Going home from work through illness

happyandcontented

If you had gone to work knowing that you were not at all well, and by 3pm ( normal finish time is 4.30pm) you knew needed to go home as you felt much worse (and your line manager was ok with that) would you expect to have to work back the 1.5 hours you had missed?

A friend had the above scenario and has been told she needs to work the hours as and when. The specifics of the situation are not covered in the sickness policy. Is this usual practice?

My friend works part-time and knows that full-time workers don't have this rule applied to them. Is that acceptable and where might she find guidance on the subject?

glentoran99

If she wants paid she would need to work it, unless the employer pays sick pay

Hedgehog99

This sort of thing makes me think "Why did i bother?".

She'd have been better to just take the whole day off instead of soldiering in, and she'd probably recover sooner too.

The line manager has witnessed she wasn't fit for work. Would she have been paid if she'd slept at her desk for the remaining hour and a half?

happyandcontented

glentoran99 wrote: »

If she wants paid she would need to work it, unless the employer pays sick pay

The employer does pay sick pay. Six months full pay/six months half pay.

TELLIT01

She needs to query that with somebody further up the pecking order if she is certain that other workers aren't expected to make up the hours if they go off sick during the day.

sangie595

This is common practice in parts of the public sector. There are slight differences in the way it happens, but broadly speaking, if you attend work and complete most of your working day ( the actual amount is what usually varies) then you are classed as having been in work and therefore your hours for that day are totalled towards your weekly hours. Otherwise everyone would get sick an hour before finishing time every other day! Sick pay usually only applies to full or half days.

happyandcontented

sangie595 wrote: »

This is common practice in parts of the public sector. There are slight differences in the way it happens, but broadly speaking, if you attend work and complete most of your working day ( the actual amount is what usually varies) then you are classed as having been in work and therefore your hours for that day are totalled towards your weekly hours. Otherwise everyone would get sick an hour before finishing time every other day! Sick pay usually only applies to full or half days.

I see, but it isn't spelt out in the sickness policy, and other staff who work full-time hours don't have to do this.

Additionally, she was off all the rest of the week but, as she doesn't normally work Fridays this year ( it varies from year to year) they have said she can't count that day in her sickness even though she was still sick.

sangie595

happyandcontented wrote: »

I see, but it isn't spelt out in the sickness policy, and other staff who work full-time hours don't have to do this.

Additionally, she was off all the rest of the week but, as she doesn't normally work Fridays this year ( it varies from year to year) they have said she can't count that day in her sickness even though she was still sick.

Are you absolutely sure? And has she asked the question? There may well be significant differences of terms - or the same and she simply doesn't understand why. Ask the question - then if we have that answer it's easier to advise. Right now you are asking us to guess why another person who isn't you had certain terms that we don't have in evidence. Not really that easy to answer!

74jax

I would work the 1.5hr another time.

happyandcontented

sangie595 wrote: »

Are you absolutely sure? And has she asked the question? There may well be significant differences of terms - or the same and she simply doesn't understand why. Ask the question - then if we have that answer it's easier to advise. Right now you are asking us to guess why another person who isn't you had certain terms that we don't have in evidence. Not really that easy to answer!

As far as I know, she has asked her line manager who just says that is how it works. What question should she ask? Does this policy apply across the board to all employees?

Should it apply across the board or are there instances when that might not be the case?

What about the Friday? Should that be a sick day or can they say no, because she wasn't expected in anyway?

sangie595

You don't normally get sick days for days you don't work. But you are still asking us to interpret a policy that isn't in front of us. She needs to ask her employers on what basis this decision was made and why it doesn't apply to full time workers - assuming it doesn't. I can't say why or if there are instances it might not apply - I can't read the policy.