Sickness recorded even though I am off work anyway as work is closed. Can they do this?

Mumoftwo73

Hi, myself and my colleagues are off work.  Work is closed and has been since lockdown started.  We are not working from home, however we have a staff video call once a week to catch up on the previous week off work.  All very casual, and just for staff wellbeing.  I couldn't attend one video call due to feeling ill.  This has now been recorded as sick leave on their HR system.  The same has happened to other colleagues.  So looking at my record I was off sick when I have been off for weeks anyway doing nothing to do with work.  I have been told its because they have a duty of care to know when staff are unwell even if its not covid19.  One of my part time colleagues has had the same thing happen to him but he has also been told from the start of lockdown to be available for all days of the week even if he normally doesn't work 5 days normally.  He has had to do work on days he doesn't normally work.  Are both these things fair?

bradders1983

Have you been furloughed?

neilmcl

Take it up with HR.

Mumoftwo73

No.  Getting paid like normal, so far. 

Grumpy_chap

Then the company will possibly want to claim SSP.
If you are getting paid like normal and were off sick so unable to perform your duties, it is entirely reasonable this is logged as sick pay.  If you were being paid like normal and going into the office but could not go to perform your duties because you your unwell, would that be recorded as sick pay?  Nothing is any different.

I would not worry about the affairs of the part time worker who is not doing anything but asked to be available any day.  That said, it may be reasonable in any case if they are being paid and not working, then something may come up that the company asks them to help with on any day.

sharpe106

Hi, myself and my colleagues are off work.  Work is closed and has been since lockdown started.  

I assume you have been furloughed or just unpaid? 

 We are not working from home, however we have a staff video call once a week to catch up on the previous week off work.  All very casual, and just for staff wellbeing.  I couldn't attend one video call due to feeling ill.  This has now been recorded as sick leave on their HR system.  

If you are furloughed, with the exception of pay it changes nothing with regards to your contract with the company. If you were too unwell to attend a video conference you would have been to unwell to attend work. From their point of view, you must have been pretty ill not to attend. 

 The same has happened to other colleagues.  So looking at my record I was off sick when I have been off for weeks anyway doing nothing to do with work.   

I think they have probably thought you were all taking the mick, not just one employee but several too ill to attend a video call.  

I have been told its because they have a duty of care to know when staff are unwell even if its not covid19.   

That is true, what normally happens if off sick? 

One of my part time colleagues has had the same thing happen to him but he has also been told from the start of lockdown to be available for all days of the week even if he normally doesn't work 5 days normally.  He has had to do work on days he doesn't normally work. 

That would depend on his contract and what hours they have laid out. They might be contracted to a set number of hours or set days. If set hours then yes if set days then no.  

Is he furloughed too with him working days he does not normal do or is he picking up everybody else's work? 

  Are both these things fair? 

Fair probably not and a little bit mean, as it makes no real difference to them. But I can’t see how they have done anything actually wrong.  You are just unlucky that they wanted to keep in touch with you as if they had not they would never have known.  

Dr_Crypto

Seems reasonable. You've been sent home on full pay (very generous) but the one duty you're asked to perform is attend the video conference. You were unwell and thus unable to attend (work) so that's been correctly recorded.

Undervalued

^^^^^^ Exactly!
I am struggling to see why there is any question about it?

PixelPound

Dr_Crypto said:

Seems reasonable. You've been sent home on full pay (very generous) but the one duty you're asked to perform is attend the video conference. You were unwell and thus unable to attend (work) so that's been correctly recorded.

Look at it a different way, if prior to the outbreak the OP had time-off/holiday booked, but fell ill shortly before that included there holiday, if they get paid full pay whilst on sick I'm sure they'd expect the holiday to be marked as sick so they could reuse it later in the year.