new job interview while on sick leave

VictorT

I'm sorry about the judgmental and Holier Than Thou replies you got here.
You have to do what's right for you. And your employer has saved money by not employing people to replace leavers and putting more work on you. I don't see any reason to worry a head on their account.
I recommend you keep interviews private and not permit references to be taken before a job offer.

Blatchford

VictorT wrote: »

I'm sorry about the judgmental and Holier Than Thou replies you got here.
You have to do what's right for you. And your employer has saved money by not employing people to replace leavers and putting more work on you. I don't see any reason to worry a head on their account.
I recommend you keep interviews private and not permit references to be taken before a job offer.

Really? On what planet do you live where:
*potential employers are wildly happy to find out that someone they are interviewing is claiming to be too sick to attend work
* sickness records and especially the reasons for sickness have no part in the decision to employ someone
* employers are so stupid that they can't figure out that if you get offered a job and have been off sick, you went to the interview whilst off sick
* you would be thanked and offered a job for attending an interview whilst having a contagious illness

There is a huge difference between what you are able to do and what it might be wise to do. The only person here being judgemental is you - the rest are opinions, which is what the poster asked for.

74jax

VictorT wrote: »

I'm sorry about the judgmental and Holier Than Thou replies you got here.
You have to do what's right for you. .

She has got shingles. She could come into contact with someone pregnant in the new building during the interview. She could come into contact with other vulnerable people who, if in close contact, could also be set risk.

No, she doesn't just have to do what is right for her. There's other people at serious risk here.

t0rt0ise

74jax wrote: »

She has got shingles. She could come into contact with someone pregnant in the new building during the interview. She could come into contact with other vulnerable people who, if in close contact, could also be set risk.

No, she doesn't just have to do what is right for her. There's other people at serious risk here.

Someone will only catch chicken pox from shingles if they touch the weeping rash, so it's highly unlikely anyone is going to catch it.

I do think that if she's well enough to go to an interview she's well enough to go to work.

Undervalued

VictorT wrote: »

I'm sorry about the judgmental and Holier Than Thou replies you got here.
You have to do what's right for you. And your employer has saved money by not employing people to replace leavers and putting more work on you. I don't see any reason to worry a head on their account.
I recommend you keep interviews private and not permit references to be taken before a job offer.

Your whole post is nonsense but particularly the part I have highlighted!

There is no actual way of doing that, beyond asking nicely and hoping that the potential employer plays along. If they know where you currently work there is noting to stop then writing or phoning the current employer and saying "XXX has applied to us for a job and we wonder if you could comment on their suitability"! As long as they don't imply that XXX has given them as a reference they are doing nothing wrong. It might not be good practice but it is certainly not unlawful.

Blatchford

t0rt0ise wrote: »

Someone will only catch chicken pox from shingles if they touch the weeping rash, so it's highly unlikely anyone is going to catch it.

I do think that if she's well enough to go to an interview she's well enough to go to work.

That is true, but - from the NHS website - "If you have shingles, you're contagious until the last blister has dried and scabbed over. To help prevent the virus being passed on, avoid sharing towels or flannels, swimming, or playing contact sports. You should also avoid work or school if your rash is weeping (oozing fluid) and can't be covered." If the NHS advises avoiding work or school, then I would think "interview" would also be covered in that category. Unless one is absolutely certain that under no circumstances could someone else contact the virus from you, it is irresponsible to take the risk with other peoples circumstances. Although that would also support your final statement - if one is well enough to go to an inteview, one really should be well enough to go to work. Whilst I have every sympathy with the poster struggling with workload, going off sick is not the solution. They can't stay off sick for ever on the basis that they have to work hard. If the workload really is unmanageable, that is a problem that needs addressing with the employer.

Malthusian

sukavi2011 wrote: »

Would using this week to go for interviews, should i get any, be a bad thing. I have read handbook and contract and i cannot see anything to say i cant.

Unless your handbook explicitly says that it's OK to bunk off on sick leave when you're not actually sick, you can't. It doesn't need to say explicitly that you can't go for interviews. This line of argument is no different from saying "my contract doesn't say I can't go white water rafting when I'm off sick so the employer shouldn't have a problem if I'm spotted white water rafting".

It is a bad thing because if you get caught they may push you before you are ready to jump. The new employer may also take a dim view of your honesty if they find out that you were off sick when you were actually well enough to work (and attend interviews).

When you are well enough (and not contagious), you should return to work, then book time off work to attend interviews (using þe olde excuses like dental appointments) like everyone else.