How many 'safe' sick days in a year?

custardy

aileth wrote: »

Yes, I asked him about the sickness policy and he said it's basically wholly designed to catch out 'chancers' and people trying to skive off all the time, but he really doesn't want to go to Level 3 even though they've all been legitimate as it's extra stress of being 'interviewed.'

One of the days I know is when he went in with a migraine and they sent him straight home just as he was about to be sick in the bin!

be very careful on this sort of thinking
depending on the company,it can be a case of it doesnt matter how you were caught and whether its valid
he/you really need to be aware of the sickness policy to see where you stand

BrookesAndrew

Go to the doctors and get something for the problem. Some companies are terrible for getting rid of people for being sick. Others just don't even care. They would surly have a word with him before any serious chats were going to take place.

Try and go to the doctors though. Migranes are terrible though. I hate them so much. Just tell him to do his best and I am sure he will be fine.

browneyedbazzi

aileth wrote: »

Yes, I asked him about the sickness policy and he said it's basically wholly designed to catch out 'chancers' and people trying to skive off all the time, but he really doesn't want to go to Level 3 even though they've all been legitimate as it's extra stress of being 'interviewed.'

One of the days I know is when he went in with a migraine and they sent him straight home just as he was about to be sick in the bin!

You should ask him to bring home an actual copy of the policy because his interpretation might not be quite right - the goal of sickness policies is usually to manage genuine sickness absence and faking sick/skiving would be dealt with as disciplinary. Even if all your periods of sickness are genuine you can face losing a job if you've gone over the number of days/periods of absence that they deem acceptable and their attempts to manage your sickness hasn't led to improvement.

If he's having several periods of sickness a year, has gone through the first few stages of their sickness management policy but still hasn't gone to the doctor to seek medication to improve/solve the problem then I'd be worried.

He really should see his doctor and/or speak to a pharmacist. There are some really good medications out there and ways to manage migraines so they don't impact on your employment.

superbigal36

If you have 7 days sick and they were all Mondays then I suspect you would be shown the door.
Stats and Stats I suppose.

marybelle01

The whole point of a managing sickness absence policy is that the company CANNOT distinguish between skivers and people they believe are sick. It is about the number of days / occasions you are off sick and NOTHING else. If the policy does not operate like that then every dismissal under it is unfair dismissal. So do not depend on management knowing you are genuinely ill - it is totally irrelevant.

OP, if your husband is reluctant to go to the doctor and get the help he needs, then you can tell him that his dismissal, should that occur, will be something he has brought on himself. Suggestions that his problems may be a disability (and they may be) are so much hogwash if there is not a shred of medical evidence to support that from his own doctor. Not even a disability gives someone total immunity from dismissal for too much time off work - but he gets no prizes at all for "I have a headache so can't get into work today". I am not being unsympathetic about this, but he needs to grow up and take responsibility for himself. If he is so worried about the fact that his sickness levels may trigger procedures then he needs to either do something about his sickness, or take the consequences. Good grief, hasn't he a shred of common sense? Even if he can tolerate the migraines etc., there is absolutely no reason to. There are no prizes for martyrs down at the JobCentre!

marybelle01

PS - I just noticed that you say he has worked there for over a year now? He almost definitely needs two years! So they can probably sack him for pretty much any reason they want without even following procedures. If that doesn't motivate him, nothing will.

Yorkie1

marybelle01 wrote: »

PS - I just noticed that you say he has worked there for over a year now? He almost definitely needs two years! So they can probably sack him for pretty much any reason they want without even following procedures. If that doesn't motivate him, nothing will.

It's 2 years to be able to claim unfair dismissal if he started on or after 6 April 2012; 1 year if started work before then.

dawyldthing

I think its called the Bradford factor where its not the length of time off sick but the amount of occasions that it has been taken off. so 1 week would look better than 5 seperate days. Although if it can be avoided its better as its tough out there

elsien

As a manager, I completely agree with Marybelle. In our company, that level of sickness would trigger the access to medical records request.
And if these show no GP visits related to the reasons given for absence, I'd be wondering how bad the supposed problem really is.

Person_one

aileth wrote: »

It's my husband, and I know it makes no sense. He is literally a teenager when it comes to seeing the Doctor and will dig his heels in not to go. He will conveniently keep 'forgetting' to book appointments, and then when I book one for him he says he's gone when he really hasn't. I can't force him unfortunately, and it's rather distressing with how bad the migraines are that he does nothing to help it.

He can make some positive changes without going to the doctor. I've been having migraines since I was 11 and one of the best things I've ever done was putting a trigger chart on the wall in my late teens.

You can print them off online, a long list of possible migraine triggers such as wine, cheese, chocolate, all sorts of foods, different types of light, dehydration, skipping meals, lack of sleep, stress, all sorts. Then when you have an attack you tick off which trigger you were exposed to in the 24 hours or so beforehand. A pattern emerges pretty quickly. Loads of migraine sufferers run their lives arounf avoiding triggers and staying in the right sort of shape to avoid them in the first place.

Would he be amenable to that do you think?