To be angry that husband has been called back to work

[Vitotitto]

Yesterday my DH felt unwell. He told that to his team leader. Today he had the fever and messaged him (team leader) that he decided to stay home.

At 5 pm DH received a call. Team leader asked to come to work as he is calling sick too often (to manage's point of view).

He had 3 days of absence in September 2017 (with enterovirus coxsackie, even visited his doctor that time) and 2 days in December 2017 (kind of cold).

He got today's virus last week from another guy who came ill (very obviously).

Team leader told him today that one of the bosses said that "diarrhoea is not enough to miss work". Err... Excuse me?

What to do? Visit HR?

That's not normal, isn't it?

I work for NHS and you have to fill in an absence/sickness form to explain EVERY day of sickness - up to 7 days - then it has to come from your GP
I'm not saying this is not genuine sick leave - just advising what you have to do in other offices/business etc.

I have called people back on occasion to talk them through what their current absence level is and how this further absence would affect them. I'd say 7/10 times people reconsider and come in, and they don't seem to have any problems working. It's retail and we have a lot of younger emplyees (late teens, early twenties) so i do feel like a lot will just call in with a sniffle or because they aren't taking it seriously.
On the flip side I've also sent people home when they've clearly not been well enough to work, although that happens less.

If you’ve called in sick they can’t ask you to come, it’s not like it’s over 7 days. He shouldn’t be putting pressure. I only miss work when I’m vomiting. I’ve called I. Sick maybe 4 time in 9 years when each time I caught the noro virus. 2 of them were last October and I was even hospitalised the weekend before and the dr said I should take 5 days off but I didn’t. One it’s not fair to customers and 2 its not fair to colleagues let alone yourself.

Boss is being a dick but double check company policy! You can't help being sick I had the first 2 working days off due to sickness this year and back for a day then a booked holiday to take ds to an appointment! But only 2 days off sick the entire year last year! That's life!!

They shouldn't be calling him in, the meeting should have been when he'd returned (it's called a return to work review, FFS!). But our policy is to review when 3 or more periods are taken off sick in 6 months, or 5 in 12 months

I did get called to a review, but my DS was in nursery and the little darling kept passing on his bugs. I would get horribly sick. And I've also had time off when I pulled a muscle in my back and couldn't even move.
But I was accused of indicating I didn't want to be at work! I just pled my case and I still work there.
Thankfully, he's 5 now and not picked up anything in Year 1 and I didn't catch the couple of bugs he caught in Reception

God if i was working i would have been fired then before christmas it started with depression from christmas day it was feeling sick everyday and for the last 3 weeks i have had a cold and i really suffer woke up one day and it felt like i had been punch in the face also my hearing goes can't hear a thing

3 episodes of sickness in my place the next one triggers disciplinary procedure followed by a year of anymore episodes equals potential dismissal. I work in a contact centre, lost my voice in May last year didn't go in (no admin etc tasks I could do instead, otherwise I would, I don't get paid.) Lost my voice in December 2017 had to go in... who loves getting a call from a woman who is trying her best not to have a coughing fit at you and has no voice but I had to battle through it or loose my job, this is after 8 years service. My place is that harsh somebody had an emergency hysterectomy and that triggered disciplinary so yeah that's quite a lot of sickness

Why doesn't he visit the docs for a sick note ?

He's had a lot of sickness periods hasn't he? 3 times in maybe 6 months ... my husband hasn't been off work for years and years with sickness and as a SAHM, I'm never allowed to be off sick

I'd be pretty annoyed if I was his employer, it's not really a case of spreading germs to others but most people have coughs and colds many times in a year, it would be chaos if we all had time off for 'a sort of a cold'.

Three incidences in 6 months would trigger most companies to put sickness targets in place, whether genuine or not (and i imagine most will treat it as genuine rather than risk being sued if they falsely accuse someone of fake sickness).

However, they shouldn’t be telling him to come in. He’s an adult, who has advised them he’s too ill to work, they should accept that. Any targets/disciplinary should be addressed when he returns.

Wonderlime, can you not dismiss on grounds of capability? (Protected characteristics aside)

I'm just going through this with a relatively new employee who's clocked up over 10 days of absence in 3 months. I'm not sure what reasonable adjustments could be applied in this situation. A written warning was given after 5 days. It's a horrible situation for all concerned.

I must live in a parallel universe. Never even had to fill in a form for being off sick (only ever been a few days). Only worked in one place that had a 'sickness policy' and that was civil service.
I don't understand how someone can be disciplined or given a warning for being off sick as it's not their fault. Malingering yes, but being ill, no.

flightchecker Yes, you can. You just need to be sure that no medical conditions have been raised. if, as far as you are aware, then non are present the you can. You can then agree that their persistent sickness is unsustainable. Please just make sure you get some advice from HR.

However your case should be a little more simple as you say he's relatively new and wouldn't have the same protection rights as a long term employee.

People saying 3 instances of sickness in 6 months is a lot- I can see an employer wouldn’t be Happy with that but I don’t think thats a lot to be Ill. although maybe having young kids in the house our opinion of a usual sickness level is skewed.
In my work place it’s not days it’s episodes & this would trigger an informal sickness plan. As others have said this would look at reasons for absence, was it work related, was there a pattern. My work are usually pretty ok though as long as it seems genuine. But obviously if there was another episode then it may be different.

I work with patients who very often come to see us Poorly (they don’t like to miss their appointments as they get it deducted from their allocated sessions) so will make their way in having had sickness & diarrhoea, have coughs/colds, chest infections etc. They pass germs on & then if we come in and continue to see another 20
Patients that week...well you get the idea!
I think it would depend on your husbands job. In my opinion it makes no sense to go in & get others poorly, but I know a business probably doesn’t see if that way. I didn’t think they could call him in though if he was off.

6 days in 6 months is not a lot or too little. If you're ill then it's just what you have to take off. Lots of people saying this would trigger a review - well, I hope at the review they would go "Oh well you were actually
ill; it's not work related so off you go."

What are folk meant to do? Obviously
Policies are in place for people who really are taking the piss. But the manager was out of order. You can't ask people with diarrhoea to come to work. Schools spend all their time telling you not to send your kids. Ask too early because it spreads the disease and makes everyone else ill.

Op A hope he is feeling better and that work don't be too silly

Gwent work needs doing. If someone is off sick the work isn't being done. It's not about punishing the employee it is about getting someone in the post who will do the work.
I realise that sounds harsh and I am of course sympathetic to illness. But ultimately dismissing someone isn't about making a point or punishment. It's about the needs of tbe business.

This is the most depressing thread ever. Dont know if you explained 'kind of cold' in the thread and I've missed it, but Id assume you meant flu like symptoms without being actual flu? Am in Ireland and anywhere I worked after the second day you had to bring in a sick cert, but people saying three sicknesses is indicative of taking the you know what? ... Sigh

I’d be taking photos/videos as evidence of illness. Problem is, that much absence in 5 months is enough to trigger a review of what’s going on with him. However, having little kids, you do get ill that frequently. I was always ill when I had one in nursery and one in reception. Two sets of small germy Kids.

Your husband should go in to work tomorrow and shit all over his boss's desk.

Too many short spells off in too short a time. Most companies would want to discuss why a bit more in-depth and give a reminder about absence policy. Can he take annual leave instead of classing the latest absence as sick leave.

My husband was working at a factory he was doing really well when we got pregnant when it was time for his prenatal leave his boss started hurasing him and refused him his benefits then fierd him my husband only wanted 4 months off instead of the full year now were expecting any day and are out of a job😞 any ideas on what to do

Oh no! I suspect you need to talk to acas

Wonderlime is spot on. Most are employees here and are correct in their thoughts. However employers do have to be considered too else the jobs won't exist. The law is clear, absence management policies should be clear and has to be actively managed. All the arguments of I have x disease I had a leg falling off etc are covered and it is remembered that everyone is individual. But it is counterbalanced by the need of the company to be able to perform. The company did recruit an employee based on the need of something being done for them in return for money!

Long term sickness policies. Reasonable job adjustments, occupational health, disability rights, maternity rights. The protection is there if genuine, but just don't be surprised if after trigger points a meeting is needed to discuss. It is about you getting over your individual needs as much as the company assessing.