Appointments In Work Time?

Xh2oX

Does anyone know if you are entiltled to time off work for dentist/doctors appointments.
Some mutterings at work about how we have to try and get appointments for after work time and people are being frowned on if they cannot get late appointments!

Any advice would be great.

Murtle

It depends on what your contract says, but the last company I worked for had it in there that appointments should be made for first thing or last thing in the day. Obviously if this wasn't possible, they'd always let you make up the extra time you took off!!! I guess it depends on how much people take the p*** doing it. If someone is going to the doctors every friday afternoon....or monday morning....etc. but if it is infrequent then they usually don't mind.

Jacster_2

You're not 'entitled' to time off to go to the doctor/dentist, as such.

Generally, though, employers are understanding and let people go when the appointments are. In my view, it's reasonable for an employer to ask you to try and make the appointment for start or end of day, on your day off, or make up the time later in the week. I normally do this, and haven't had any problems.

I don't think it's acceptable for people not to be able to get to the doctor/dentist when they need to.

It's a balance, and Murtle's right - sometime employers clamp down if it gets to frequent/too many people.

Hope this helps.

Savvy_Sue

When I was formally on flexi-time, we were expected to make appointments for GP, dentist, optician etc outside 'core hours' or take it as flexi-time off.

However, if you had a hospital appointment you did not have to take it as time off, because the reasoning went that the hospital sent you the appointment, and you didn't have the flexibility that you do with dentist, GP, optician etc. There was a debate about whether hospital appointments were to be recorded as sick leave but they weren't: you just recorded your 'normal' day's work and put an X for Other in the column where you'd have TOIL, Leave, Training, Bank Holiday etc.

If there's nothing in your contract and you're on fixed hours then it seems reasonable to me that you try to make appointments as early or as late as possible, but I know how hard that can be when you're not supposed to ring our GP until 8.30 am on the day you want the appointment, and then you can only get a midday appointment!

dougk_2

The usual "guide" is routine appointments should be booked outside of work times (many dentists for example are open on saturdays or have late evenings). Failing that you should be prepared to take a half day to cover appointments.

Hospital and urgent appointments most companies will be happy letting you have time off for, but be flexible and willing to make up the time to keep up a good relationship.

I know how much pain GP's can be - In the past I have just turned up and complain that they are too inflexible and wait until someone can see me!

fatboyonadiet

When I was on flexi-time we would have to make the time up, when on contracted hours we didn't

Slinky

I used to work somewhere where the company paid for our eye tests. It was a big company, they had an agreement with one of the chainstore opticians. However our nearest branch of this chain was 20 miles away. We were a bit disgruntled to say the least when they said we had to organise it in our own time. In the end they said they would pay up to £x amount if we went to a local optician. I went to one locally, and the optician was exceedingly suspicious that I was trying to con the company I worked for, for glasses. I said, do I need glasses - she said, do you think you need them? EH?? Thought that was what I'd come here to find out about! Needless to say I recommended others give the place a wide berth.