To ask what your sickness policy is at work?

[VixxFace]

I have been at my company for 9 months and have had 1 day off sick (taken from holiday) and stupidly didn't check the sickness policy out. I have been for hospital appointments but took out of my lunch break.

Read it properly and asked questions today and we don't get paid for any sickness. If you're off for more than 3 days you get statutory sick pay £88 a week!

I am shocked. So if you break your leg or come down with a serious illness you will get 90 quid a week to live off and potentially not be able to pay your bills.

What is your sickness policy and is mine unreasonable.

Yes I know i am unreasonable for not checking contract . Looking for a new job now.

[Pastamancer]

This has been the policy everywhere I have worked other than public sector.

[LIZS]

Have you checked the absence policy. Occasional hospital appointments may be covered separately or if you need regular appointments it may be deemed a reasonable adjustment.

[googoodolly]

Yep, sounds normal to me. Ours is the same.

[Tuskerfull]

One of my early jobs was like that. It's representative of what an uncaring, terrible place it was to work.

At my current job (private sector) we get 10 paid sick days a year. I have never needed more but my colleague did, and they allowed her to use annual leave at very short notice to cover her other sicknesses.

[RedandYellow24]

Yes when I became too ill to work had to live on ssp for 28weeks totally broke before could apply for ESA at higher rate. But if budget goes ahead could be on ssp for rest of life! Ifsle it same as JSA level.

[Andro]

We offer sick leave on full pay and pay attention to patterns in absence.

Stay at home if you know you're sick and don't abuse the system...people have lost their jobs for repeatedly lying about illness.

^ pretty much sums up our policy and how we apply it.

[SmokingGun]

Im really lucky, 6 months full pay, 6 months half pay. Hopefully I will never have the need to use most of it but it is nice to know the safety net is there

[TheDuchessofBoxford]

Ours is great: 6 months full pay then 6 months half pay before ssp kicks in. It's highly abused and often staff members recover at 5 months and 29 days.

Shame the maternity policy isn't so accommodating!

[itilqueen]

That's the policy everywhere I have ever worked (profit making companies)

[Groovee]

First 3 days unpaid then ssp. Back to work interview on return. Been in every work place since I started working.

[Runningupthathill82]

This was also the policy at every job I've had, aside from the public sector...

[MrsBobDylan]

Sounds crap - much crapper than anything I've ever experienced and I've worked in public and private sector.

Have clearly led a very sheltered life!

[googoodolly]

Oh, and yes to return to work interview, even if you've just been off for one day. Also, they monitor percentages/amount of time you have off. 3% absence or 3 individual absences in any six month rolling period means a formal warning. If you get another instance of absence in the next six months, you get a final warning. Once more in six months and and you're gone.

After six months of no absence your percentage resets to zero.

[PowderMum]

Sounds normal to me (SME businesses)

[gobbin]

100 days full, 100 days half.

I have had significant periods of time off following surgery in 2014 and 2015 (am on sick leave now) but haven't used more than 52 days off in a year, despite being off for 15 weeks last year.

This is when the fact that those long teacher holidays that people moan about come in handy - as we don't get paid for them, they don't count when totting up sick days.

[MrsMonkeyBear]

Nothing for first 3 days, then 5 days half pay then ssp. Bit shit but better than nothing.

[downgraded]

No sick pay? Wtf?

I get 49 days full pay plus 20 if dd is sick.

Bloody hell i'm shocked at the replies on this thread

[CombineBananaFister]

My husband has worked at his job 15 years and he gets nothing. He's had 3days off in all that time for an asthma attack - it stinks. Iknow people abuse the system but there should be some sort of fairness based on accruing attendance.

My work is much more generous with 6months full pay but you have weekly meetings and there are conditions but I am very grateful for this having recently become very ill and it's one less worry whilst waiting for biopsy results.

[ProudAS]

I work in public sector and ours isn't bad compared to some of the stories on here but less cushy than some people seem to think - no sick pay in first six months of service or first three days of sickness and 90% thereafter.
It encourages people to go in when sick and when it was first implemented flu type bugs used to go round like wildfire. They seem to have dropped back to previous levels though so think we must have developed immunity.

Sick pay kicks in from day one for disability related absence but not sure how this works in first six months in post.

[SwingingBalls]

6 months full pay and then 6 months half. I believe the union will supliment the shortfall in certain circumstances.
We can't apply for another job within the company (or apply for a promotion) if we have taken more than 11 days off in 3 years or had sick leave on more than 3 occasions.

[Stanky]

My pay slip reads £0.00 if I am off sick. We get paid weekly, and I only work 2 days a week. It's quite depressing. I also get a delightful letter from the manager, summoning me to his office for a disciplinary hearing. There would be no incentive to throw a sickie at my work. I dread being ill.

[NotGoingOut17]

Return to work interviews tend to be standard, and aren't indicative of poor T&Cs. I get a very generous 6 months full pay followed by 6 months half pay (another public sector worker) - we still have return to work interviews including after 1 day absences.

[DoTheDuckFace]

We get 6 months full pay. Back to work interviews and if you have more than ten separate periods of absence in a year they can limit your sick pay.

[namechangedincase23]

We get nothing in your first 6 months - just SSP

After that, 25 days a year full pay, then SSP.

If you are sick more than once in a 4 week period, the first day of your 2nd occurence is unpaid. I hate this rule as if you have flu at the start of March and then 3.9 weeks later you get a kidney infection you lose money. And if you've been ill you are more likely to get ill again due to being run down. Plus it puts you off trying to come if you are feeling a bit better as if you come in, feel like crap and have the next day off you are penalised.

[VixxFace]

I am shocked at these replies. It's crazy how it differs so much between companies.

So if you're sick you could literally end up being unable to pay your rent 0r mortgage. .