time off work for hospital appointment

Wellery82

closed wrote: »

the manager has been informed the employee needs to attend a hospital appointment at a certain time, presumably because they are sick, that's all the information they need to manage and ensure smooth running of the business.

Essentially they are calling the employee a liar by requesting paper proof. You dont get letters for GP appointments, its no different

Asking for paper proof isn't testament to calling someone a liar, it is a fair way to ensure a workforce have to provide evidence of their need for time off outside of the allocated holiday.

If you work on this premise then it would be seen as calling someone a liar to ask for doctors notes and proof of pregnancy etc!

miduck

closed wrote: »

we are talking about a doctors appointment lasting an hour or two, not a months sick leave.

Some people have appts every week, so over a year that would amount to a working week or two. You're ok with that going unproven also?

Wellery82

closed wrote: »

we are talking about a doctors appointment lasting an hour or two, not a months sick leave.

Which is why many managers may work on the basis of trust. I do in my own team, but feel generally speaking it is more sensible not to.

If you have a large team or organisation then you may run the risk of people abusing this, and it would seem sensible to say proof is needed for any time off. I have seen departments where certain people ask for time off every week when no rules have been put in place and it is difficult to manage this - you can't ask one person but not the others as you are treating a workforce differently. Given the rule is in place, and it would seem to be a reasonable rule, the employee has to comply with it

Jomo

closed wrote: »

we are talking about a doctors appointment lasting an hour or two, not a months sick leave. if someone wants to go sales shopping, they'd just call in sick.

Generally people are believed when they say they have an appointment and need a couple of hours off but if it becomes a regular occurrance then management would probably start to ask for proof.

And especially so if regular 'sickies' are pulled as well!!!

StephenM_2

SarEl wrote: »

But you do, if you ask for one, get an appointment card - and the employer is equally entitled to ask to see that! Or an appointment card from the dentist, the physiotherapist, or any other medical appointment.

I've got an appointment card for the dentist. On it I've got a handwritten appointment reminder for Mon 11th Nov 2013 at 9:00, with space for 3 further appointments. I could quite easily make up an appointment and write it in myself, so an appointment card proves nothing.

I never get asked for proof when I need time off for a medical appointment.

miduck

StephenM wrote: »

I've got an appointment card for the dentist. On it I've got a handwritten appointment reminder for Mon 11th Nov 2013 at 9:00, with space for 3 further appointments. I could quite easily make up an appointment and write it in myself, so an appointment card proves nothing.

I never get asked for proof when I need time off for a medical appointment.

A letter can also be forged, but only a very small minority would stoop to such a level. Any kind of proof is better than none at all.

miduck

Is it just me or has "closed" deleted their posts?

heartbreak_star

I think closed may well have done!

I also think the challenge of "what is discrimination" has been answered.

HBS x

SarEl

StephenM wrote: »

I've got an appointment card for the dentist. On it I've got a handwritten appointment reminder for Mon 11th Nov 2013 at 9:00, with space for 3 further appointments. I could quite easily make up an appointment and write it in myself, so an appointment card proves nothing.

I never get asked for proof when I need time off for a medical appointment.

Yes you could certainly do that. And when and if you are caught, you will probably get dismissed and have nobody to blame but yourself.

It is irrelevant what you are asked for by your employer. This employer requires to see evidence of the appointment.

BobQ

I think that the important thing in dealing with people is to be fair. I do not think anyone who asks for time off for an appointment should be shocked/outraged/offended to be asked for some evidence of what sort of appointment it is and where it will take place.

Fairness can be delivered in many ways, asking for evidence every time for everyone is one way. But you could also be fair by having some criteria on when to ask (eg if the absence is more than 2 hours, if its the sercond request in the past month, if its a Monday or a Friday etc). What matters is whether its fairly applied and objective.

Most employers are very reasonable about taking time off for medical apppointments but employees need to understand its a privilege and may need to be justified. I once worked with a chap who lived about 90 minutes drive from work. He would regularly make dental appointments at 1200 or 1400 and then try to argue that there was no point coming into work that day. A colleague in another department in a similar situation used to book early appointments at say 0930 and then come into work. When they compared notes he then started taking the day off. The idea that an employer should not be able to refuse such a request or insist the employee books a routine apppointment early/late in the day to minimise the time lost is fanciful in my view. (That said I accept hospital appointments are more difficult to schedule) Some poeople really do not know how luicky they are to have the time off in the first place.

The OP has not been very forthcoming about the condition, no reason why he should on here, but another reason why an employer may need to ask about the situation is health, safety and welfare. For example, if the condition affects driving and the job involves driving others around the employer has a reasonable need to have some information about the situation.