Back to Work Interview

[pennyprincess]

Just wondered what mumsnetters make of this. Is it the norm?

I have had a back to work interview with a senior manager after being off one day. In the interview I was asked to explain my erratic pattern of attendance and I was made to feel that my reasons for absence were doubted. And also that I had excessive absences. The whole tone of the 30 minute interview was as if I had done something wrong - like a disciplinary hearing.

I said in the meeting that all the absences were genuine and I feel you are suggesting I am lying. To which she just went on about fullfilling of my terms and conditions - no empathy or stating she was not suggesting i was lying at all.

Admittedly I have had a few absences. I returned from mat leave last march:

• I was off a week in May - baby sick and then me
• A 3 day days in oct,I then went in for a day but was still ill so was then off a further week (so counts as 2 absences) *Then this absence 1 day - in fact not even a full day as I went home sick after arriving at work.

I have also had a couple of medical appointments off.

But I have also worked lots of extra hours.

I know this is a lot, certainly more than i have ever had before - but with 2 babies I think you pick up things more.

Is it normal for these things to be conducted like a discipline hearing.

I am definately not a cryer - I have never cried at work in 15 years. But I left the interview and went the loo and cried and was then on the verge of tears all afternoon. Then as soon as I got in the car I burst out crying.

I actually feel like going off sick with stress I am so upset and worked up, i am actually shaking.

The interview left me incapable of productive work in the afternoon and completely demotivated.

I had one with my supervisor when I was about 17 at my saturday job. She was quite relaxed and explained to me that sometimes people don't take sick days because they are sick, but have other issues to deal with and the interview is a chance to open up and get some help.

Could you write down what you do in an average day, how often you work extra hours, go above and beyond the terms and conditions of your contract. This should restore your faith in you and give you more confidence.

It does sound like she is being pressured from above, but the tone sounds very off, and if it supposed to be what my supervisor said, it wasn't effective. This is an issue that needs to be raised, but make sure you do it in a way that shows that you understand WHY but that it was the TONE that was inaapropriate in the workplace. If it made you cry then that's serious stuff and she shouldn't get away with it.

A1980 how on earth can you possibly judge how unwell someone was some time ago, via the internet? Ever thought of getting a job with NHS direct?

Worry about the sick policy at work nearly killed me. Like others on here mine was the 'three episodes in six months then verbal warning' type. I'd already had two (brief - one day and two days) due to sinus infection and ear infection (had ongoing ENT probs requiring hospital outpatient treatment - took all appts as annual leave).
Then I became ill while at work with pain in lower belly. I was so scared of getting the verbal warning that I carried on at work for another few days feeling increasingly unwell until I collapsed at work and an ambulance was called. Turned out that I had had a pelvic abcess that had burst leaving me with early stage septicaemia and in need of immediate emergency surgery.
I was off work for six weeks to recover after that. If I'd listened to my body and gone sick early enough and got medical treatment I would probably have been off a couple of days max.
Needless to say, lesson learned!

Poor Selks! I do feel for you. I hope your employer learned something from that, too. I used to work in a place where a young employee was subjected to the full monty in the absence policy mill; turned out to be cancer.

Aside from the distress this caused the employee, you can imagine how sorry/mortified the manager was, but at least the firm altered its policy afterwards, and now involves Occupational Health MUCH earlier in the process. It also doesn't let inexperienced managers deal with the policy any longer, either.

Make sure your employer knows how much their policy made you suffer, and if they don't change it, shame on them!