Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Original poster

Sick leave in the public sector? (title amended by MNHQ)

285 replies

Cutecat78 · 23/02/2016 20:38

Not really an AIBU but wonder what happens in other workplaces as I feel like I'm in the twilight zone.

I work for the LA. Loads of redundancies and loads of people going on "long term sick".

Call me cynical but the people who do this (there are two repeat offenders - oh and our manager who was moved to our team and didn't want to be then went on 6 months sick leave on full pay) do not seem stressed they just go off with it or a bad back when they don't like their job (they couldn't possibly leave and work somewhere else as then they might miss out on redundancy in the next wave of cuts - which have been every year for the last 5/6).

Offender one has been suspended for 4 months on a disciplinary - but is now "on long term sick leave" as his GP doesn't seem impartial to handing him out sick notes like smarties. Last year he had 3 months off with a bad back and the year before had about 4 months off with said back but has also had time off being suspended too - he's utterly incompetent and anywhere other than the LA he would have been sacked years ago.

Offender 2 has been off for 7/8 months (1st 6 months full pay, next 6 1/2 pay). Also utterly incompetent (moans constantly about being over worked whilst swanning out of office for 2 hour nail appt etc).

She had been told to come back or she will be dismissed. Although when we questioned where she was our manager informed us "well she has so much leave to take".

Our LA's are going bankrupt yet this is allowed to carry on because of some overly PC policies on acid.

It's so frustrating.

OP posts:
Original poster
Cutecat78 · 23/02/2016 22:10

Oh yeah and our manager who hm desks with people with MH issues constantly told us she "doesn't do mental health" and then went off sick for 6 months with stress.

WTAF?

OP posts:
Original poster
Cutecat78 · 23/02/2016 22:11

Who deals with sorry

OP posts:
MagpieCursedTea · 23/02/2016 22:13

I don't think using a phrase like "gone mental" does you any favours or makes you seem compassionate about mental health issues.

BoneyBackJefferson · 23/02/2016 22:16

Wouldn't happen in the private sector.

Of course it happens in the private sector.

rosebiggs · 23/02/2016 22:19

It's quite worrying that you work within a department that deals with mental health op.

JolseBaby · 23/02/2016 22:20

It does happen in the private sector - I have never worked in the public sector and have seen this so many times before. There are lots of private companies, large companies, which have good sick entitlement. Mine used to be 6 months full pay, 6 months at 75% of pay. Lots of people off sick for spurious reasons. My full sick pay entitlement now is 4 weeks and SSP after that. The only people I know on long term sick are genuinely ill, because the financial aspect means that they wouldn't be off work unless it was genuinely unavoidable.

Original poster
Cutecat78 · 23/02/2016 22:23

Why is it worryingly that I work with people who have GENUINE mental health issues.

OP posts:
JeanGenie23 · 23/02/2016 22:25

It happens in a lot of organisations but IME it can be dealt with if the manager is on top of it correctly. Just one example my mom is a sexual health nurse. She has worked at the same clinic for 17years. Last year she found a lump, it was cancer. It was an horrific time, we had already lost my dad to cancer and quite honestly we couldn't (as a family) cope.

My mom left work during her treatment, and would spend 8 hours hooked up to a machine that administered the chemo. And then afterwards she would be sick for days. During this time, bearing in mind she works for the NHS, my mom was getting standardised letters from her manager, asking her what they can do to help her return to work, and giving her dates to respond by, and requesting she go in to work (with a union representative if she wanted) for a meeting to talk about what they can do to ensure this doesn't happen again. SHE HAD EFFING CANCER!!!

It makes me mad that during the shittiest time of my moms life she couldn't even rely on the support from her co-workers of 17yrs.

My mom received these letters because there are lazy gits in every work place. She also received them because her manager was a hard faced cow who couldn't exercise any common sense and realise sending my mom the same letter as you would send someone who had a common cold, just does not work. If there was something this manager could do to single handily eradicate my moms cancer she would be a miracle worker.

So no Op you are not being unreasonable. People see cash and are greedy, regardless of the consequences for others. It goes without saying if the shirkers knew they wouldn't get 6months full pay, would they be off? Would they heck!

rosebiggs · 23/02/2016 22:26

In what way are you qualified to diagnose mental health difficulties?

ConkersDontScareSpiders · 23/02/2016 22:28

I manage a care home and out of 16 staff I've currently got 8 off sick, 4 for over three months.i suspect only one of those is genuine. (Only one is for a manual handling related sickness and that one is genuine-but because she failed to use the lifting equipment provided.She has of course tried and failed to claim compensation for this).
In my experience those that are genuinely sick will make effort to stay in touch (or have their family do it).They will ensure their dr's notes are in date etc.Those who are taking the mickey will effectively disappear until the sick pay period expires.
I understand the OP's point of view as the knock on effect on the rest of the team is terrible-and in my case the people that live in the home are also affected.
I've not issues with people that are ill and that need to take time off but I have got a few people who are more Often sick than they are at work.

Wolfiefan · 23/02/2016 22:30

But how are you qualified to work out who has genuine MH issues?

TerrifiedMothertobe · 23/02/2016 22:30

Op I get you. Some may be ill some not be. Either way it seems statistically surprising that so many are off.

It's a bit like saying benefits scrounges don't exist, because it's un pc.

We are all entitled an opinion without being bullied... Btw.

Original poster
Cutecat78 · 23/02/2016 22:30

jeangenie have always thought wow how lucky I am that if I was ever unlucky enough to get seriously ill I wouldn't need to worry for a bit.

But these fuckers just fuck it up for everyone. Openly bragging about it and yes "punishing" management.

OP posts:
needmorespace · 23/02/2016 22:34

I have worked in the public sector for almost thirty years and I have only once encountered 'sick' behaviour like many of you have mentioned above. Just once - a woman that I managed who went off work with a stress related illness for about four months.
The current LA I work for is on its knees at the moment, voluntary redundancies are hitting hard in the face of further 'austerity' and none of my colleagues behave like this - yet we have been through restructure after restructure and no-one knows whether they will have a job in the next few months.

One of my colleagues returned to work yesterday following the death of her mother two weeks ago.
In fact, some of the examples given above are so cliched they are laughable.

rosebiggs · 23/02/2016 22:34

You've been asked several times to explain how you are qualified to decide who has genuine mental health difficulties op.

Wolfiefan · 23/02/2016 22:36

OP has no intention of replying rosebiggs as there are clearly no such qualifications.

Broken1Girl · 23/02/2016 22:37

You sound vile, OP.
Who the hell made you judge and jury of whether these people are genuinely ill or not? You do not know all the details. You might be happier if you didn't cynically think the worst of people.
I don't doubt some people, a tiny minority, are not genuine. There still need to be safeguards in place to protect the majority of genuine people or, as a pp said, would you like people to be able to be sacked on a whim?
I was treated like crap by an ex-employer (public sector) when physically and mentally unwell, and off sick for several months. They threw everything they could - I couldn't have really been depressed and anxious as I had seemed fine (I put a face on, as people do), I was performing too well to have been ill although at the same time not well enough. I ended up dismissed for (trumped up) disciplinary reasons. The shits drove me to a breakdown. I ended up going to appeal and getting compensation.
No-one should go through that. Flowers to the pps who have had similar bad experiences.

gleekster · 23/02/2016 22:38

You sound incredibly judgemental OP and you cannot possibly know whether or not the individuals you post about are sick or not. I would venture that their (fully fucking qualified) GP who signs them off, with full disclosure about their illness) might just know a little more than you.

FWIW I saw far more abuse of the sickness procedure when I worked in the private sector than when I worked in the public sector.

Sallystyle · 23/02/2016 22:39

YANBU

I think it can be bloody obvious who the piss takers are and those who have a genuine reason for being off sick. If you work with people a long time you get a good idea if they are the type of people to go on sick leave just to take the piss or not. If the OP says they don't have a genuine mental illness then ill take her word for it as she knows their attitudes and knows them better than we do. And yes I know all about mental illness as a carer and a sufferer.

I never understand why people don't like to admit that there are people who take the piss and that it is often easy to spot the people who know how to play the system to their advantage.

Original poster
Cutecat78 · 23/02/2016 22:40

One of the people is suspended for sexually harassing me.

I am choosing not to discuss my qualifications as it is not relevant - and nor would I be able or need to "prove" it here.

It's a discussion - not a court of law.

OP posts:
Wolfiefan · 23/02/2016 22:43

Your qualifications are of course relevant. You are either cross that people whose medical needs you have intimate knowledge of are taking the piss. OR you are bitching about people whose lives you don't really have much of a clue about.
Oh and massive drip feed about the sexual harassment claim!

Original poster
Cutecat78 · 23/02/2016 22:44

Not a drip feed - I just didn't particularly want to be identified by that.

OP posts:
NotTheSpiceOfLife · 23/02/2016 22:45

You sound quite horrible actually. The more I read, the more I dislike you.

Original poster
Cutecat78 · 23/02/2016 22:45

I posted on here about it at the time and was massively encouraged to hang the bastard out to dry.

The thread isn't about that anyway - it's about people massively taking the piss.

OP posts:
LilacSpunkMonkey · 23/02/2016 22:46

If I didn't tell people I suffer from depression and anxiety they would never, ever know because I have become a master at hiding it. People genuinely have done a double-take when I've mentioned it, that's how good I am.

So excuse me if I don't believe the OP knows her work colleagues mental health conditions.