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AIBU?

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Original poster

Ringing in sick?

35 replies

fatgirlswims · 08/08/2025 14:20

My work place make it as difficult as possible to call in sick.

you have to phone the top boss between 6.30 and 7am

You can’t tell them in advance. You cant email or text.

you can’t tell you line manager
you can’t call in sick day one, have a day off, get signed and then email in or call someone else.

if you are signed off or told to self certify you only have to ring in once AFTER that. Other wise you have to ring in.

there is no practical need for this other than they need to know before 7.30.

someone rang in with a cold cough and were told they still
needed to come in as it was only a cold.
another called at 7.30 as they tried to come in but were to ill after getting ready.

I called in Wednesday and was signed off so I emailed the person responsible for sickness to say so. This is the bosses PA. I was then told off at my RTW about the “confusion” regarding not calling the boss.

EDIT. We have low rates of staff sickness.

AIBU to think must be a deterrent

OP posts:
Original poster
fatgirlswims · 08/08/2025 15:18

I start at 8.30.

I don’t think anyone has challenge it but other things that have been challenged they simply say “it’s policy” over and over again.

om ok after 10 weeks but Inwas very unwell and felt terrible for being off sick. I didn’t not want to call in.

OP posts:
MrsBennetsPoorNerves · 08/08/2025 15:15

Standard procedure in most places, except that you wouldn't always need to talk to the "top boss" and it wouldn't always need to be that early. However, you yourself have said that the workplace need to know by 7.30am, so the time slot is fair enough and the other managers may not want to take calls that early.

I don't think someone should be told to come in with a cold if they're too ill to do so, but without knowing all of the context/detail, it's hard to comment on that.

Having to call every day unless signed off is completely normal.

pamelanoon · 08/08/2025 15:13

ilovesooty · 08/08/2025 15:10

I don't see why it's unusual. I've never worked anywhere where it was acceptable to email or text. When I was teaching you had to call before 7.30am, and call at 2.30pm to say whether you'd be in the next day 😢. You had to call every day unless you'd been signed off with a sick note.

Having to call in person is the norm I would have thought.

Show quote history

Yeah in my last workplace we always had to call too.

Its the last thing that you feel like doing.

But they make you call, to make everyone stressed about it, so then less people take time off.

It works for them. If they made the sick process easy, everyone would be calling in sick

ilovesooty · 08/08/2025 15:11

tobleronetime · 08/08/2025 15:04

What if they have a phone phobia?

Unless it's covered by reasonable adjustments I'd say you follow the same procedures as everyone else.

ilovesooty · 08/08/2025 15:10

Minniliscious · 08/08/2025 14:38

Are you in the UK? This sounds very unusual.

I don't see why it's unusual. I've never worked anywhere where it was acceptable to email or text. When I was teaching you had to call before 7.30am, and call at 2.30pm to say whether you'd be in the next day 😢. You had to call every day unless you'd been signed off with a sick note.

Having to call in person is the norm I would have thought.

tobleronetime · 08/08/2025 15:04

What if they have a phone phobia?

jasminocereusbritannicus · 08/08/2025 14:56

Sounds like the school I work in.

Minniliscious · 08/08/2025 14:38

Are you in the UK? This sounds very unusual.

birdling · 08/08/2025 14:27

Sounds confusing, but I don't think it's that unusual. Annoying, isn't it?!
They probably are trying to deter people from calling in sick unnecessarily (which I'm sure isn't the case with you).
Hope you feel better soon.

AyaMaua · 08/08/2025 14:26

Yikes! Do you start work at 9am usually? Has anyone ever tried complaining about this policy? 😂

Never heard of employer insisting you come to work if you self certify.
I thought that’s illegal.

Regarding the calling in procedure - it does sound perfectly clear. Call the big boss within a fixed period of time. I get it if they have to arrange cover and messages are flying in overnight from different places - that would be confusing.

If it deters people from calling in sick then surely that’s ok? If they were sick enough, they’d call in.

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