Benefit of 100% attendance at work?

marcada

In my 3 years of service in NHS, I haven't taken single sick leave or absence. In fact, I have never taken sick leave in my working life. In my previous work at private company, there was incentive/bonus for 100% attendance, so I felt appreciated for my effort. My coworkers were also hardly off due to sickness reason. It was not that we were discouraged to take sick leave even if we were poorly. I think it was just a culture that motivates people and other things is that generally people were quite happy to be at work every day.

Now, in NHS, the story is quite different. Without going into much detail, I am shocked with absence rate and all the negativities, time wasting et al. And I have seen that all the absences are not recorded otherwise the rate woulf be much higher than reported. I feel quite demotivated when I see empty office. I have discussed this with my line manager and some close collegues but no one consider this an issue. There was time when I was tired, or feeling heavy head, or cough. But not to the extend that I can't work. I took paracetamol and made effort to go to work everyday. My wife think I should also fake my sickness sometimes and take advantage, so that I can get over this resentment. I wonder my 100% attendance record has any benefit for me. If I cannot change the system, should I be the part of the system.

We donot directly deal with patients. I have noticed that it is always same bunch of people who are off sick frequently. And the same bunch who are whinging all the time.

MissSarah1972

100% record is of no benefit if the ones who take the sick days are also getting full pay while you are doing all the work.

Having said that if they want to get rid of people that could use sickness against them but can't believe no one records it - so saying that you all must get paid in full regardless of being there or not. Easy life eh in the NHS - no wonder the NHS as no ££££

Superbiatch

I also work in the NHS and feel its probably down to the fact once you've worked in a trust for 5 years (i think), you get paid full sick pay for 6 months! I know the sickness rate is awful in my trust, but staff retention is great! Judge it for yourself.

I've not had a day off sick in 2 years but all management pipe on about is sickness levels. Seems its time to re-look at the national sickness policy

MissSarah1972

Maybe if staff didn't get paid there would be less sick days taken.

notanewuser

Superbiatch wrote: »

I also work in the NHS and feel its probably down to the fact once you've worked in a trust for 5 years (i think), you get paid full sick pay for 6 months! I know the sickness rate is awful in my trust, but staff retention is great! Judge it for yourself.

I've not had a day off sick in 2 years but all management pipe on about is sickness levels. Seems its time to re-look at the national sickness policy

You don't get 6 months full pay more than once though. So all those that are frittering sick leave away on hangovers and headaches will come a cropper should they ever develop a longer term illness. Can you imagine taking time off due to cancer and only getting a few weeks full pay because you blew it all on sickies?

MissSarah1972

notanewuser wrote: »

You don't get 6 months full pay more than once though. So all those that are frittering sick leave away on hangovers and headaches will come a cropper should they ever develop a longer term illness. Can you imagine taking time off due to cancer and only getting a few weeks full pay because you blew it all on sickies?

I can imagine having cancer and getting no pay other than SSP and possibly the sack for not being able to work.

notanewuser

MissSarah1972 wrote: »

Maybe if staff didn't get paid there would be less sick days taken.

Bit hard to stop NHS staff getting sick though. They're surrounded by sick people all day long! And if you don't let them have time off to recover, they spread it to other staff and patients. Not clever.

This of course doesn't apply to sickies.

notanewuser

MissSarah1972 wrote: »

I can imagine having cancer and getting no pay other than SSP and possibly the sack for not being able to work.

But you'd have to have a job to be sacked from.

And you could potentially still be sacked in the NHS.

MissSarah1972

notanewuser wrote: »

Bit hard to stop NHS staff getting sick though. They're surrounded by sick people all day long! And if you don't let them have time off to recover, they spread it to other staff and patients. Not clever.

This of course doesn't apply to sickies.

Yes cause of course everyone in the hospital who is a patient has something that you can catch, NOT!

MissSarah1972

notanewuser wrote: »

But you'd have to have a job to be sacked from.

And you could potentially still be sacked in the NHS.

a jab at the unemployed is that?

So if you work for the NHS and get full pay and have cancer you can be sacked too? Wow.

notanewuser

MissSarah1972 wrote: »

Yes cause of course everyone in the hospital who is a patient has something that you can catch, NOT!

A high proportion do.

So. Should those at risk of catching infections be penalised by having their sick pay taken away? Or should sick pay depend on the department you work in?