AIBU to think someone with a broken finger can still work in a supermarket?

[SpinalDra]

Surely they can just be put on the tills? I'm a team leader and really pissed off. A girl has recently phoned in sick to say she can't come in as she broke her finger at work. Store manager has said she can stay off because it causes less fuss especially as she did it at work it's a piss take. He's not the one who has to run the shift with lack of staff.

AIBU to think she could still have worked on till?

Someone at work broke his thumb (in a fight, drunk; not at work) and his GP signed him off sick. He only came back to work after HR called him in. What annoyed me most was that he was working as a delivery driver at night as a second job and managed to keep doing that despite his plaster cast, but was unable to come into his main job at all. I think the lack of sick pay in the other job was the deciding factor... I'm an old cynic.
On the other hand (see what I did there?), she might be in pain just now and genuinely unable to work due to painkillers etc.

It depends, I broke my finger and had it strapped to the next one, I pretty much carried on as normal.
My Mum broke hers, it required an operation and a big splint type thing for 6 weeks, she struggled to use the loo by herself.

It's not a bad break. It is only strapped to the next one. She finished the shift the day it happened.

Tills sounds like the last place someone with a broken finger should be working.

She's either going to keep knocking it or cause secondary damage by not holding things properly.

There are other jobs she could do though, such as supervisor at the self service tills

@BarbaraofSevillle to be fair the person on tills does that as it's a Sainsbury's local

Erm, no, she's off sick! You should have more staff to call in though.

Depends on the break and if there’s surgery involved. Tbh I’d be more concerned about the store manager discussing his staff’s medical concerns with you - surely that goes against the supermarket’s privacy / data policies?

Not sure how it all works but could it affect employers liability insurance if she's been signed off as unfit to work? Or advised by a HCP she shouldn't work even if really she could work the tills?
They do now issue fit notes I think with clauses such as reduced hours or no lifting etc for some things. I had one after gall bladder removal, my job can involve lifting/moving heavy items and the Dr gave me a 'fit' note to work with reduced duties including no lifting.

I slammed my hand in a car door at work. Snapped the top of a finger and split the finger open. I nearly puked after they drilled a hole in the nail to relieve the pressure build up at hospital. I couldn't touch anything with that finger for weeks, it was awful. Only the day I did it was taken off (too sore to stay), however I was on restricted duties due to the open wound for a week or two.

A broken finger isn't always simple.

We have lots of staff but they don't have to come in... of course I've asked them to but if they say no, not much I can do.

@Nuttynoo all the team leaders know about why people are off sick! We do the Return to Works......

For the customer assistants

Can’t really say on the info provided, she might be genuine or she might be a lazy cow.

What’s her role in the store usually?

M

I'm pretty sure Sainsbury's won't be pleased to hear their supervisors discussing colleagues ailments on the internet....

Don't be silly, no one knows who any of our team are of even what shop I'm at... You do realise how many shops there are, right?

I'm sorry you're short staffed. But if someone has injured themselves AT WORK, you moaning that they ought to come in anyway seems a bit .... I dunno ... incredibly souless.

Your gripe seems to be that an injured staff member taking time off is inconvenient for you. Suck it up. If I had broken a bone AT WORK, if my boss said "You're not that injured. Can't you just strap up your broken bone, pop a painkiller and come in for your shift? Otherwise, it's a bit of a ball-ache for me, tbh" I'd have a pretty low opinion of them.

It depends on the finger. If it's her main hand then that would be hard to work around. If it's the little finger of her other hand then it might be possible.

But you don't have a medical background. So you don't know if it's a simple break or if it's more complicated. So you can't decide if it's appropriate or not. The GP does that when he writes the sick note

Am sure Mumsnet could share your IP/email if Sainsburys put the pressure on. Have reported it to Sainsburys.

Not sainsburys, mumsnet.

Only thing that should concern you is how to manage your remaining team while your colleague is off sick. Learning how to be a professional team leader would be a good starting point.

Reported also.

I broke a bone, I was told by my employer not to go to work as their insurance wouldn't cover me. If I ended up injuring myself further they were leaving themselves open to all sorts of complications.

So when did you pass your orthopaedic exams OP?

I don't understand what you've reported me for?

Please don't underestimate fingers. When they're broken it feels like a person attached to a huge pain. Physio is often needed.

Hands are important throughout life. I have seen many people lose the use of a finger because of injury - work or not.

A dedicated manager would take into account 'struggling on' and then realisation that the injury is actually life changing if not assessed and/or treated by medical professionals.

I think you should be telling your manager to sort your staffing out. I also think you're being a tad dramatic it can't just be your shifts she's absent from