Could they fire me due to taking a sick day?

[Deleted User]

Will they remember after a 2 week or so break and Christmas mayhem build up to finish if that's your industry.

The only time it really got my back up was when I attended an interview and for three thirds of it I was talked at about generous sick leave help and benefits, I really should have interjected about my exemplary about only thing sick record hey! - how I later read the contract and noticed an one liner threaning the very job going perm was due to no tolerance of sickness time - the irony.

Worry about it when it happens. Worked at one place during the last year when someone went sick on a Sunday when only 2 people only ever worked weekends and didn't think making contact applied to them until end of shift, so it could be worse. They were way old enough to know better as well so least you made contact early. (They did keep their job as far as I knew.)

Least you want to work there still - keep this thought. You could arrive to work on the 2nd and find someone leaving etc!!

jobbingmusician

IIWY I would make a point of saying how lousy your Christmas was when you are asked how it went. It doesn't look good if you tell people about your great Christmas, even if you were feeling loads better by Xmas day itself

And yes, bosses CAN fire for anything, but if you are a valued and trusted employee (and they are sensible people) they will always make a judgement call about your performance. It would cost them money to recruit and replace you, after all. And people DO get ill at Christmas (and do make it clear that you were ILL, not suffering from a hangover )

elsien

JustAnotherSaver wrote: »

Maybe next time go to work & look like death and get sent home rather than calling in.

I've done that before. Rather be sent home than not call in. At least that way they can see you look like you're about to die.

Some times it doesn't work and you just spend the day sat there on the toilet but oh well, at least you turned in

I'd never send an employee home in these circumstances. They're adults, and if they come in to work I expect them to either get the work done or to tell me they are feeling too unwell and need to go home.
Can't be doing with people drooping around waiting for me to send them home so they don't have to take responsibility for their own decisions.

ohreally

elsien wrote: »

I'd never send an employee home in these circumstances. They're adults, and if they come in to work I expect them to either get the work done or to tell me they are feeling too unwell and need to go home.
Can't be doing with people drooping around waiting for me to send them home so they don't have to take responsibility for their own decisions.

This.

It ain't primary school.

xapprenticex

ohreally wrote: »

It discriminates, its a blunt tool that doesn't allow for disability related absence.

"The first issue with the Bradford Factor is that it does not make allowances for disability related absence. The British Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and 2005 (DDA), (replaced by the Equality Act 2010) creates a duty on employers to tailor their actions to the individual circumstances of disabled employees."

http://hrnews.co.uk/everything-wanted-know-bradford-factor/

Thankfully, no employers I deal with use this tool anymore.

Its a little different with disabilities but at the same time, having a disability doesn't always mean being off sick all the time, people with disabilities can be very dependable.

In these cases, I use my discretion and it works out quite well, im happy and my direct report is happy.

I was more talking about people you like, dont like, man, woman, gay, straight etc, no favoritism, is what it is.

Its quite popular in larger organisations.

sangie595

ohreally wrote: »

It discriminates, its a blunt tool that doesn't allow for disability related absence.

"The first issue with the Bradford Factor is that it does not make allowances for disability related absence. The British Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and 2005 (DDA), (replaced by the Equality Act 2010) creates a duty on employers to tailor their actions to the individual circumstances of disabled employees."

http://hrnews.co.uk/everything-wanted-know-bradford-factor/

Thankfully, no employers I deal with use this tool anymore.

That is true of any managing sickness absence process. None of them have a "disability clause". The point of reasonable adjustments is that they are tailored to the individual, and if that is about sickness, the Bradford Factor can be, and widely is, adjusted for individuals circumstances. Just as other such processes are adjusted where that is reasonable.

The Bradford Factor is still widely used, and by many very large businesses.. It is no better nor worse than any other process. Like anything else, it depends on how it is used by human beings as to how effective it is. And that can also depend on how human beings operate. My employer had totally suspended all sickness absence procedures for me. That is because even through major operations I have quite literally been sitting in hospital and at home advising people, providing support and giving guidance to other officers. They haven't entirely worked out when I'm off sick and when I'm not at times! They don't ask for that. I do it because I can, because technology enables it, because it's my body playing chaos not my brain, and because I believe in what I do. Nevertheless, and despite actually being a trade union, they would have no qualms about dismissing someone who is taking the Michael, or who is unable to work through incapacity (although we do, to be fair, have good insurance provision for genuine incapacity).

It is, and always had been, people who make things work, or take the proverbial - not processes. That is true of employers and employees. No process is "wrong" or "right". It is what people make it. Nothing more.

JustAnotherSaver

elsien wrote: »

I'd never send an employee home in these circumstances. They're adults, and if they come in to work I expect them to either get the work done or to tell me they are feeling too unwell and need to go home.
Can't be doing with people drooping around waiting for me to send them home so they don't have to take responsibility for their own decisions.

Everywhere is different & i can only speak of the experiences i have seen myself.

Basically where i work if you call in then unless your nearest & dearest has died then you'll get talked about like you've made the reason up & you basically just want the day off work. You're throwing a sickie in other words.

Sure some reasons you raise an eyebrow to but there's others where i think how harsh can the company be really? Without going in to detail on a public forum.

So my view is that unless you physically are unable to get to work or it would be too dangerous if you tried (let's say the migraine from hell and you operate machinery) then much better to go to work and give it a go. You may pick up as the day goes on but if you don't then at least they can see A) you tried and you look like crap so when you C) say look i can't last any longer i'm going to have to go then hopefully they may look at the situation better than if you just called up first thing & said i'm poorly.

Fireflyaway

As others say, within 2 years you can be fired for pretty much any reason if the company wishes ( unless you can prove discrimination) and have no right to claim unfair dismissal.
However from experience, one short period of sickness absence is very unlikely to cause a company to fire you. If they do, I'm guessing they would have found some other excuse to get rid of you anyway.
Its unrealistic to expect someone to never be unwell! Does your company have a sickness policy you can read to put your mind at rest?

System

elsien wrote: »

I'd never send an employee home in these circumstances. They're adults, and if they come in to work I expect them to either get the work done or to tell me they are feeling too unwell and need to go home.
Can't be doing with people drooping around waiting for me to send them home so they don't have to take responsibility for their own decisions.

I have to admit to going into work when too unwell to. This is because i;d already had a warning for being off sick and if i'd called in sick i'd have had another. I was too scared to call in sick and risk losing my job. I know in hindsight its not ideal but when you have a disability that means you need more time of work and then factor in normal sickness (flu etc) and you're worried you're going to get fired i panic.