Attending a Training course while off sick

Jonono

I don't know if anyone here can give me advice. I have been signed off work with stress for the last two months. I have worked for the last six years in my job with zero absence but over the last two years my workload has increased to the point where I was struggling to cope, which I did for the last two years until recently when I went off. I work offshore in the oil and gas industry. My employer sent me to occ health who agreed the stress was work related and advised I should not return to the environment without changes being made.
Initially I had a meeting and my employer said they would look at the issues I had raised and I said that I would be happy to do any stress mgt courses that may help.
I have heard nothing from my employer in the last month, during which time I have started to feel much better, however I am still signed off sick, as any return would have to be phased and as it's the offshore industry an occupational health doctor would have to sign me back and they would only do that if they could see changes have been made. I've spent the last month at home , waiting for a contact but there was none (they had said they would contact me). Just last week my partner and myself booked train tickets to visit some family for a few days next week then out of the blue I received notification I had been booked on a training course in Aberdeen which coincides with the dates I am away.
I was not aware any course was being booked and I want to work with my employer to get things sorted, I contacted HR today to see if there was any other date they could arrange this course as I had made plans. I have been told I must attend.
I feel it's unreasonable of them to expect me to be available for a course I never knew was happening til 3 days ago and I'm also a bit confused as to whether I should be attending training courses at all if I am signed off sick. The bottom line is I will make myself available for courses if they give me notice and it will help with stress. However today on speaking to some friends they are suggesting that if you are off you should not be attending courses

Can they make me go on a course while off sick and is it reasonable to book me on a course unannounced and only to tell me after it's all been booked?

Elfbert

I'm not at all sure about going on the course whilst off sick - unless it is a course to help you return to work? Either way, I don't think they should have sprung it on you without talking to you, personally.

As for the time - I do think you should be available to work during your normal work time, really. I have been off sick for a few months in the past myself - but didn't face the issues you do because I literally couldn't leave the house for more than ten mins!

I think employers nowadays are quite paranoid about contacting people off sick in case it's seen as pressure/harassment.

I'm not sure how I'd approach it with your employer - probably more down the 'I'm signed off sick' route than the 'I was going on holiday' route? But that does depend on what the course is for...

Jonono

Thank you for getting back so promptly. The course is a 'leadership skills' course which will involve role playing. I find it a bit odd as I am not in a supervisory position, and the course is all about delegating and assessing employees. It's a two day course and apparently there is a small section on stress which is why they have chosen it. There is a stress mgt course booked for November which I have no issue with as long as it's okay to attend while off.
I guess I feel it's all a bit odd that they emailed me a month ago to say they'd be back in touch a week later and then I heard nothing for three weeks (I found out today that was because there have been no developments other than other employees in a similar role in different sites going off with the same issues and they have now realised it has to be tackled on a more formal/organisational scale), then decided to go away for a few days, then was told by email 'this course (which had never been mentioned at any time) is now booked, you must attend'.

If the content of the course turns out to be me roleplaying the role of a manager delegating stuff then I think I'll find the course frustrating rather than stressful. I'm not going to attend in any case as I have made those arrangements but I've said I'll be happy to attend an alternative date if they can get one. I'll see what tomorrow brings!

Another_not_new_user

Jonono wrote: »

I don't know if anyone here can give me advice. I have been signed off work with stress for the last two months. I have worked for the last six years in my job with zero absence but over the last two years my workload has increased to the point where I was struggling to cope, which I did for the last two years until recently when I went off. I work offshore in the oil and gas industry. My employer sent me to occ health who agreed the stress was work related and advised I should not return to the environment, my home is not in the same city as my employer so at first it seemed as though the only option was to leave.
Initially I had a meeting and my employer said they would look at the issues I had raised and I said that I would be happy to do any stress mgt courses that may help.
I have heard nothing from my employer in the last month, during which time I have started to feel much better, however I am still signed off sick, as any return would have to be phased and as it's the offshore industry an occupational health doctor would have to sign me back and they would only do that if they could see changes have been made. I've spent the last month at home , waiting for a contact but there was none (they had said they would contact me). Just last week my partner and myself booked train tickets to visit some family for a few days next week then out of the blue I received notification I had been booked on a training course in Aberdeen which would require nights away from home and it coincides with the dates I am away.
I was not aware any course was being booked and I want to work with my employer to get things sorted, I contacted HR today to see if there was any other date they could arrange this course as I had made plans. While on the phone to HR I discovered this issue has grown arms and legs, they now have about 25% of people doing my job on different sites (ie we don't know each other or work with each other) off with stress and all are citing the same reasons I did. So they have now realised it's a bigger picture and it's going to take a while to sort. The HR person was very helpful and told me not to worry about missing the course. However she phoned back later to say that her boss was angry and he feels I should be available for this course (even though I'm signed off sick). I'm not gallivanting off around the country, it is simply a few days with family and I have been available to them at every point in the last month or so. I travelled up to the city my company is based in on request for a meeting when I was first off and when I was extremely stressed and emotional.
I feel it's unreasonable of them to expect me to be available for a course I never knew was happening til 3 days ago and I'm also a bit confused as to whether I should be attending training courses at all if I am signed off sick. The bottom line is I will make myself available for courses if they give me notice and it will help with stress. However today on speaking to some friends they are suggesting that if you are off you should not be attending courses.

Can anyone advise ? I will be speaking to this 'big boss' tomorrow and I'm expecting some pressure from him. I have tried to keep my union out of this as I want to work with my employer. But my work related stress now appears to be part of a larger cultural issue which HR told me today is going to take a while to deal with.

Can they make me go on a course while off sick and is it reasonable to book me on a course unannounced and only to tell me after it's all been booked?

Legally, being off sick is not holiday, so going away with the family, even for a few days, if in what would be working time, needs the employers permission just as much as you would need to ask permission if you were at work.


If this is the stress management course that you agreed with your employer as a result of your OH assessment, then it would appear that you agreed to attend it - the dates are not relevant because whilst off sick you are not "away" unless you have booked this with your employer.


Your friends are quite wrong - this is part of the agreed "return to work strategy" and it is not unreasonable of the employer to provide you with a facility (a training course) which would assist you in dealing with the difficulties you face in terms of the employment and your health. It is no different than counselling or another medical support.


Whether you involve your union or not is your decision. Personally I cannot see why you have not already done so. But be clear - on this matter it is not the employer that is in the wrong but you. That does not mean that they may not be willing to consider alternative dates or "let you off the hook". It wouldn't be unreasonable to decide to do that. But it is also perfectly reasonable for them to decide not to. So antagonism is not the way to go. People often fail to appreciate that "holiday" is not the same thing as sickness, and being off sick is not an invitation to do what you will with your time. The correct procedure, if you wanted some time away on holiday, was to book it as you would normally do and discuss with the employer how this would be accounted for (given that whilst sick you continue to accrue holiday, so it is somewhat unfair to get holiday and then treat the sick leave as extra holiday).


I would suggest that an apology for your misunderstanding might get you further than a fight.

Another_not_new_user

PS - Leadership skills and management skills are not the same thing. All employees can exercise leadership skills and these are as much about self-management as in leading others. So there is no reason to assume the course is not relevant.

Jonono

Thanks. This course was not agreed or even discussed, first I heard of it was that it had been booked. As an offshore worker I don't get 'holidays', they are built into the leave period when you are not offshore. Also there has been no return to work strategy agreed. I certainly won't be fighting, I was apologetic today and HR were very understanding, it was later when it was passed back to a manager that I heard it was a problem. But had I had an inkling there was going to be a course booked then of course I would have been available.