Sickness policy for most employers is unfair

fionajbanana

Most employers follow this policy for their employees off sick. If more than 2 separate sickness periods in a rolling year - they get disciplined. It does not matter if the employee has not had a day off sick for 4 years.

I know it supposed to stop employees pulling random sickies every now and again, but those employees who have an unlucky year with illness.

We had a colleague that was dismissed yesterday after having 6 different periods in a year, but had 3.5 years prior to this had no absence. In those 3.5 years of no absence, she was unwell, but lucky as in when she had a cold for example, the worst of the symptoms happened during her days off.

One example where she should not got a different return to work was that she had 2 operations. She would only needed one operation, but 5-6 weeks of having the op (been back at work 3 weeks then) the tests showed that not everything that needed to removed the first time, wasn't, so had her operated on 3-4 weeks later. This is hardly the former colleague's fault as she has no control over body when she is under general anesthetic and on the operating table. I have heard she is taking legal action.

Employees that work for employers with this policy feel like a criminal when they phone in sick. They 'force' colleagues that are feeling unwell to go to work and spreading their germs to colleagues who may get more unwell than the germ spreader,

Do you think employers should take into consideration the illness of employees since the start?

martinthebandit

Most employers? I have never worked for one who had such a policy.

Laurajo_2

I fortunately have never worked for a company with such a strict policy.

We get six 'no questions asked' sick days a year on full pay and anything further is at discretion of the bosses (whether we get paid or not is discretionary. There is no disciplinary process for sickness at all.)

jackieblack

martinthebandit wrote: »

Most employers? I have never worked for one who had such a policy.

Nor me :eek:

paulineb_2

I know companies who do try and discipline people if they have more than two absences a year and instead of employers using occupational health as a supportive tool, its used in some places as the first stage in trying to get rid of someone.

Yes often people have to go into work when they really arent well, because if they have a period of absence its the first step towards a disciplinary.

But sickness and absence policies will vary from company to company. Im actually quite happy to be self employed, not that I take sick days, cant afford to.

PasturesNew

I've so rarely been sick (probably 5 days in 30 years) that I've no idea what policies are in place.

AP007

PasturesNew wrote: »

I've so rarely been sick (probably 5 days in 30 years) that I've no idea what policies are in place.

You are lucky then, very lucky!!!

A company can give you a disciplinary for any amount of time you have off that they don't like.

I remember when I had 7 days off for kidney stones I got called in for a chat as my sickness. No disciplinary, just a chat. They never asked how I was!

With no sick pay and the work still on my desk they weren't doing me any favours.

Laurajo_2

It's a valid point though....

We had one person playing the martyr last year who dragged themselves into the office with 'flu...resulting in twelve members of staff contracting it and having a full week off.

Over the top sickness policies are counter productive though.

bluenoseam

6 periods of illness in a year is a bit much - even 4 periods within a 12 month period would trigger most reasonable measures! The only reason I even get close to 6 periods of illness combined is due to one overall reason and well, that was something extraordinary.

ILW

paulineb wrote: »

I know companies who do try and discipline people if they have more than two absences a year and instead of employers using occupational health as a supportive tool, its used in some places as the first stage in trying to get rid of someone.

Yes often people have to go into work when they really arent well, because if they have a period of absence its the first step towards a disciplinary.

But sickness and absence policies will vary from company to company. Im actually quite happy to be self employed, not that I take sick days, cant afford to.

Funny how healthy self employed people are.

skintandscared_2

Lots of companies do use the Bradford scale. Our firm adopted it only about a year ago. It has definitely cut down on the "odd day" absences and the Friday and Monday clubbers