Can I work my second job while signed off?

nma92

I am considering getting signed off from one of my jobs as I am in a lot of physical pain, which has been ongoing since January and under investigation. My main job is a physical job which is causing the pain to be worse. I work a second job which is a desk job, and I am currently working from home. Am I able to work this desk job, which causes me no pain, if I am signed off from my main job?

General_Grant

nma92 said:

I am considering getting signed off from one of my jobs as I am in a lot of physical pain, which has been ongoing since January and under investigation. My main job is a physical job which is causing the pain to be worse. I work a second job which is a desk job, and I am currently working from home. Am I able to work this desk job, which causes me no pain, if I am signed off from my main job?

As long as your GP agrees that you can't do one but can safely do the other.

Annisele

I think that in your shoes, I'd be asking a slightly different question.

I don't see any problem whatsoever with you working the second job (assuming your first employer is happy with your second job when you're well). But depending on your circumstances, I think there might be a problem with receiving occupational sick pay from your first job whilst working the second one.

As I understand it, Statutory Sick Pay would be fine (.gov.uk says "Employees can qualify for sick pay from more than one job.They could also qualify in one job but be fit for work in another, for example if one job is physical work that they cannot do while ill but the other is office-based.")

If you get Occupational Sick Pay from your first job, there might be some sort of conditions on it - different employers approach things differently. I know my employer would generally pay OSP, but not if you increased your hours in the second job. So, for example, if you normally worked Monday - Wednesday for us, and Thursday-Saturday for your second job, we'd normally pay you OSP for three days a week. But if we found out you'd upped your hours for the second job and were now working Monday-Saturday for them, we'd stop paying you.