scenario) if you were sent home ill three times and so had had three half days off sick in just under 3 years then you could be sacked.

Not good for moral and shows poor management imo - within 6 months of the rules coming in about 30% of the staff were on stage 1 disciplinaries some with less than 3 days sick - about the time it takes to recover from a nasty cold!!

That said, taking a sick day without being sick should be a disciplinary but managers should investigate first ie manage the situation by talking to the person first, so I fancied a day off - not so good. I broke my arm and can't use the computers but can still go out - no problem as far as I'm concerned.

Hezzawithkids

Back in the 1980's I knew someone who worked in the public sector who had discovered that every employee had 6 weeks of sick leave 'allowed for' in the cost of their contracts. This was on top of 30 days annual leave plus bank holidays. So he took those 6 weeks, spread throughout the year, whether he needed them or not, on the basis (as he said) that they had already been "accounted for" so the company wasn't "loosing out".

As far as I know to this day he still has the same mentality and hardly ever goes to work if he can help it but still expects to be paid.

Some people just think the world owes them a living. Or they are just gobsh*tes. You pick.

InsideInsurance

Hezzawithkids wrote: »

Back in the 1980's I knew someone who worked in the public sector who had discovered that every employee had 6 weeks of sick leave 'allowed for' in the cost of their contracts. This was on top of 30 days annual leave plus bank holidays. So he took those 6 weeks, spread throughout the year, whether he needed them or not, on the basis (as he said) that they had already been "accounted for" so the company wasn't "loosing out"..

6 WEEKS? Are you sure its not 6 days?

Certainly when you do capacity planning you have to take into account that on average about 2% of staff will be off sick on any one day. Its easy to do when you have a large multi site call centre operation with thousands of agents but harder when its a small 10 seat single site place as flu or food poisoning etc can easily take a number of them out at once.

Would be surprised if any company works on the basis that at any time 12.5% of staff will be off sick at any one time.

ILW

Hezzawithkids wrote: »

Back in the 1980's I knew someone who worked in the public sector who had discovered that every employee had 6 weeks of sick leave 'allowed for' in the cost of their contracts. This was on top of 30 days annual leave plus bank holidays. So he took those 6 weeks, spread throughout the year, whether he needed them or not, on the basis (as he said) that they had already been "accounted for" so the company wasn't "loosing out".

As far as I know to this day he still has the same mentality and hardly ever goes to work if he can help it but still expects to be paid.

Some people just think the world owes them a living. Or they are just gobsh*tes. You pick.

Was very common, many public sector workers just treated the "allowed" sick days as paid holiday and made sure they took them all every year. With a bit of luck, things seem to be changing.

ILW

InsideInsurance wrote: »

6 WEEKS? Are you sure its not 6 days?

Certainly when you do capacity planning you have to take into account that on average about 2% of staff will be off sick on any one day. Its easy to do when you have a large multi site call centre operation with thousands of agents but harder when its a small 10 seat single site place as flu or food poisoning etc can easily take a number of them out at once.

Would be surprised if any company works on the basis that at any time 12.5% of staff will be off sick at any one time.

Just did a quick google and it appears that the met police (staff not officers) figure is around 10%.

Uncertain

ILW wrote: »

Just did a quick google and it appears that the met police (staff not officers) figure is around 10%.

I used to know a doctor who worked for the Met and the sick rates were astonishing!

mumcoll

I worked at a place where once a quarter a few of them would sit down to work out a 'rota' for who could take 'sick' leave when - so they weren't all off together and didn't exceed the two in a thirteen week rolling period. They had a calendar with different coloured highlighter pens for each person!

debrag

We use the bradford score (occasions x occasions) x days. No more than 124 in 1 year.

dori2o

ka7e wrote: »

To many employers, being ill is a punishable offence, let alone faking it! My son has to attend a 'back to work' interview after even one day of sick leave. He is warned every day goes on his record and will have to attend a disciplinary interview to explain his 'poor attendance' if he is I'll again. He has had about 8 days of this year with genuine bugs and sinus infections, but will have to be at death's door before he dares take any more sick leave.

A friend was recovering from a change of medication for a heart condition was told by his GP that he couldn't work but had to take regular exercise for 2 weeks. He was reported by a colleague as he was seen out having a coffee in town and his managers visited him at home and told him he must be housebound if he was certified off sick! They said it set a bad example if he was out and about and his exercise should be confined to walking up and down stairs and strolling around the garden.

I would have simply asked them when and where the did their degree to become a Health care Professional.

If a Dr has signed someone off sick, but has stated that that person needs to exercise, the employer is in no position to dictate what that exercise should be. It's about time employers butted out when proper medical advice has already been sought.

Dazi

Paid sick leave? oh I wish.