Did you know Bupa don't pay sick pay?

[Backhills]

In their upmarket and really very expensive care homes, staff get SSP only. Even when they're isolating or ill with Covid that they caught at work.

I know this is common place in the care sector, but it seems particularly incongruous for Bupa to be doing it because, separately, they're trying to sell me a staff wellbeing package for my company.

Put your own house in order?

I won't be doing business with them and I've told them why, but I don't suppose for a minute it will make any difference

And this is why people won't self isolate, and it will rip through a care home. How can people lose so much money and pay their bills while self isolating? Just ridiculous.

No, I didn’t know that. And yes, I’m pretty appalled that a company who sells themselves on being so caring, find it impossible to care for the needs of their staff, of whom their business is built.
Thanks, OP, I’ll also tell friends and family. Well done you for having the decency to research this.

Doesn't surprise me at all. I'm lucky in that I get five days fully paid sick leave a year. After that its statutory. Care home staff get a shit deal, loads of responsibility and awful pay and conditions.

@UseOfWeapons

No, I didn’t know that. And yes, I’m pretty appalled that a company who sells themselves on being so caring, find it impossible to care for the needs of their staff, of whom their business is built. Thanks, OP, I’ll also tell friends and family. Well done you for having the decency to research this.

I can't take credit for researching anything. I have a friend who works for them. She's lovely, loves her work, really cares about her old people, exactly the person you'd want to be caring for your loved ones, but she does it for minimum wage despite 16 years' experience, generally works through illness because otherwise she can't pay her bills and had 2 weeks off on SSP with Covid she caught at work, during which time one of her colleagues died from it.

BUPA are very controlling over wages, but also what they will pay out for on their private healthcare packages. My husband helped provide evidence on them when they were being investigated by the monopolies commission for essentially "price fixing" in private hospitals.

They are a vile company, who bully people and will completely disregard the wishes of people paying into their plans.

I would never work for them.

I work in financial advice, and I advise on life insurance, income protection, etc. Part of my job involves completing a fact find to ensure I advise correctly on products. Part of that is taking sick pay information. From that I've found that NHS, Councils and some oil companies provide decent sick pay. Everywhere else is a week or two max then SSP (which is only up to your 6th month of being off). I tell everyone to get income protection. Its dire.

Yeah I know someone who worked there left in the end for stress . Awful place to work totally put me off bupa .

My dp works for a large international company, earns a tiny bit more than minimum wage and his contract states that he gets up to 6 months fully paid sick leave.
However, they state that this is paid at manager's discretion, and he has never once been paid for any sick days.

Yep, know someone who worked there 20 years, on minimum wage (not a carer,) and no sick pay, they would force themselves in work with vulnerable people because they couldn't afford not to be paid. Bupa preferred to get contractors in than invest in courses that would have enabled this person to carry out tasks because they see no reason to fund staff qualifications. At the start of the pandemic they actively told their staff to remove their ppe and refused to pay anyone isolating (in fact began disciplinary proceedings against some for it)

All meals for residents of the home came from tins and packets, and was often inedible slop.

Shocking employer.

@alwayswrighty

I work in financial advice, and I advise on life insurance, income protection, etc. Part of my job involves completing a fact find to ensure I advise correctly on products. Part of that is taking sick pay information. From that I've found that NHS, Councils and some oil companies provide decent sick pay. Everywhere else is a week or two max then SSP (which is only up to your 6th month of being off). I tell everyone to get income protection. Its dire.

I thought the civil service provided sick pick, as to the banks the big four accountancy and consultancy companies. Schools? Gas, electricity and water companies - are you sure everywhere bar NHS, Councils and some oil companies are the only one who pay decent sick pay?

I got 6 months (although never took more than a few days) when I worked for a large bank and DH is now on his 9th month of fully paid sick leave from a large Japaneese company, although his entitlement was 4 months and they've paid the rest discretionary.

I think most large companies do have a decent entitlement, but not in some sectors.

I've never worked anywhere that pays sick pay, didn't realise it was so unusual.

@wheresmyhairytoe

I've never worked anywhere that pays sick pay, didn't realise it was so unusual.

I think certain sectors (usually hospitality) don't pay enhanced sick pay - all are required to pay Stat sick pay though. We run a small business, we couldn't attract staff if we didn't provide enhanced sick pay.

@alwayswrighty I work as a civilian for a police force and we get pretty decent sick pay as well.

I get 6 months full pay and 6 months half pay (NHS)

@Hairymoohead I said NHS, local authority and oil companies do pay decent sick pay. Schools coming under local authorities do, someone said police they do too. Academies are varying on sick pay, same with Universities. Banks also vary on sick pay, but some provide Income Protection as a company benefit.

As per @HotChocolateLover NHS and local government get 6 months full, 6 months half with a certain number of years service.

Work for a bank. 6 months full pay 6 months half pay but they also provide income protection insurance for us which will pay our for longer and ironically BUPA private health care. I’ve never worked anywhere which doesn’t pay full pay for at least 6 months. It’s crazy that nursing homes won’t pay decent sick pay - that’s encouraging staff to come to work whilst ill.

I used to deal with bupa a lot as a medical secretary, trying to get payments made or get them to approve treatments; after that experience I would never take out insurance with them. There is a long list of things I found very questionable.

I worked for them 20 years ago. They took over the nursing home I worked in , forced us all to sign new contracts where we ended up with less break time and actually told us they were more likely to drop our pay than give us a pay rise. That would have been difficult as the majority were on minimum wage

Worse private nursing home I've ever worked for. They did the bare minimum regarding training, staff turnover was horrendous and some times we were so short staffered it was dangerous. If someone was at end of life and had no family we had always paid someone to stay on and sit with them so they weren't alone. Bupa stopped that straight away .

I would never put any relative of mine in a Bupa nursing home

I get six months full pay and six months half pay. I think that kicks in after 2 years service. You get less before that but you do get some. (And I think it goes up after 6 months and a year.)

I work for a large insurance company. (The palindromic one!)

All their benefits are good. (Eg 6 months off at full pay for both men and women when you have a baby.)

@DrDreReturns

Doesn't surprise me at all. I'm lucky in that I get five days fully paid sick leave a year. After that its statutory. Care home staff get a shit deal, loads of responsibility and awful pay and conditions.

Sorry but I wouldn't count you as lucky. What happens if you have to go off on long term?

Yep, agree @Crinkle77 average claim time on income protection for one illness is over 5 years.

This isn’t unusual in the care sector. Not defending BUPA by any means, but it’s a sector with poor terms and conditions.

alwayswrighty I was on an old style contract which has been phased out. I had six months full pay and six months half pay in higher education. My contract started in 1998. I was very seriously ill and my workplace were fantastic and kept my job open for that year. I ended up being retired early through ill health in my forties and got three years full pay and my pension. DH is also on this old contract. The last I was aware new staff were offered three months full pay and three months half pay. They used that system is it the Bradford? three instances in a rolling year you had to be interviewed, I worked for them for 16 years with barely a day off.

This is one of the reasons we don't the NHS contracted out to private companies.

I can't say I'm surprised though. For a lot of these companies it's just about the £££.