Work colleague off sick but on holiday

Even if OP isn't, it can be incredibly annoying when you have someone in a (small!) team taking the piss like this. Morale sapping.

However, threads like this tend to attract the 'keep your beak out' posters; not your circus, not your monkeys; are you her manager; and, oh, but you don't know what's really gong on

Not your team member, not your business.
I presume you have access to the same sickness absence benefits as this person, and if you needed time away for your mental health you could take it under the same terms.
You’re therefore free to take the leave as and when you feel you require it.

It’s for HR/Management to deal with within the terms of the sickness policy. Some people do take the piss and manage to not breach the policy but the flip side is, everyone else gets to take sick days when they are sick without having to worry about losing their job. Where I work we had a guy ”managed out” because he was taking sick leave and working agency shifts somewhere else - not on the same day, but using his sick leave a rest days and working his days off. He was an idiot and said he was doing it in a whattsapp message. We have another who is on the radar for asking for shift swaps, not getting them, then phoning in sick on the day she wanted off. 2 people (including shift swapper) have got married in the last year and taken a full week of sick before the weddings (which they fully recovered for). It looks shady but you can’t prove they aren’t unwell and maybe they were.

I agree - unless it impacts on OP’s workload. For example, if she is picking the slack when colleague is off sick.

I was recently off sick with stress and anxiety (mostly work related), the first time I have ever been off work for an extended period. I was completely burnt out, however people at work had no idea. I had a planned holiday during this period that had been booked and paid for 6 months earlier. The holiday helped massively with my mental health - but I was so worried about what people might think, I didn't put anything on social media.
Just because someone appears well at work, it doesn't mean they are ok. My colleagues said they had no idea I was struggling, I always seem so organised and put together. I wasn't - I was having heart palpitations, not sleeping, and I felt like I was going to have a stroke.

So I would say, please don't presume your colleague is faking it on the basis they appear fine at work.

I was, however, quite surprised at how easy it is to get your fit note extended - I didn't even have to speak to a GP, I had to request it on an email. I think if this is a pattern and it's happening each time the person is planning a holiday, then that does need to be highlighted. Where I work, you do get your annual leave back if you have a doctor's note for being off sick during your leave. I imagine some people do take the piss, but I would say unless you know the full circumstances you need to presume your colleague is off for genuine reasons and leave it with managers to deal with.

The manager can’t really do anything about it though. You can’t prove someone doesn’t have MH. If the company provides sickness pay and they are within the limits of it then there’s sod all anyone can do. Would be different if they were off with leg injury and where posting skiing pics but very hard to prove someone isn’t suffering with stress etc

It’s up to management to put in a control to flag the pattern. Focus your attention on their failings and butt out of your colleagues medical issues.

The only way you can approach it is to refuse to pick up her slack (if that is what the problem is),

People are legally allowed to go on holiday while they are on sick leave so there is not much you, or your employer, can do about it, which is probably why nothing is being done by management, they have to tread very careful around sick leave.

It does sound like she is playing the system, especially if she is also taking regular annual leave and using sick leave to have her holidays, but there really isn't anything you can do about it, it is not your place to intervene, but you should not be expected to pick up her workload either, they need to put provisions in place.

Unless it's your company and the person is costing you money personally, you should be congratulating them on an excellent gambit.

You need to up your game and play the system to your own benefit as well. Private employers take the best years of your life for their own profit, it's all of our moral duty to take back every little bit we can.

It's just another case of those I've worked with who would be regularly "ill" on a Monday or a Friday or couldn't possibly stay behind to do the closing down of the business etc etc
Some people just cba and its annoying for the rest of us who have to pick up the slack.
We took it to management and she left.

I've 'ploughed through' many times as well, but not always. And you still accrue annual leave when you're off sick anyway still needs to be taken. For for many people holidays, or decompression, are vital in them trying to manage their manage health. Ploughing through forever seems to give many people a compassion bypass.

"At your wits end", are you, aye😂

For those who think their employer is too soft with this colleague: how would you feel if, after years of giving good service, you were summarily sacked without due process after contracting a genuine health condition?

Yes it is possible to dismiss an employee; but it should be at the end of a very long road of trying to work with the employee, consider reasonable adjustments, occupational health referrals etc. Dismissal should be the last, rather than the first, resort.

As has been pointed out, employers who don't proceed with care and caution are likely to find themselves in breach of the EA2010 and facing unfair dismissal claims. The legislation is there to protect all employees (ie the op as well as her colleague) so imo it is good that it is there. Google 'Phossy Jaw' to find out what things were like when employers were free to do what they liked with their sick employees.

I know that there are piss taking colleagues but overall would rather tolerate the odd piss taker than do without the legal protections for all of us.

I need so more context here. How often are the holidays?
How many days are we talking here? They leave on the Friday and take the Thursday off kind of thing.

I think you are being ridiculous to be at your ‘wits end’ illness’s happen, whether or not someone is about to go on holiday. It sounds toxic to be mad at someone for being off ill. Your college could have a chronic illness or serious mental health battles. Just because they haven’t disclosed them to you, doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

It's dismaying when people with mental health problems use it as a card to go on extended holidays etc. as someone who's suffered life long with anxiety and depression: I've ploughed through work wise all my working life. Yet, I'd be tarred by proxy because of those practices. I really should employ "if you can't beat em join em".

Oh I'm with you.

I'm an absolute mug: I go off sick when I literally cannot get out of bed. (Unfortunately it was drilled into me in my upbringing and it's very hard to go off sick with a guilt free conscience)

Most people don't have those values anymore (I'm not saying whether that's a good or a bad thing ) many in my office are permanently off sick with various ailments and on a frequent basis and nobody seems to care much. It makes me internally angry (my problem i know, if you can't beat em , join em?) makes me feel like a mug.

And I've been hospitalised with asthma and have suffered with my mental health all my life. My mum always said work was therapeutic for mental health problems (to be honest, it does blow away the cob webs most times ) but it seems I'm a dying breed.

I accept it's a me problem though. I should just feel more obliged to take more sickies. I find people notice and feel less sympathetic when "Mr/Mrs reliable" goes off sick though. It goes against the expected.

It’s worth pointing out that you can’t just sack someone with a disability (or any other protected characteristic) as defined by the Equality Act 2010. There are procedures to be followed including agreed actions with the employee to improve attendance, the consideration of reasonable adjustment such as a change or reduction in hours where possible, and in certain circumstances sick leave taken as a result of declared disability isn’t recorded as sick, but disability leave, and is outside the scope of disciplinary action. Employers need to ensure they follow and document these procedures or they may find themselves at the pointy end of an unfair dismissal case.

It's none of your business. For all you know there is a much bigger picture that the managers ARE aware of but you're not.

I am not clear why you are 'at your wits' end'. You don't mention that your colleague's absences put pressure on you; I think you would have if they did.

If they do directly affect you though, you can mention this to your manager in confidence. However the chances are that management is already aware of her absence pattern and are monitoring it, but managers have to follow a longer process in managing an employee's excessive absence (mainly to avoid the risk of disability discrimination). As others have pointed out though, it is hard to prove that an absence is not genuine so it can take time to resolve.

By all means raise concerns privately with your manager if you want to, but stop gossiping with other colleagues about it - unless you want to be accused of bullying or harassment. Suppose the absences are for a genuine underlying reason that you are not privy to?

I totally get your frustration op! I appreciate people need a rest to recover from MH and a holiday can help.

But if you have a pattern of someone planning a holiday and then shirking work either side it feels unfair for rest of team covering. If we all did this the workplace productivity would plummet.

I had a colleague who was off on MH illness for seven months - gp just kept extending it. HR paid her full pay unnecessarily for 6 months as afraid she would sue (she was suffering workplace stress). She left everything in an effing mess due to her stress she had totally messed up her job. So of course I am covering her work as management too tight to hire adequate temps, and meantime she’s posting on LinkedIn about her “brave battle ” against MH issues and posting on FB her sunny happy holiday snaps.

She came back after work cut her pay to 50% floating in like she was some kind of hero. She was a bit sheepish with me, to be fair. I kept it professional and didn’t say a word to her about her illness or the shitty mess she left me in. She didn’t even say thanks for covering.

I quit that job and got a better one - result is, my old employer stuck with her (she’s still useless) and I’ve taken my skills and dedication elsewhere.

Is it her fault? No. It’s poor employment practice, lack of management skill and an HR team frightened of its own shadow.

Most work places have an absence policy and will monitor sick leave etc. Leave this for HR or management to investigate. You don't want to create a toxic work environment by speculating that someone is taking the mick when they may have genuine reason to be off work.

Yes but I am not clear why you would even mention the maternity leaves which are a statutory entitlement. Unless you think she got pregnant 3 times solely to have time off work.

It’s none of your business. If you’re struggling with workload you need to discuss that with your manager so she can redistribute work.

It is when you have several periods of long term sick leave on top, as I said in my post.

it also depends why they are off sick. MH and spending a week on the sun is not so bad but having flue or a bad back and going away for surfing or hiking is far more dodgy..