Boss annoyed because of sick leave

Samanthahesten

Long story - I have had a horrible cold which has started to feel like flu for almost a week now and have been working every day for that week. While at work yesterday I started feeling worse and decided that I needed to have a couple or days off else I'd never get better. I work in care and we are very very short staffed at present. We have been using agency companies almost every day. I spoke to my co workers, who agreed they could tell I was ill and needed some time off especially as we work with vulnerable adults who could easily pick up my illness. Instead of waiting to phone in sick the next morning at 7am when I was due to start and agencies might not be able to find cover, I made the decision to call the agency then to find cover for the next two days which they did. I emailed my manager as she was away in meetings all day. I am soon to be leaving this job and moving away and my manager knows this I have interviews for new jobs soon and mentioned in my email that I wanted to feel better for these but also because I have picked up lots of shifts in the next month because we are so short staffed.

This morning I received a very unhappy email from my manager saying I shouldn't have done this as it is protocol for us to confirm with management before phoning agencies to cover shifts. This was news to me as me and all my co workers have phoned agencies multiple times in the year I've worked there, when someone else has phoned in sick, without consulting management. She also insinuated that I am not actually ill And only took the time off to go to my interviews and asked how I knew I would be ill for two days. I don't know about anyone else but I know myself and I knew for. Fact that I was not going to wake up feeling better. She made out like I had done something terrible when all I was trying to do was sort it out myself rather than leaving it until 7am for my co workers to organise and probably end up being short staffed. my manager cc'd our regional managers and my senior into the email and ended it with saying she knows I'm organising my move and she would have helped me with swapping shifts etc but I have 'taken it upon myself' and she will be seeking advice on where we go from here'

I think this is quite unfair and seems like she has assumed that I'm taking the time off to go to interviews. Obviously I shouldn't have mentioned about wanting to feel better for them in my initial interview but I didn't mean that I am taking time off to go to them! I organised them all to be on the one day I have off, as I've picked up so many.



I even said in my first email that as I have had a couple of weeks off in the last few months (I was in hospital) I wasn't sure what my sick pay was at and I would take it off unpaid if necessary - I would not do this if I didn't feel I really need time off because I felt so awful, we don't get paid much so losing money isn't something I wanna do!

Anyway I have replied and explained that I was trying to be helpful and didn't realise it would cause a problem etc etc all very nicely and politely but I haven't even had a reply. I am quite stressed about it all mostly because she has involved higher management which seems so extreme! I'm leaving in a month anyway but have never had any problems and have never been 'told off' before and want a good reference!

I'm quite annoyed about how it has been handled but guess maybe it was just a misunderstanding in that she thought I was taking days off to go to interviews and am not even ill. But it is frustrating when I've picked up over 60 hours of extra shifts, which means the company doesn't have to get expensive agency in to cover them, and yet I take two days off because I'm genuinely ill and get told off because the company will be 'out of pocket' due to having to use agency staff.

The thing is none of this would have been said to me if I had just left it and phoned in sick the morning when my shift was meant to be, despite the fact my contract says 'you must let us know as soon as possible, preferably a day in advance, if you are going to be absent due to sickness'???

Can anyone offer advice, should I be worried and can they write me a bad reference just because of this tiny thing?

[Deleted User]

They can refuse to respond to a reference request. I've 3 jobs in 2016 I never called in sick, didn't say a negative word at all on leaving, worked notice, considered what the company wanted on departing like a wally - if I thought that was amicable I was wrong, now have the joy of having to rely on 'character' referees.

Sorry don't know how serious you should be over the rest.

DCFC79

They will write a reference thats truthful/correct, whether they decide to mention what happened is anyones guess. They may just provide a basic reference.

Good luck with the job interviews.

piglet25

Did you copy the higher management into your reply? I would have done just so they knew she was being a tad over the top

Ozzuk

Stating you wanted to be well for interviews was a little silly as your manager could focus on that and think you are putting those first.

But it's too late to change that. I'd just stick with what you've said, you've apologised and you're leaving shortly so just keep your head down.

TBagpuss

Did you send your reply 'reply all'? If not It may be worth oing a further response and just saying "I apologise for having contactsed the agency first - I wasn't aware of the policy not to do so and was tryng to be helpful - I had been unwell for several days and knew I was not going to be well enough the following day and thought that the agency would be more able to provide cover if told at 4 p.m rather than 7 a.m. I estimated that I was likely to be unwell for at least 2 days based on my considtion at the time.

FBaby

I would too be annoyed with a staff arranging cover on the basis of forecasting sickness. If you go early in the afternoon I can understand the assumption that you might not be well the following day but the day afterwards too?

That added to the fact they know you are going for interviews it is not surprising they concluded that you were taking the .... I would thought the same.

getmore4less

This morning I received a very unhappy email from my manager saying I shouldn't have done this as it is protocol for us to confirm with management before phoning agencies to cover shifts.


I would remind them if they really want the process to include management approval they need to reissue the guidelines with contact numbers as that is not the current working practice.

Undervalued

DCFC79 wrote: »

They will write a reference thats truthful/correct, whether they decide to mention what happened is anyones guess. They may just provide a basic reference.

They should write a truthful / correct reference but there are all kinds of shades of grey if somebody wants to be difficult!

There is also the option of simply not providing a reference at all which is generally interpreted as having nothing good to say! Except in a few regulated professions there is absolutely nothing you can do about that.