How is it possible to guarantee you will not be off work due to sickness?

Poppie68

The NHS was my employer for many years and i also found them to be more than fair with me with sickness and disability issues.
Your daughter does seem to of had an excessive amount of time of ill in the short time she has been employed. Is she on reception? maybe there could be an opportunity for her to take a job in a back office, it's always worth speaking to HR.

Mrs_Ryan

I work for the NHS and I've been off sick off and on for the last 2 years, mostly long term. They have been pretty much ok with me actually but they can be an utter nightmare when they want to be. And yes, I do have a disability and quite a lot of health conditions, I'm not just skiving! Unfortunately in the first two years you've got pretty much bog all rights and sickness is one of those things- I had a target of no sickness for 7 months and the day before that expired I broke down at work and I've been off sick since (that was 14 weeks ago) these targets are wrong because it causes all kinds of problems :mad:

auldblerk

Prothet_of_Doom wrote: »

Yes everyone gets ill, and it is impossible to guarantee that you won't ever be.
I once had to tell a temp employee, that if he were off in the next 2 months I'd be forced to let him go. In the end he was ill and I did. Pity, but I followed a set of rules to the letter.

In his case I'm not sure that it wasn't self induced following a weekend of drinking, but hey.

but hey ... only somebody's livelihood.
How do you sleep at night ?

Takeaway_Addict

auldblerk wrote: »

but hey ... only somebody's livelihood.
How do you sleep at night ?

Poster is quite clear that it was likely self induced sickness and I would suspect that the person had been warned due to high sickness

Also, having someone off on sick adds extra strain to the other members of staff, added costs to the company which can put the company at risk especially if its allowed to carry on so having a sickness policy is important and it needs to be implemented fairly whatever it is.

Takeaway_Addict

Mrs_Ryan wrote: »

I work for the NHS and I've been off sick off and on for the last 2 years, mostly long term. They have been pretty much ok with me actually but they can be an utter nightmare when they want to be. And yes, I do have a disability and quite a lot of health conditions, I'm not just skiving! Unfortunately in the first two years you've got pretty much bog all rights and sickness is one of those things- I had a target of no sickness for 7 months and the day before that expired I broke down at work and I've been off sick since (that was 14 weeks ago) these targets are wrong because it causes all kinds of problems :mad:

It sounds like the NHS have given you every opportunity to work for them but constantly being on and off sick means that they need to put their foot down at some point. You can't expect them to keep paying you year in year out with long periods of illness in them?

auldblerk

Takeaway_Addict wrote: »

Poster is quite clear that it was likely self induced sickness and I would suspect that the person had been warned due to high sickness

Also, having someone off on sick adds extra strain to the other members of staff, added costs to the company which can put the company at risk especially if its allowed to carry on so having a sickness policy is important and it needs to be implemented fairly whatever it is.

Er .. likely doesn't mean 100% does it ? That's like a copper shooting somebody because they were likely to be a terrorist.
Somebody playing god here with somebody's livelihood at the end of the day.

marybelle01

Takeaway_Addict wrote: »

It sounds like the NHS have given you every opportunity to work for them but constantly being on and off sick means that they need to put their foot down at some point. You can't expect them to keep paying you year in year out with long periods of illness in them?

I think it would be a bit more helpful if we could be a tad more balanced about this. If the poster has cancer, should they put their foot down sooner or later? What about MS? Or the common cold? Is there a difference? Why? And who says the NHS is paying out anyway - do you know what the posters sick leave entitlement is, whether it is exhausted or not?

OP, the reality of working life - whatever sector you work in, and whatever job you do - is that employers pay people to be in work and not to be off sick. I am afraid that all employers have got harsher about frequent/ extended periods of sickness, and for better or worse it is the law that has made them that way. Employers generally know who is skiving and who isn't. It has never been that easy to tell the difference. But acting on that "knowledge" has cost employers dearly, so now most everyone gets treated the same - too much sickness and you are out. On a schedule and according to laid down policies and procedures.

And public sector employers, including the NHS, are amongst the harshest now. Why? Because "everyone knows" that they have great conditions for employees who are sick. Get to stay employed long enough and you will get better sick pay than almost anyone else. I won't beat around the bush - that's true. And there are a minority of employees who have abused that position. They treat sick leave as extra holiday. I won't deny it - I have personally heard people say that they need to take a couple of weeks off sick because they haven't used up their entitlement! Those who have abused the system are the ones who brought this rigidity on everyone else. Employers can no longer weed out the !!!! artists, so they weed out everyone.

OP, I agree with what others have said here. You cannot fight the policies. So either your daughter needs to explore a role where she is not at as much risk of infection, or she is in the wrong sort of employment. No, it isn't fair to ask her to promise not to be sick. It isn't fair to ask anyone to promise not to be sick. But it is reality in any form of employment - too much time off sick gets you sacked.

Can she ask for a referral to occupational health - perhaps, if her ME is past and the problem is just a low immune system, there are things they may be able to suggest that will help build that up? She's probably in one of the best places in the world to get such advice if it exists! It isn't quite the same thing, but I contracted both chikungunya and dengue (at different times thankfully) whilst at work, and both left me feeling "***** knackered" for a hell of a time. My employers were great and made sure I got great medical support through both, and much of this was about rebuilding my immune system to a level where I would not fall over! As much in their interest as mine!

gettingready

For the balance - I was off sick for a YEAR, 6 months full pay, 6 months half pay from one of my NHS jobs. Of course after having been there for good few years.

In another job, NHS again (but after a break so in my first month was entitled to 1 month full pay and 1 month half pay)< i started one Monday, had a very serious diagnosis (kidney cancer) same week Wednesday, operation 2 weeks later, off work for 2 weeks, back to work after 2 weeks on reduced hours for 4 weeks and then back to full time.

Marybelle is right, generally NHS's sickness policy/pay are very good and accommodating and generous.

BUT sometimes, individual "managers" can be totally unreasonable.

*****************

OP- I understand your daughter may love her job BUT - OH is really NOT the best place for someone who is prone to catching things that easily.

All current issues aside, she needs to find something else in a better environment whee she can put her own welbeing as top priority. For her own good.

ILW

auldblerk wrote: »

Er .. likely doesn't mean 100% does it ? That's like a copper shooting somebody because they were likely to be a terrorist.
Somebody playing god here with somebody's livelihood at the end of the day.

Employers such as NHS are not there for the benefit of their employees. People who are constantly off sick (for whatever reason) can be a complete nuisance.

Takeaway_Addict

marybelle01 wrote: »

I think it would be a bit more helpful if we could be a tad more balanced about this. If the poster has cancer, should they put their foot down sooner or later? What about MS? Or the common cold? Is there a difference? Why? And who says the NHS is paying out anyway - do you know what the posters sick leave entitlement is, whether it is exhausted or not?

OP, the reality of working life - whatever sector you work in, and whatever job you do - is that employers pay people to be in work and not to be off sick. I am afraid that all employers have got harsher about frequent/ extended periods of sickness, and for better or worse it is the law that has made them that way. Employers generally know who is skiving and who isn't. It has never been that easy to tell the difference. But acting on that "knowledge" has cost employers dearly, so now most everyone gets treated the same - too much sickness and you are out. On a schedule and according to laid down policies and procedures.

And public sector employers, including the NHS, are amongst the harshest now. Why? Because "everyone knows" that they have great conditions for employees who are sick. Get to stay employed long enough and you will get better sick pay than almost anyone else. I won't beat around the bush - that's true. And there are a minority of employees who have abused that position. They treat sick leave as extra holiday. I won't deny it - I have personally heard people say that they need to take a couple of weeks off sick because they haven't used up their entitlement! Those who have abused the system are the ones who brought this rigidity on everyone else. Employers can no longer weed out the !!!! artists, so they weed out everyone.

OP, I agree with what others have said here. You cannot fight the policies. So either your daughter needs to explore a role where she is not at as much risk of infection, or she is in the wrong sort of employment. No, it isn't fair to ask her to promise not to be sick. It isn't fair to ask anyone to promise not to be sick. But it is reality in any form of employment - too much time off sick gets you sacked.

Can she ask for a referral to occupational health - perhaps, if her ME is past and the problem is just a low immune system, there are things they may be able to suggest that will help build that up? She's probably in one of the best places in the world to get such advice if it exists! It isn't quite the same thing, but I contracted both chikungunya and dengue (at different times thankfully) whilst at work, and both left me feeling "***** knackered" for a hell of a time. My employers were great and made sure I got great medical support through both, and much of this was about rebuilding my immune system to a level where I would not fall over! As much in their interest as mine!

Fair point, a little harsh on Mrs Ryan so I apologise.