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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be asked to ring in work each day when you are off sick..

161 replies

curlysmum · 28/02/2007 14:53

I have been off work for almost two weeks with this sickness bug then it developed into flu and I am off this week my second week. In my first week I rang I think 3 times to state I was ill then finally saw the doctor last Friday who took one look at me and said you need to rest and I 'm signing you off for 1 more week.
I rang my boss on Monday to tell him this put the Certificate in the post and now today he calls me at home , sounding a bit on the sarcastic side 'how are you' etc I explained all of it again he says , 'so when will you be back ' I told him next Monday and he sounded not impressed so I told him well I have sent in my Doctors certificate etc, he says well I still want you to call in each day WTF! am I a child or a 38 year old women, my dd father said I shd ring the Human Resources lady and give her a piece of my mind. By the way this is a very big American City Company who treat most women like idiots anyway, any view on this??

OP posts:
Cappuccino · 01/03/2007 10:00

I agree with merryberry you should give him all the information imaginable about how you are

while saying 'I really appreciate that you want to know how I am on a daily basis it makes me feel nurtured as an employee'

ScummyMummy · 01/03/2007 10:01

Well, of course, Rhubarbio. I have called in sick today so I can interview for the position of full time nanny for the house of scum. I have decided to pay £50,0000 p.a. for the hours of 6am-11.30pm though I am hoping to sometimes be back for 11pm if I work very hard.

Rhubarb · 01/03/2007 10:02

I hope you are giving your employer regular updates about your health scummy!

themildmanneredjanitor · 01/03/2007 10:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TeeCee · 01/03/2007 10:10

I always ring in every day when i'm off ill, imo, it's just polite.
I expect others to do the same.
When my staff are off ill I expect them to ring in on every day they are sick and update me on the situation.
As soon as my boss walks in and someone isn't at their desk he says 'no x today' and I want to be able to tell him that I've spoken to them and what the situation is each time.

ScummyMummy · 01/03/2007 10:32

Sorry for taking the p, Xenia. I'm feeling mildly guilty now. I actually love and agree with your take on the residual sexism of working/personal life much of the time. And I agree with you and tc that calling in daily is not actually massively onerous. Once a sick note from the doctor has been sent in it seems a bit extra though.

Juicylucytoo · 01/03/2007 12:13

How does calling in every day prove anything? Mobiles work from golf courses too.

What it is about is control. Employers want to control their employees illness the same as they control their working day.

And this isn't just an american policy. Fat little gits from South London are also known to have a "call in everyday, even if you have already told me when you're coming back" policy. I don't object to being contacted if there are work issues to be dealt with, but having to call in every day, just to say "I still feel like shit" is IMO unreasonable.

Judy1234 · 01/03/2007 12:16

A lot of people don't take their work very serious, it's pin money in terms of what their family earns and they will do it if it fits okay around the children. That is very different from how many women in other types of jobs treat it. Just depends on the person.

Also some are much sicker than others. Finding out how many days off sick someone has had with a prevoius employer is a useful thing to do - is it never had a day off sick in 5 years or average 20 days off sick a year etc. No one can surely tell me that that shouldn't be relevant to an employer and you wouldn't want colleagues always off sick as you have to cover for them.

Anyway we've always been very luck with health in our family and of course try to keep fit and eat well which has an impact too. Nothing like being overweight into your 30s - 50s to result in much more sickness, back pain etc. But there's a lot of luck in it too. Also attitude - my cleaner, nanny, me, the children we all will move mountains to be where we've said we will be. That's the ethos around here. Obviously not if we have serious infections but we do whatever it takes to do whatever we've committed to (except perhaps my teenage boy but we're working on him). We don't believe in illness in this family or you're not ill if you can walk etc kind of p hrases we bandy around or if it gets too bad the school can call me etc.

Judy1234 · 01/03/2007 12:17

jl, well HR want the person sick not the boyfriend to call in. Classic avoidance tactic is to get the boyfriend to do it. Also videoing the person skipping around at the gym when they're supposedly unable to leave their bed is a sensible tactic as long as it's on the public road and not by hidden cameras sneaked into their house.

littlemissbossy · 01/03/2007 12:28

The calling in every day if off sick is a company 'rule' where I work. We also have to call in before 9.10am - why 9.10?? no idea!!

Judy1234 · 01/03/2007 12:31

I suppose so they can plan to cover the day, call agencies to hire staff in etc. COuld as easily be 9am.

Rhubarb · 01/03/2007 12:36

Xenia I humbly apologise more than scummy for taking the piss. You know I love you more than she ever could!

littlemissbossy · 01/03/2007 12:39

yes thank you Xenia, I think I could have actually worked that one out myself

Marina · 01/03/2007 12:50

I work in the public sector and manage a small team.
I personally agree with Xenia's take on this - if off for more than a couple of days and coherent, I am happy to ring in every day to update the situation, and stay in touch with my team in a helpful fashion (eg answering queries, progressing projects by e-mail etc).
If a team member is off and not yet past the cut-off for certification, I would in fact ring to check they were OK if I did not hear from them in maybe 48 hours. I would make no reference to work/queries etc if I did though.
If a certificate was issued, I'd not be so worried to check on them for its duration.
There is a big difference between concerned courtesy and hassling people though. Your boss is bullying you curlysmum.
Love that joke Scummy.

BibiThree · 01/03/2007 12:52

I see your point about unnecessary conflict, but if he's the awkward type anyway, she can't win being polite or not. Sometimes it's good to let off a bit of steam.

I don't understand what he wants her to say every day ..."um, yes, the Drs note still says I'm sick, like yesterday and for the rest of the week"

  • seems a bit pointless.

What did you decided to do CURLYSMUM>?

expatinscotland · 01/03/2007 13:01

'Offer to do someting from home, be the best employee you can - therein lies the path to things going well'

This is oftentimes a violation of the company's insurance policy.

She has a NOTE. The note has a date on it when she will be coming back to work.

Would you expect someone in hospital to ring every day?

I cannot believe some of the posts on here, I really can't.

yellowrose · 01/03/2007 13:18

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Judy1234 · 01/03/2007 13:18

Difference between South East working hard mentality and mostly Labour supporters/ left wing in Scotland kind of thing? Not sure. Just very different views anyway.

What most good workers would look for is whether in fact they get better sooner. Doctors are notorious for writing sick notes to keep th e patient happy. There is much written about it and they often just find it easier to sign - it's a huge problem for the nation. Not of course saying that in this case but sometimes people signed off sick for a week find they are up to work by the Wed next week and good loyal employees who feel that change would be hot footing it back into the office earlier in the week than otherwise indicated. That's all. Of course someone may well be bed ridden and very infectious etc and that's a different thing.

Yes, obviously only work from home if that's lawful etc.

yellowrose · 01/03/2007 13:24

Xenia - do you work for some extreme Right Wing think tank or something ? Sorry, but you do sound like you spout things out according to some Ring Wing agenda, rather actually THINK about what you are saying.

yellowrose · 01/03/2007 13:27

Yes, work from home or become self-employed if you can. The only way for people like me who have seen the light !

littlemissbossy · 01/03/2007 13:32

"South East working hard mentality"
PUR-LEASE, don't make me laugh!
if you're so bloody hard working Xenia, how come you spend so much time on here??!!

Marina · 01/03/2007 13:36

Xenia, you do make me larf.
It is absolutely possible to be

  1. hard-working and very committed to your job
  2. active in your trade union
  3. work in the despicable public sector
  4. and stay highly motivated to providing a quality service even though you are not paid a fortune to do so

It is entirely coincidental I live in the SE, I think.

Really, generalisations like some of yours on this thread are the product of a lazy and blinkered mindset! Hardly what you'd expect an intelligent well-educated person to come out with...

littlemissbossy · 01/03/2007 13:40

I don't Xenia is lazy or blinkered - IMO she knows exactly what's she doing.
And I wouldn't be at all surprised if she was claiming to be someone she isn't. Remember Judge Flounce anyone??
Not that I'm saying she is JF, just someone like that poster.

yellowrose · 01/03/2007 13:41

That is just South East snobbery. There is no such thing as the South East work ethic. It is totally dillusional, like quite a lot of what Xenia says

HappyDaddy · 01/03/2007 13:43

Xenia, malingerers still have the power to call everyday, you know.

You do make me laugh.

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