Job offered but off sick on old job

hamilton63

Can anybody advise me
I am currently off sick with stress (due to being bullied at work) the second time within the year and am currently on half pay
I have have just got a new job (pending on medical and DBS check) and have not disclosed the sickness to my new employer as i am embarrassed about my situation
I just found out that they will need a medical from my GP, could i be refused the new job and should i speak to my potential new Manager about my current sickness and why I am off?

Bobbobbobingalong

Well, unless a specific requirement to do so you are under no obligation whatsoever to disclose your medical history to any prospective employer. It is very much up to you if you wanted to put your new line management in the picture, there are arguments for doing so and not doing so. The medical may or may not reveal your current circumstances, it depends on what questions the GP is asked, it isn't a blanket tell all, unless again that is what you consent to.

As for your embarrassment, don't be, your situation is by far not unique at all. And, if you think about it, if you have any evidence of the course of action you have been subject to and suffered from at your existing place of work that can be fairly compelling if you choose to put your new manager in the picture after all, it's not as if you are malingering and those circumstances are unlikely to arise again and cause any further absence.

Mr.Generous

The new employer will find out anyway if you use current employer as a reference.

Bobbobbobingalong

Mr.Generous said:

The new employer will find out anyway if you use current employer as a reference.

How? It would be a breach of privacy for the current employer to disclose sickness records in any reference, unless it is specifically requested and agreed to. A standard reference will never disclose such information.

goater78

Bobbobbobingalong said:

Mr.Generous said:

The new employer will find out anyway if you use current employer as a reference.

How? It would be a breach of privacy for the current employer to disclose sickness records in any reference, unless it is specifically requested and agreed to. A standard reference will never disclose such information.

That is not correct.  There is no such thing as a standard reference as each company will have its own policy on what it includes in a reference.  If a company wishes there is no issue in them sharing an employees absence record (although not medical reason why they were absent)

Bobbobbobingalong

goater78 said:

Bobbobbobingalong said:

Mr.Generous said:

The new employer will find out anyway if you use current employer as a reference.

How? It would be a breach of privacy for the current employer to disclose sickness records in any reference, unless it is specifically requested and agreed to. A standard reference will never disclose such information.

That is not correct.  There is no such thing as a standard reference as each company will have its own policy on what it includes in a reference.  If a company wishes there is no issue in them sharing an employees absence record (although not medical reason why they were absent)

Errr, so you're saying I'm wrong yet you confirm what I say?!

superbigal

If you are of sick with stress how will you manage to turn up to your new job ?

Undervalued

Bobbobbobingalong said:

goater78 said:

Bobbobbobingalong said:

Mr.Generous said:

The new employer will find out anyway if you use current employer as a reference.

How? It would be a breach of privacy for the current employer to disclose sickness records in any reference, unless it is specifically requested and agreed to. A standard reference will never disclose such information.

That is not correct.  There is no such thing as a standard reference as each company will have its own policy on what it includes in a reference.  If a company wishes there is no issue in them sharing an employees absence record (although not medical reason why they were absent)

Errr, so you're saying I'm wrong yet you confirm what I say?!

The OP has been off sick, more than once, for long enough to drop to half pay. The current employer is quite entitled to mention this in a reference if they so choose. It will also be fairly obvious from the P45 (if it gets that far) that there has been a significant reduction in pay. The potential new employer requires a medical and information from the OP's GP. The medical will presumably show no major physical issues so I imagine the employer will be able to put two and two together!

The OP asks....

should i speak to my potential new Manager about my current sickness and why I am off?

Yes, it would be far better to be open and up front with the potential new company.

Exodi

Bobbobbobingalong said:

Mr.Generous said:

The new employer will find out anyway if you use current employer as a reference.

How? It would be a breach of privacy for the current employer to disclose sickness records in any reference, unless it is specifically requested and agreed to. A standard reference will never disclose such information.

I admire your view on things, though as someone that regularly recruits people, I have no idea what a 'standard reference' is. I can also tell you from working in SME's that it is not uncommon for a director to call a reference for an 'off the record' chat.

That said, one could take a view that an employer might be willing to giving a glowing reference to get rid of an employee who finds themselves perpetually off sick.

Personally, I'm a fan of 'honesty is the best policy', not because I am virtuous, but because I hate living life on edge that any minute the veil may fall. At least if you mention that you've been off on long term sickness due to stress, you can explain your side of the story regarding bullying. This would be far better than the new employer finding out and assuming you're just swinging the lead.

MalMonroe

hamilton63 said:

Can anybody advise me
I am currently off sick with stress (due to being bullied at work) the second time within the year and am currently on half pay
I have have just got a new job (pending on medical and DBS check) and have not disclosed the sickness to my new employer as i am embarrassed about my situation
I just found out that they will need a medical from my GP, could i be refused the new job and should i speak to my potential new Manager about my current sickness and why I am off?

I think it depends on what kind of job you will be doing, since the new employer seems to be very keen to check out your medical status.

You should not be embarrassed at all about your situation. 

If I were you then I would really be tempted to speak to the potential new manager about my circumstances, yes. Because it's always best to be honest and upfront about whether or not you will be fit enough to carry out the duties of your new job. They are not being nosy, they are being diligent here.

Before you do anything, though, you could consider contacting acas, who can help with all matters relating to employment and who can talk you through what they think would be the best way forward for you. You don't even need to give them any personal details. If you speak with them and you don't agree with what they say then you've lost nothing. But if they can give you good advice, then obviously it will have been worth it.

Details -   https://www.acas.org.uk/contact

Something to think about anyway.

All the best for the future, I do hope you will be successful with the new job.

General_Grant

You can ask your GP to let you see the medical report before it goes to the employer.  So you'll know what they are proposing to say.

It is a long time since I had to provide a pre-employment note from my GP.  For one employer where I later saw such letters for new members of staff, I found that most simply said something along the lines of "the person was physically and mentally fit".  One came through with the shortened wording saying "the person was physically fit" and that was someone we later found had a mental illness which meant she became an inpatient for a while but did return to work wih us.  So sometimes it could be what is not said as what is  said.