Bradford factor makes things worse, not better

[Elendel]

I work in a school. As is the case in many schools right now, absence is ridiculously high - and it makes sense: schools are germ breeding grounds, especially at this time of year. I've had 3 absences for different illnesses so far (all last resorts, but they happened to bunch together this year - new school, new germs and all that, but you really can't work in a school with D&V or complete loss of voice).

Another colleague, who has been put on formal absence monitoring due to a relatively high Bradford factor, has recently come in with flu so bad they've had to be carted out in an ambulance. We have two teachers in the department with health conditions which mean the flu is dangerous for them, and another who looks after elderly relatives, so the fact we used the Bradford score to beat my colleague over the head with and made them come in despite severe illness means they've been put at risk.

Now it looks like I've caught the flu, too, and I, too, am considering going in. I've spent the weekend in bed with high fever (still marking work), dragged myself in the last two days, but had the shivers so bad last night I thought I was going to die. Three layers of blankets and two thick layers of clothing and I could not get warm. I'm aching and dizzy. I have a full day, meetings after school I can't miss, behaviour is horrendous right now.

And yet I'm considering going in. Because another absence would mean I'd be put on formal absence procedures, too, and I can't afford that when looking for another job.

AIBU to go in and hope I, too, am going to need to be carted out in an ambulance before someone sees how ridiculous the whole thing is?

2.5 days is ridiculous and seems like a stupidly low threshold as well.

I'd assume turnover was high?

I thought Bradford scoring had been dropped year ago. My husband fell foul of it because he went back too early, turning one bout of illness into two instances.
His company asked anyone who felt they might have swine flu not to come in, however he never got clarification about what he was supposed to do.

Flu vaccine doesn’t always stop you getting flu. I always get the flu vaccine - still got flu in December.

I had a disability. It was the main reason l was absent. Still got counted.

No wonder there’s no teachers left.

Elendel I'm shocked by the snarky responses on here. Sorry you're ill, hope you get back on your feet.

I've never heard of Bradford scoring (not in UK) but if it leads to people going into work who are clearly unwell, it's not fit for purpose.

My mum was a teacher. It's a hard, important job. She got that 'all that time off' bs too.... all the best with finding a better workplace.

Mate. Have you forgotten what board on you’re on? It’s Chat. Fuck sake.

Training days are work and the five training days were taken from the annual leave of teachers in the first place.

I received a disciplinary for unusually high absence because I went over the allowance of sick days. All certified by a Dr from day 1.

I had 5 weeks off due to an accident, according to my work Bradford max days in a 12 month period is 10 or 3 absences...
I think it definitely needs to be more flexible- I for my part did appeal, but they are dragging their feet and I am still waiting for the outcome.

Bloody hell, there are some twats out today.

Presumably twats that have never worked in a high germ environment and so can feed themsleves comforting lines about how it's the OP's fault for their weakly immune system, how they should have just had a flu vaccine or just leave teaching.

Luckily, the DoE seems to be saying they are going to get their wish...

"The overall picture is, unfortunately, a fairly gloomy one. More teachers are quitting the profession before retirement and it is becoming harder to recruit to those posts, particularly in secondary schools. Unfortunately, this is now a familiar story after a decade of worsening recruitment and retention problems."

Soon, those pesky weakling teachers won't be there to catch the germs.

As far as the Bradford Factor is concerned - it is a fairly ridiculous tool to use as the metric for anything other than a simple flag to ensure higher than usual levels of absence are understood. Not penalised. Not disciplined. Understood.

No one is even that sure where the BF came from - let alone WHY it should be used a tool to dictate what level of absence is good vs bad. It seems to have come about in the 80s with no ownership or review since. Just recycled over and over - ime in the kinds of organisations that really lack proper HR investment and skilled leadership.

At the point an employee is deciding whether or not to work based on their score, you know you've really wondered into wild territory.

Bloody hell, there are some twats out today.

I agree. It’s endemic on here at the moment. Is it the weather?! I’ve just vented my spleen about it on another thread.

And yet there is a teacher recruitment crisis... 🙄

Do you work in a primary school? I'd love to know how anyone (even the most hardy of us!) can avoid the level of germ spreading in an average, poorly ventilated, too small for purpose, crumbling primary classroom! I'm currently off (Day 3) after battling through the whole of last week feeling truly horrendous and ending up in A&E on Saturday. This time off will just tip me into the 'monitoring' zone...which is nonsense as the time off I had previously was for a planned operation! All counts apparently 😨

The amount of sick children in our school right now (including a measles and a scarlet fever outbreak) is very high...I had 4 children actually vomiting ON me last week...not to mention the ones coughing/sneezing and off with measles/scarlett fever (after being in school feeling very unwell prior to being off!).

Telling anyone working in a school that their immunity must be low, or they are in the wrong job, is ridiculous. Children need to be taught...they are also superspreaders! 🤷‍♀️

vast majority of teachers get free flu vaccines from their schools

I've been teaching 20 years and never even been offered one!

The comments about low immunity are laughable. I know we're not the only profession that comes into contact with the public but we are shut up with up to 30 people at a time in a stuffy room, four or five different cohorts a day, and those people are NOT good at covering mouths when coughing, sneezing and spluttering (even sixth form!).

I have had an air quality monitor in my room since Covid. It is red ALL THE TIME during lessons, and only drops if I fling open the windows, at which point it is freezing. Either way not great for preventing the spread of illness.

@wasabiqueen how do you know what the trigger point is for OP’s employer? Different employers use different trigger points.

@wasabiqueen I have had 5 days off total, including today. So you're talking out of your arse.

Please provide evidence for a universally agreed way in which the score should be interpreted. I assume you are basing it on your own HR policies?

"should more absences occur during an identified period"...

And you don't think that's wrong? It means that, just like my colleague, I will drag myself in every day following that meeting, regardless of my health. Potentially:

• Spreading germs to vulnerable colleagues and children (let's not forget how many go home to immunocompromised family members).

• Risking issues in the classroom because I'm not on top of my game in a school where you cannot let up. Ever taught a cooking lesson to 15-year-olds where a class of 20 are all using sharp knives, including those who self-harm and those who are youth offenders? Or PE where a wrong step can lead to injury? Science where you are supervising 30 kids around dangerous chemicals, some of whom will try to drink or nick some for fun? Or D&T to a class of 25 with drills and hammers where you cannot let a class go until the last piece of equipment has been found?

• Driving in when I'm not safe to do so.

• Risking coming in and, like him, dropping in front of a class of teens, being bluelighted out of the building, causing chaos in the wake of all that and leaving the school with zero time to plan cover (which affects at least 3 people - the person who sets cover, the person who staffs cover and the person who does the cover). Let alone the knock-on effects on the kids.

I love how those who have no idea of the reality of day-to-day school life think it's no big deal.

It's a school. There's germs everywhere, if people are forced to come in sick then there's more germs and nasty viruses.

The difficulty as well is that parents are often in difficult work situations and unable to take time off to look after ill children, so send them in.

Oh and my work, if you have two absences in two years you get a talk, a third and you face a disciplinary.

I take annual leave to cover sickness.

Not a school so perhaps different.

But.

I've worked in a place with BF.

There wasn't a formal "this happens at this score"

Just it's a way for employers to keep an eye on who might need checked in on.

Mine went over a threshold due to a few illnesses brought home from nursery.

HR had a chat with me to say it had been flagged and check I was OK and didn't need any extra support etc. There was no sense of 'you mustn't be off again' so I didn't feel I had to go in when too unwell to do so - but I'd think it does deter skiving?