Losing job due to illness? Update 27/10

Wicked_witch

Okay, finally got to the docs after a glitch last week, she has pills, signed off for 2 weeks and number to arrange counselling.

Acas think she will not be entitled to SSP as she isn't paying tax and NI atm, so looks like a claim for ESA unless her work pay her anyway.

Wicked_witch

They will pay SSP- phew!

So things are getting on track and hopefully no more glitches.

Thanks all x

Wicked_witch

Hi again. I'll explain the problem first, then my daughter's progress, as I don't know how much of that will be relevant but don't want to drip-feed!

The problem is that although one of her managers (the least senior one) said that according to the employee handbook she is entitled to SSP, she's only been paid £40 so far- she gets paid fortnightly and has been off for 4 weeks tomorrow. Payday was the 18th, next will be Nov 1st. We are going to have to speak to payroll I assume but my husband and I will have to do almost all the talking, explained in progress bit! I don't know if there is anything we should say/ not say at this stage? I realise it may be an easy fix, just misfiled paperwork, or it may be someone deciding she's not entitled for whatever reason.

Really I suppose no one can help without more info at this stage, I'm just quite stressed!

Progress is... good and bad I suppose. On Thursday she attempted suicide, which luckily failed as she didn't take enough pills and they were modern antidepressants which I believe are hard to overdose on fatally anyway? She told me the next day and showed me that she had also cut her leg multiple times with a razor. I called 111 and they advised to take her into a&e to get the cuts looked at and also get psychiatric help. We waited til midnight for the psychiatric nurse (so 6.5 hours) but although it was very stressful and physically exhausting it was worth it. He was wonderful and very understanding and has referred her to the home treatment team who are now seeing her every day- she is staying with us for now. They have arranged psychiatrist and psychologist appointments and have also proven to be lovely people in themselves. However she is still too fragile to be able to argue with anyone about anything at the moment, so we will need to step in after she initially confirms who she is etc to payroll. She will be off for some time yet, probably at least another 2 months.

Wicked_witch

Okay! I called her cinema this morning as we didn't have a direct number for payroll. The manager said that the reason she'd not been paid was because they only process SSP after the employee has returned to work!

Rather than engage in an argument with someone that clueless, I just said 'I don't think you'll find that's correct, but so we can sort it out quickly can you give me the number for payroll please?'

He did and I got through to a really nice helpful woman... it turns out that the cinema branch had not sent either of her fit notes in! So of course, they'd been unable to process anything. And even if the branch had sent them in, they wouldn't have been able to process it because the branch took photocopies and payroll need the originals... So she asked me to take them into the branch to be sent on.

I explained, trying very hard to sound normal and not paranoid, that this branch has a very negative attitude towards any sickness and that I wouldn't be very surprised to find that they had failed to send the notes intentionally in order to force my daughter into going back to work. I'm not paranoid, there is a lot of background to this that it may be best not to go into! She didn't seem that surprised tbh and has given me the address to send them straight to her at payroll, so they will be processed Friday.

I can't help suspecting the 'don't process the pay until employee returns' is a personal policy of the manager... the payroll lady was very surprised when I mentioned it and said it was not their policy at all. But it's sorted now and there will be no need to have any direct contact with the branch other than letting them know when she gets new fit notes, which I will do over the phone myself, whether they like it or not.

Wicked_witch

Quick update, she got paid!

tanith

Has you considered asking for a referral to Occupational Health with the company she works for (if they have one) in my experience they are most helpful and can refer people on further if they need help. You could ask HR if they could make her an appointment. Hope she gets the help she needs.