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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

HR ringing me at home when I am off sick

69 replies

Spudoolickay · 26/03/2013 10:01

I was off sick yesterday. I followed the procedure and let my manager know.

Unbeknown to me, my manager had taken some leave. I received several phone calls from HR on my home number asking me to ring my 'plus one' (who sits in the same office as me).

I had followed the correct procedure and done everything right so why was my plus one getting involved and why was he getting HR involved? He has my personal mobile and could've just called / texted me himself if he needed to. But surely he should trust that I have sorted things out and informed my manager. I feel very checked up on.

Would I be unreasonable to speak to my 'plus one' about this?

OP posts:

DiscoDonkey · 26/03/2013 10:03

How did you let your manager know if he is on leave?

Maybe your manager called HR? Sorry it's not very clear from your post what has happened and who you have actually spoken to

Original poster

Spudoolickay · 26/03/2013 10:05

I should add that I feel generally my 'plus one' has been very off with me lately (for want of a better word), and I can only think that it is because I have taken a number of days leave over the past few weeks due to my daughter being ill and the CM not being able to have her (last week she had HFMD and I had to take 2 days leave). However I take all this as annual leave and he is well aware that I might need to take leave at the last minute. I am 7 months pregnant but have not had a single day off sick whilst pregnant, I am very conscientious and go to see the midwife etc as my lunchhour and often work til 9pm as I was doing last night and he knows this!

I am wondering if he is under the impression that I take a lot more sick leave than I actually do?

OP posts:

Original poster

Spudoolickay · 26/03/2013 10:06

Sorry I have my manager's mobile number so I let her know via that route which is the normal procedure as people are never actually at their desks.

That is how I found out she is on leave because she sent me a text to say it was fine and not to worry about work, and that she was on leave.

OP posts:

Flisspaps · 26/03/2013 10:08

I wouldn't contact your plus one, I'd contact HR and simply let them know that you contacted your manager as per company procedure.

BAUagent · 26/03/2013 10:08

Actually, in this instance your manager should have informed you that he/she was on leave or not in the office and either directed you to another contact person who was, or let the office know on your behalf. If you didn't get a response from the manager then it would be your responsibility to let the relevant people know - whether that's HR or your plus one in the office. I can understand why you're annoyed being bothered while off sick, but perhaps your colleague was worried about you, but chose not to contact you using your personal number in case you had in fact already gone through the appropriate channels and didn't want to be bothered by them. If you/your manager had followed the procedure surely him contacting HR would have resulted in them informing him of your absence due to sickness? I think you would be unreasonable to speak to him about it if you are upset with him - but if you would rather come to another arrangement e.g. inform him via text that you're off sick and have let management know (which would make sense I would have thought) then you could ask if he would prefer this and comment that you wouldn't mind if he contacted you on your personal number rather than HR in the future.

madeindevon2 · 26/03/2013 10:08

Sounds like the plus one is trying to stir something up.
If your manager fine then I would just forget it.

OhDearieDearieMe · 26/03/2013 10:09

What is a 'plus one'? Sounds like a slightly smutty rubber attachment of some kind...........

Llanbobl · 26/03/2013 10:10

I suspect there is more to this than meets the eye. As DiscoDonkey said how did you notify your manager if they were absent? If you emailed - maybe no-one else had access to their inbox (or private/confidential items).
If only you and your manager (who was also out of the office) was aware of your absence, I'd say what happened was pretty much standard practise. They were concerned for your whereabouts and invoked a contingency to contact you (maybe involving HR to get a phone number.
As I said, unless there is more to this than meets the eye YABU and over reacting.

DiscoDonkey · 26/03/2013 10:11

Hmm well I think text messaging is a poor way to let someone know you are off sick, but this sounds like your maybe your manager hasn't passed on the message properly.

Original poster

Spudoolickay · 26/03/2013 10:14

I think it is my plus one trying to assert his authority tbh. He is the one who has delegated all responsibility for me to my manager so that he did not have to deal with this type of admin. So I think he should now trust that we can sort the admin out ourselves and not get involved.

The HR issue is a red herring because they actually do not get involved in such areas as sickness, they only deal with contracts etc. I am at a loss as to why he got them to contact me... I know they are the only ones with my home number but why could he not just call or text me on my mobile? It feels like he's trying to 'shit me up' iykwim.

OP posts:

Scrazy · 26/03/2013 10:16

If my colleague text to say they were off sick and I was on leave, I would tell them to ring in.

WilsonFrickett · 26/03/2013 10:16

What's a plus one?

Original poster

Spudoolickay · 26/03/2013 10:17

It was my manager who contacted ME by text message to say it was fine and not worry about work. She added that she was on leave and "thought she had let me know" (she hadn't). I assumed this meant she had done whatever was necessary wrt the office and passing on the message that I wouldn't be in.

Then half an hour later I was getting calls from HR.

OP posts:

Original poster

Spudoolickay · 26/03/2013 10:18

Sorry, a plus one is my manager's manager.

He used to be my direct manager but he employed a middle layer so that he didn't have to deal with the issues of managing people.

OP posts:

BAUagent · 26/03/2013 10:20

They might not normally get involved in areas of sickness (although to be fair this is their responsibility should levels get concerning surely?) but in the situation where nobody knows where you are yet you're expected in I'd say that would be an unusual situation and possibly the reason he involved them. He may not have felt comfortable calling you on your mobile. Really, your manager should have let him know or asked you to given they were on leave. In my office people are in and out, regularly not at their desk, and yet still someone would be concerned if a colleague didn't show up and no one seemed to know why, particularly if they were 7 months pregnant.

BAUagent · 26/03/2013 10:22

Just to be clear not saying your levels of absence are concerning, just that this would be a matter for HR to investigate if it were the case (though I know that's not what's happened in this instance)

Original poster

Spudoolickay · 26/03/2013 10:23

The only thing that is more to this than meets the eye is that my manager is generally a very very poor people manager. She has not followed any of the correct procedures in the time I have been 'managed' by her relating to other areas (e.g. my career reviews, objective setting etc.). Whenever I have tried to arrange a meeting with her to discuss these things she turns it round so it is about her career and how she is looking for another job etc.

I am generally pretty aggrieved about many things I suppose, so this is just a drop in the ocean.

OP posts:

meditrina · 26/03/2013 10:25

Have you spoken to the plus one?

Is the request to speak based on the absence, or a different work issue? For if plus one isn't at desk, but needs a bit of info urgently, that could be reason for call. And getting someone to track you down (as your manager's absence means your absence may not be known to the wider organisation in the usual way) is an ordinary thing to do.

Original poster

Spudoolickay · 26/03/2013 10:27

My levels of absence can't be concerning - I have had one day off sick (yesterday) in the 9 months I have been back at work. I work alongside people who are regularly off sick. It would be very unreasonable for HR or anyone else to investigate me, in my opinion, but I am starting to lose all sense of perspective.

I feel really hard done by as I am very conscientious and it feels like this is in doubt. My manager is apparently on 'emergency leave' until Thursday so I assume this means she won't be back til after the bank holiday... I did not know about this until I got her text. I haven't seen my Plus One yet and I am terrified he is going to haul me into his office and berate me.

OP posts:

Tigglette · 26/03/2013 10:33

It sounds like a reasonable contact to be honest. I'd contact a team member if I knew they were expected in and hadn't arrived. It may be that your manager didnt let anyone know you'd contacted them. What did your plus one say when you phoned them?

QuintEggSensuality · 26/03/2013 10:35

I dont understand why you dont just pick up the phone and call HR and tell them you reported your sickness to your manager as per procedure and ask what the issue is?

Original poster

Spudoolickay · 26/03/2013 10:37

HR don't get involved with sickness etc because it is all done at cost centre level. They have a flag if people have more than x number of days per year and that starts something rolling but I don't know what. I can't have flagged that as I've only had one day, unless they are including my maternity leave which I returned from in July.

I think I need to seek out my plus one and ask him what the issue is.

OP posts:

PurpleStorm · 26/03/2013 10:38

Thing is, if your manager did not pass the message about you being off sick onto the 'plus one', he won't have known where you are.

In that circumstance, it's reasonable for him to ask someone to track you down and find out what's going on with you.

You say that your manager is a very poor people manager, and combined with her being on emergency leave, it sounds possible that she didn't pass the message on for whatever reason.

Tigglette · 26/03/2013 10:39

I must admit, I'd not be happy if I thought a staff member had not came in to work and didn't reply to a message to call me, if only to let me know they'd contacted someone else who was on leave. It seems like you're blowing this out of proportion when a quick call would have saved you worrying.

Original poster

Spudoolickay · 26/03/2013 10:40

My manager has just sent me a text message to say that I should've called my plus one. Why is she telling me this a day later, when the previous communication from her said not to worry about work etc.

It seems like I am getting berated for other people's incompetencies. I followed the procedure ffs.

OP posts:

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