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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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

240 replies

SpinalDra · 25/09/2017 22:45

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 Hmm 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?

OP posts:
SpinalDra · 26/09/2017 21:10

@JonSnowsWife do they? How do you know?

OP posts:
GetOutOfMYGarden · 26/09/2017 21:14

It's not up to you OP. Her doctor and store manager agree that she should be off.

What would happen if you dragged her back to work early, she worsened the break and ended up with permanent deformity or nerve damage? A big fuck off law suit.

SpinalDra · 26/09/2017 21:17

Where has everyone got the idea that her doctor thinks she should be off?

OP posts:
Bluelonerose · 26/09/2017 21:17

I broke my toe couldn't get shoes on phoned my boss who said I could come in flip flops. Big boss came in asked why I was wearing flip flops showed him my manky toe to be told I need to go home.

When I asked who was opening 6am Sunday morning they soon changed their minds and let me work.

PerspicaciaTick · 26/09/2017 21:26

How do you know whether she has been signed off or not. Whether she has been to see her GP or was signed off in A&E when they strapped her finger. Whether A&E advised her to self-certify, or not to work until after the weekend. Just how come you are privy to so much sensitive medical information about this woman? Are HR breaching her confidentiality and giving you a blow by blow account?

waxmytash · 26/09/2017 21:44

I broke my right index finger many years ago whilst working in a pub & the only treatment was to strap it to the next finger.
I was signed off sick by the hospital for six weeks and was left almost completely incapable of using my right hand until the bone healed - it was honestly more painful and more debilitating than when I broke my leg which after plastering didn't impact on my ability to work.

I must have looked somewhat surprised when I was handed the sick note but the Doctor explained 'a broken bone is a broken bone & will take approx six weeks to heal'
Luckily the people who knew me understood but there were still a few sniggering comments from the more uneducated who thought they knew better than someone who's spent 7 years at med school...

I would like to add I very rarely take anytime 'off sick' and I haven't had so much as a day off in nearly 8 years so was hardly using it as an excuse.

JonSnowsWife · 26/09/2017 21:53

Where has everyone got the idea that her doctor thinks she should be off?

Didnt you say she'd been signed off earlier in the thread? Confused

Rufustherenegadereindeer1 · 26/09/2017 21:58

jon

I dont think she did

melj1213 · 26/09/2017 22:02

No, I've never worked in a supermarket or had a broken finger. I have had a broken wrist and a broken leg (separate occasions) and returned to work in a cast, so that strikes me a similar to a strapped up finger..

It really isn't.

If you break your leg when you have a desk job, then your injury has no impact on your physical ability to work. It may require a few adjustments with regards to your work station and making it accessible while you're using crutches/using a wheelchair etc but you don't use your leg to actually complete your work.

Working on a checkout is all about using your hands - you have to physically move the items across the scanner, you have to be able to grab and hold heavy items - including things like bags of cat litter, bags of potatoes and crates of beer - restock the carrier bags and Bags for Life on the end of your checkout, and you have to be able to hold regular and irregular objects (if you have fingers strapped up, especially on a dominant hand, it can be hard to get a good grip on something that is awkwardly shaped). There are the customers requiring help, or wanting you to fold clothes and/or remove hangers/clips/packaging etc that will be difficult, if not impossible/painful with an injury to your hand.

Then there's actually working the till - in my supermarket that includes being able to type numbers using the keyboard if a barcode won't scan; swiping gift cards; being able to do things like change the till roll; checking and keying in coupons/vouchers etc; taking money from the customer, putting it in the correct part of the till and then getting the right change out (and the pots that hold the different coin denominations are often small and fiddly, so you wouldn't be able to use the injured hand at all).

Rufustherenegadereindeer1 · 26/09/2017 22:04

I agree with melj

I would think it would be very difficult with a broken finger

Mittens1969 · 26/09/2017 22:06

No, I think the girl in question self-certified, which you can do for a week. But she presumably went to A&E? I doubt she self-diagnosed a fracture. So I assume they will have given her some idea about how long it will take to get better?

I do have to admit that the OP is standing her ground very well, considering the pasting she's been given on here.

But I don't think bitching about it is going to make her decide to come into work more quickly.

OurMiracle1106 · 26/09/2017 22:08

Think it depends on when it happened and how long she had off. So if it happened yesterday and she spent most the night at a and e waiting to be seen or doctors then she's probably tired and in pain.

I would be concerned as to how her finger was broken and would be making sure that an accident form and risk assessment had been completed.

JonSnowsWife · 26/09/2017 22:09

Ah well I just assumed she must have been signed off by someone for her store manager to pass it, especially if they're as short staffed as the OP says they are.

Given by the fact you generally need an x-ray to diagnose a fracture, she can't really self diagnose can she?

NotACleverName · 26/09/2017 22:15

Some of you are being rather extreme. Her break isn't anything like what you have mentioned.

Sorry but when did you become her doctor?

I'd go absolutely apeshit if I found out that my team leader was discussing my medical problems on a public website, too. This is seriously bad form, OP. You sound like a rotten team leader (but I suspect you already know this by now).

alisonyawn · 26/09/2017 22:18

Urgh. You're the kind of manager people hate. You're the reason hard working people feel guilty for needing time off. Just, URGH.

GreatFuckability · 26/09/2017 22:26

I broke my finger and was utterly useless to do anything manual dexterity wise for weeks. I was more able to work 3 weeks after a hysterectomy!

madein1995 · 26/09/2017 22:36

i work on the tills. Ive never broken my finger but ive had a knife cut on my tgumb (both dominannt and non dominant) and that made things slower and a bit sore, so i cant imagine what a broksn finger would be like. When lifting/pushing heavy things i had to use my ok hand and twist my body, again only with a cut finger.

tills isnt just sitting down. You need to move quick in handling money - picking coins off the checkout with a broken fonger would be hard - you need to replenish bags/till roll, you need to help pack, you need to remove security tags, you need to restart the bloody card machine, you need to lug heavy things across the till, its not just sitting. A pp suggested she be a runner and getring milk etc. Thats the supervisors role, wjo have lots of other things to do so they cant just plonk a store level colleague on a different department in a senior role and expect orgers to pick up the slack

Having a supportive environment is important. My bosses are kind, allow older workers blankets for their laps, longer breaks for workers who have mobility issues, are fine witg sick leave, send you home if youre genuinely ill, organise whip rounds when something bad happens to you snd are flexible with days off. In return ive stayed ob 5 hours after shuft, came in on 30 mins notice, worked every day bar 1 from 1st to 24th december, and generally say yes to requests. That is because my team help me. If my supervisor was as unsupportive as op i wouldnt be so helpful

MumsOnCrack · 26/09/2017 22:42

Snapped mine and my ring finger was touching my thumb (it really shouldn't have been!) 3 months working from home and couldn't drive and broke two other bones - agony...

MumsOnCrack · 26/09/2017 22:44

Honestly worse than childbirth... I'm not even joking!

stargazer2030 · 26/09/2017 22:56

It's not really up to you op as you aren't a mefical professional. I am presuming she can only self certify for the first week anyway so after that will be assessed by her GPS who is medically trained.
Thank goodness it's not up to supervisors to determine fitness to work.

MerryInthechelseahotel · 27/09/2017 00:27

I broke my toe and was almost sick with the pain. You can't judge really just placemarking

ADishBestEatenCold · 27/09/2017 01:07

"Her break isn't anything like what you have mentioned."

Did you see the x-ray? How? And in what way were you qualified to read it?

Saw upthread someone suggesting that this thread had been linked to your employers. If that is true, I would be very concerned if in your position and probably begging MNHQ to delete it.

I cannot imagine that you are behaving in a way your employers would expect of a team leader.

NaughtToThreeSadOnions · 27/09/2017 03:33

*Yesterday 21:10 SpinalDra

@JonSnowsWife do they? How do you know?*

Probably the same way you know that her break isn't "anything like what's been mentioned" how you know how much pain she's in, or weather or not she's fit for work.

As you've said repeatedly she can self cert for a week, as you can in most jobs, you do this because your feeling unwell/in pain or you've been told by your doctor to rest. In fact doctors won't issue certificates for the first week unless you pay privately im guessing on a supermarket minimum wage she can't afford to do that. What are you going to say next week if she is signed off are you going to come back and tell us that it's a piss take and it's not the doctor who has to run a shift short staffed and you know better than him or her. You know the medical professional

I'm sorry but you had to run the shift short staffed but it's not her fault, maybe the reason other staff are unwilling to cover her shift is your attitude as a team leader. You've been told pretty much completely you are being unreasonable. Instead of going oh ok I've miss handled this situation I need to reconsider my thought process on this your still still want to blame her. The injured person. Yep I'm not sure I'd take up a shift with you. Are you never wrong!?!?!

Ploppie4 · 27/09/2017 03:45

Must be awful lifting heavy and odd shaped items into bags. Not practical at all. A healthy and safety concern probably. I'm sure she could go straight to HR with a complaint if made to work.

Your supermarket makes millions in profit. People are always going to be ill. The supermarket should employ enough staff to cover sickness.

alfagirl73 · 27/09/2017 10:17

YABU. Let's look at what you say: She has broken her finger at work, the finger is strapped to the next one and she has phoned in sick.

Firstly, if the finger is strapped to the next one, it is reasonable to assume she has had some sort of medical attention. She also knows the finger is broken. So again, one would assume she has had some form of medical advice from a qualified doctor. If she went to A&E or minor injuries unit, it would not be unusual for them to diagnose the injury, strap it up, advise her not to do x, y and z for a period of time, and tell her to self-cert in the first instance and then get a line from her GP if she needs more time.

Secondly - you make assertions about the extent of the injury however you are not medically qualified to make any kind of determination in that respect. I know from my job that broken fingers can turn very serious very quickly - it might sound like "just a sore finger" but the reality is different. Bear in mind how much we, as human beings, use our hands and fingers - even if the initial break isn't too bad, there is significant opportunity to do further and more serious damage to a broken finger if it is not supported and rested properly. I've seen numerous cases of seemingly simple finger breaks resulting in the person having a permanent disfigurement and loss of function of their finger due to it not being properly treated and/or cared for/rested. The only person who can advise this girl of what she can and cannot do is a qualified doctor - preferably a hand specialist. You cannot make that determination.

In terms of employment/you as a team leader, it is not only unreasonable but irresponsible and a potential breach of duty of care for you to try to push an employee to perform duties that could put their health and safety at risk. The girl has apparently injured her hand at work; notwithstanding that she now has 3 years to bring a claim against her employer if she so wishes, but if she returns to work and further injures herself, if she did not have a legal claim for the initial injury, she would most certainly would have one for any further subsequent injury, and that's before we start going into issues such as breaches of confidentiality, breach of the DPA, discrimination, bullying, harassment and employment tribunals.

I can tell by your posts OP what kind of "team leader" you are and let me tell you that a "leader" is the last thing you are. You are obviously a mircro manager on a power trip and I guarantee the people in your team are utterly miserable. Why do employers not understand that if they treat their employees like HUMAN BEINGS - with compassion, empathy and respect, and provide them with proper support, they will have a more loyal, hardworking and happy workforce who will probably stick around longer and be prepared to go the extra mile. It is proven time and again. As soon as employers micro-manage and have ridiculous sick leave policies etc... it makes employees miserable, demotivated, stressed and leads to employees working to rule. It is so simple yet employers still make the same mistakes over and over again. When I was off sick I tried to log on to do some bits of work and my employer called me and forbid me from working as they would be breaching their duty of care to me by having me work when I'm not fit to do so. I was paid sick pay, supported, shown empathy, respect... and when I returned to work I was happy to put in the extra hours to catch up and also help out my colleagues when they are off sick. It's called mutual respect and goes a long way in retaining good staff.

Treat your team member with respect and stop slagging her off on a public forum. If she has a broken finger then accept that there is little she can do in a supermarket without risking further injury to herself. Learn how to properly LEAD your team - stop micro managing. Staffing issues are YOUR responsibility and your employer's responsibility - they are not this girl's responsibility. Her only responsibility right now is to recovery from her injury.

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