To ask what your sickness policy is at work?

[VixxFace]

I have been at my company for 9 months and have had 1 day off sick (taken from holiday) and stupidly didn't check the sickness policy out. I have been for hospital appointments but took out of my lunch break.

Read it properly and asked questions today and we don't get paid for any sickness. If you're off for more than 3 days you get statutory sick pay £88 a week!

I am shocked. So if you break your leg or come down with a serious illness you will get 90 quid a week to live off and potentially not be able to pay your bills.

What is your sickness policy and is mine unreasonable.

Yes I know i am unreasonable for not checking contract . Looking for a new job now.

I think it's six months full pay, six months half pay? I've always had paid sick leave unless you were off for a long time and wouldn't be very happy if I didn't.

I think ours is 3 months on full pay and 3 months on half pay. We also have an insurance policy provided by the company that pays a percentage of our salary up until retirement age in the event we can no longer work. We are very lucky.

When taking disciplinary action against people who have been seen in coffee shops and wine bars having a lovely time -what about if they have been diagnosed with depression?

You get posts on here from time to time from people who have been signed off work and post asking if they should go out or not? People generally reply saying they should do things to make them feel good. Would this lead to disciplinary procedures?

Many places don't pay sick pay. That's why I took out a payment protection insurance.

Sorry meant to say salary protection, not payment protection. However it doesn't cover anywhere near my whole salary, but it would help ease my finances if I was off sick long term.

No sick pay at all where I work, and we have to use annual leave for medical appointments.

We did have sick pay, but they took that away from us a couple of years ago.

It's the first place I've worked where there's been no sick pay, and tbh it really shook me up when they changed the rules. I've been lucky enough not to need it, but I do worry how we would manage if I did.

No sick pay.
Nothing.

My husbands company only pay ssp.

They used to pay 3 months full pay but due to the regular skivers they have stopped it for everyone. The same people every year use their holiday entitlement and then use sick for another two weeks.

He has worked there 18 years and only had 3 sick days and that was due to a work injury.

6 weeks full pay
Followed by 12 weeks half pay
That's been earned as been employed 10+ years
Newer starters get much less

We get 10 paid days in a rolling year.
I usually use about 3 or 4 as I get migraines.
We get to leave for medical appointments. Just show your appt card to the boss.
And if we get taken ill at work, we can leave.

But we have a lot of responsibility in our jobs. Lives do depend on us working at full concentration.

Not sure about long term sick, as I have never had to use it.

I get 6 months full paid sick, in each rolling 12 month period.

They also provide free long term sick cover - if you are off work for over 6 months and still deemed unfit to work, you get 60% of your salary to pensionable age.

BeaufortBelle - you sound very kind and as if you are doing the job in exactly the right spirit.

I'm self-employed so, nada. I'm very rarely ill, but have spent the last four days typing in bed, and taking the usual calls with a rotten temperature and a sickness bug. Not a whole lot of fun ...

I am so jealous of all of you with generous sick pay. I have worked where I am for 12 years. It is a good job. But people have had serious illness including cancer, and only get statutory sick pay.

BeaufortBelle it sounds like you are really good at your job, people who are pulling sickies should be pulled up on it, and the fact they get defensive and angry I would just take as roof they are pissed of you realised and called them on it, not that you are doing anything wrong.

I'm in a similar line of work and the people that need leave tend to be the ones struggling on, it can be hard to spot and support, but so worth it when you can.

When people have a go at me I always approach the conversation with a 'have a nice day attitude' I don't engage in the argument and they geerally stop arguing with themselves. If they are physically agressive, I never step backwards, eventually they get to close to argue/intimidate me and have to step away. And never take someoneelses shity attitide home, if they want to spend their evenings seething thats their business I'd rather spend mine enjoying myself with my family.

We offer sick leave on full pay and pay attention to patterns in absence.

This is all I know - presumably if I were ill or injured for months something would happen but I don't know what.

6 months full pay then 6 months half pay

Three paid sick days within 12 months rolling period. Better than some I guess, still makes me go in on days when I'm feeling shit and get nothing done so it is counter productive.

I last worked for a company that paid sick leave 15 years ago. My current firm (agency) simply give you a P45 after 3 days.

We get 1 week sick pay then rest unpaid. Ssp kicks in on 4th day off and is £88 a week. My company used to pay but was discretionary but they changed it 8 years ago. To be honest I work with injured people and the only ones with pay are public sector. Unfortunately they often assume it is the norm and don't appreciate it for the massive perk it is. I'm off sick now following major surgery in London Funded by savings, part mortgage holiday and dh working extra. I'm going back sooner than recommended but again they only ones who have had the full time off following this particular surgery that I know have worked in schools paid full sick pay. I've been open about not getting paid which has shocked a lot of friends and even nurses etc..oh I didn't realise I get sick pay. Salary protection is no use if you have a pre existing condition.

Many people only make a personal injury claim to recoup lost wages. It is particularly galling when the injury is due to employer's negligence - so your employer injures you then doesn't pay you whilst you are recovering. I used to do work for a lorry drivers trade union. Majority of them had been injured at work conversations used to start with them saying they haven't paid me love and it was an industrial injury. Union rep said I had to talk to you. So they made a personal injury claim whereas if they had been paid sick pay they wouldn't.

We don't have one. We have no HR. It is paid, but I don't know what the policy would be if you were off long term - they'd probably just sack you.

Last year, I had D&V and spent most of one day on the lavatory, with a bucket on one side of me and my laptop on a chair the other, working from home/setting up meetings etc. I was told by a colleague on my return that there had been a senior management meeting about my absence. So when, four months later, I had flu, I struggled into work for three days, and was then told by my boss that she didn't appreciate people coming in spreading germs all over the place. I knew I shouldn't be in work, but I was worried I would be sacked if I didn't go in.

I hate the way there is no consistency and no policy to be consistent with! But I also know I'm lucky that we don't have our pay docked.

And they wonder why we have production issues in the UK, DW gets bugger all in her high street job and misses out on any shop target bonus's.

I get nothing until SSP kicks in. We will get disciplined after 3 periods of absence.

My last job was the same, though the one before that had a generous policy for sick pay but a very strict monitoring policy on absence.

Last year I had to go into work with pneumonia as I couldn't afford not to be paid. The salary protection plan I paid into would not pay as 20 years ago I went to the doctor with suspected asthma - it wasn't but I have a tendency to get wheezy with cold, so they said I had an underlying pre existing condition!

This year I have had gynecological issues again not covered under the policy as I had history of GP appointments for heavy/painful periods.

I have cancelled the scheme now as there was no point in having it!

I appreciate that people take the piss - but there needs to be a middle ground I think.

When i worked (now SAHM) we got 4 weeks paid sick leave at full pay after that it went to SSP. We could use our own sick leave if DCs were sick too but didn't get any extra. Worked for a small recruitment company. Needed a self cert if off more than 5 days.