Advice required regards employment situation rights - location of work

GingerTim

If you are signed off for a prolonged period you will likely trigger the employer's absence policy. This usually results in a formal return to work meeting where it will be explained the implications of exceeding a set number of sick days in a certain period, usually the next six months. The employer will give lip service to how they wish to support you in improving your attendance, but make no mistake, this is a disciplinary process. Exceed that and you could receive a formal disciplinary warning. I fear the capability process would be activated at this point.

Never go to a return to work meeting unaccompanied if they start talking about it being a 'Stage 1 meeting', take a union rep or failing that a fellow employee.

DRS1

OK.

Private health cover is one thing - permanent health cover is a bit different. They probably changed the name to income protection or some such to stop the two getting mixed up. What these schemes do is give you an income (maybe 50% of salary) if you can't work. They would typically cover the period up until the pension kicks in. An alternative is the ill health early retirement provision of the pension scheme but that is less a feature of the modern defined contribution schemes. It is still a feature of eg the LGPS. While sick pay may cover you initially I think that falls away (or to a lower level) after a while.

Anyway it was just a thought for if things didn't go the way you hope. Maybe there is no such scheme but if there was then it would be a good thing to see what you would need to show to be eligible.

Mistermeaner

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82139115#Comment_82139115

I guess this is my point ;

Me: sry work I can’t drive at the moment, I can however do my job remotely

work; no that’s not acceptable you have to be in the office X days per week

me: well in that case I must be signed off sick as here is the doctor note saying I can’t drive and you are saying I can’t work remotely

that would then be up to 6 months on sick pay (with constant reassessment). At the end of that 6 I presume severance on capability grounds which would require them to provide my contract notice, which is another 6 months ?

GingerTim

There's no guarantee you would get the 6 months sick pay in the first instance or automatic right to it, and they might well initiate the capability procedure at the point of being signed off.

Again, don't go to a meeting alone.

Grumpy_chap

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82139586#Comment_82139586

You are considering this as all binary.

A "fit note" saying "OP cannot drive" is not the same as a "fit note" saying "OP cannot attend the office."

Employer might expect the individual to be proactive in seeking a solution. Other modes of transport are available. It is not really the employer's concern how you get to the workplace.