Elective surgery - do I have to tell my employer?

mr_boony

Hello, I am having elective surgery next month and currently on furlough. I haven’t got a return date yet but if it so happens I have to return to work whilst in recovery (I cannot work for 4 weeks post op) do I have to tell my employer what type of surgery I have had? I would prefer they didn’t know, I’m the only female there and about 40 men and I’d rather just say it’s surgery and leave it at that. I would obviously have a sick note from my gp I was hoping that wouldn’t go into specifics either...!

any advice?

Thank you  

sharpe106

You don't need to tell them what you are having done, just provide the sick note from the doctor.

TELLIT01

Your GP should be happy just to put 'Post operative recovery' on the certificate. 

Nothanks

Nope, no reason to tell them. 

Just don’t mislead them - saying it was a minor surgery is fine, saying it was a surgery that it wasn’t is potential gross misconduct; albeit unlikely. 

Obviously it depends on how visible the elective surgery is to colleagues. A mole removed from your butt is a different prospect to a nose job! 

Good luck with your op!

Ozzuk

You are entitled to Statutory sick pay, but not necessarily any contractual sick pay, that would be down to your contract/employment terms and the nature of the surgery so if you are banking on that it is worth checking...

Undervalued

Ozzuk said:

You are entitled to Statutory sick pay, but not necessarily any contractual sick pay, that would be down to your contract/employment terms and the nature of the surgery so if you are banking on that it is worth checking...

Indeed.

Virtually all company sick pay schemes these days are "discretionary". So if the employer wants chapter and verse before deciding how to exercise their discretion, within reason they can insist on knowing exactly what you had done and why.

It would be rare indeed for them to go against a doctors "sick note" (now called a fit note) for SSP purposes. However if the Elective procedure was, say purely cosmetic, then they may have an argument that you should take the time as holiday.

Remember the employer meets the cost of SSP, not the government.

MEM62

mr_boony said:

do I have to tell my employer what type of surgery I have had? I would prefer they didn’t know  

Your employer has a duty of care to you in respect of making sure that your workplace is safe.  This includes any adjustments that might need to be made for specific individuals - for example you, if there are any adjustments needed as a result of your surgery.  Wanting discretion is all well and good but you are making it difficult for your employer to make any kind of assessment or provision for you by keeping them in the dark.