To think DH might get fired?!

[ohgodwhatcanido]

NC for this.

Essentially DH fell asleep ah hour ago after being violently ill all night and morning; I've been sick as well so I think it's a bug. He was off one day last month but hasn't had time off before that for about three months. He asked if I'd call in for him so I did and the conversation went like this:

Him: 'Good morning X speaking how can I help?'
Me: 'Hi there, I'm calling to let you know that X'
Him: 'Sorry, who?'
Me:' Sorry, my line isn't too clear, I was calling to let you know X won't be able to come in this morning. He's been up all night being-'
Him: 'I don't want to hear it thanks, bye'

And then hung up. He didn't even let me explain why and sounded really mad. DH just had his days off for the week so I'm worried they'll think he's playing at it. Am I over thinking it or does this not look good?

At the companies I've worked at the last few years you'd never phone in, because no one has desk phones. So calling the company telephone number is just going to get you through to reception. You're expected to email in to your line manager yourself (or use slack or Hipchat for internal IM) - haven't used the telephone for work in years

We have the 3 sick episodes and a warning system.I triggered it this year by getting flu,struggling in for day in the middle because of staff shortages and being of dick again.Another colleague had pneumonia so had too many days off.
The back to work interviews in my experience are never to see if you need help etc but to pressurise you into coming in regardless.
D&V is an exception if you have the presence of mind to hunt out the little stool sample pot and collect a specimen in your dash to the toilet!Getting it to your GP is also an issue if you don't have a partner to take it for you.

I phoned in for my DH when he had d&v

“Hi, just calling to let you know DH won’t be in today”
“Oh what’s up?”
“He’s been spectacularly ill all night”
“Hahaha poor bastard, no worries, get him to give us a call when he’s feeling up to it”

We’re in Australia, not sure if that makes a difference or he just works for a very relaxed company!

Being 'of dick' is no excuse for not going in to work Onlyoldontheoutside

I work for a local authority and have been summoned to a stage one hearing because I was in hospital for a week - admitted on a Sunday - but the absence hit a trigger because I returned to work on the Tuesday following a bank holiday so went over 8 days - when I should have been able to self certify. I kept my manager informed every day. I know I shouldn't be, but I'm really worried about it given some of the responses on here. I otherwise had an excellent attendance record. Am I able to challenge the trigger point given that I would have returned on the Monday had it not been a public holiday?

Did you notify on the Friday that you were fit to return to work after the weekend? Is it a 3 stage process? If so, stage 1 is not something to be too concerned about. If you have any underlying condition or are undergoing tests, you should make this clear and ask for a referral to occupational health.

needmorespace If you kept your manager informed every day they should be aware that you would have returned on the Monday so it looks like an error on their part that the Stage 1 was triggered. You should definitely challenge it, especially if you are likely to have further health problems.

Being of dick is that manflu?

bastardkitty and Ruffian yes, my manager was aware of my intent to return to work and he is being fantastic about it (says it is something he has to do etc etc to comply with HR). But it seems unfair to me - I have sent an email asking him to clarify why the trigger has been met. I will have a meeting with him and there is to be a referral to oh (it is not a long term problem but may require another absence (operation) in the near future)
thank you both for your help

If manager goes ahead with the caution you should be able to appeal it and have it removed needmorespace because you didn't hit the trigger.

Also, planned surgery is exempt from the triggers with some employers, so do check the policy.

We have to call in ourselves, in case we have been murdered.

I can't imagine where a lot of people must work on this thread?

I have worked in UK and Asia. Seems there are lot of martyrs in the UK who will drag themselves in to work unless literally at deaths door. Is a lot more relaxed in Asia I have found and nobody is judgemental if you take time off sick. If you have something which would be considered contagious you are sort of expected to - people would not want someone with a very heavy cold in the office. You would get hints about going home or at least suggest to work from home.

I have never worked somewhere you would be expected to phone either. I would whatsapp my colleague and manager or email them. They would just email back some sympathetic words telling me to rest.

I wonder if it depends on the type of job you have. If I am not there no-one really needs to cover me (unless it was more than a few days). So being off sick just means I need to catch up when back.

Bradford scale needs to be ditched everywhere. As previous posters have pointed out, it gets easily skewed when people, fearing their Bradford score, come back to work too soon, fuck up their recovery and go off sick again. It comes up as two instances when it should have been just one.

I guess it might be OK if it's just used as a sort of employer warning, and then the employer actually thinks about it and figures, "Oh yes, Kelly dragged herself in while she was still sneezing green snot everywhere and rightly stayed off again the next day, so I'll ignore it." But in most cases, it seems to be mindlessly summoned and warnings given, even when it's the very thing which has skewed the record.

I've always had to phone in sick myself though. Never worked anywhere where anything else was acceptable.

needmorespace, this is the sort of thing that makes me despair. You were in hospital, you kept in touch, you came back as soon as you could after being let out of hospital and yet there you are having to go through a stage 1 hearing. But, oh, it's just to comply with HR!

This is just wrong and shows how ludicrous the whole system is. I'm sure everything will be absolutely fine, I agree you should appeal, but that's not the point. It's worried you, when you shouldn't have to be worrying about it, it makes you feel that you're not trusted, when you have done nothing wrong. A system like this is bloody Kafkaesque frankly. Everyone following the rules when they know that they rules are stupid in many instances, but they have to because they are the rules and everyone is presumed guilty until they can prove their innocence even though everyone knows they are innocent before the procedure!

When I was a line manager I thought a lot better of those who phoned in themselves if off sick than those who got other people to do it for them. Regardless of whether I thought they could have struggled in, were ill from their lifestyle, or genuinely ill. Regardless of when they had last been off sick.

Seems there are lot of martyrs in the UK who will drag themselves in to work unless literally at deaths door.

Yes there are. The UK has a ridiculous clock watching bums on seats attitude to work.

Or in other words a good work ethic and make work a priority unless absolutely need to be off

The irony is that the places with the draconian sick policies probably end up with more people on sick leave because people are more likely to infect their coworkers. I remember wanting to kill a colleague who turned up to work with flu and a really high temperature (he proudly announced it). Subsequently, more than half the workplace (including me) had flu. Two people were hospitalised.

Or in other words a good work ethic and make work a priority unless absolutely need to be off

The definition of "absolutely need to be off" is often subjective though. I think people need to stay at home if contagious but considering that people are disciplined and sometimes sacked whether or not they "absolutely need to be off" in some workplaces that doesn't always happen.

Or in other words a good work ethic and make work a priority unless absolutely need to be off

I don't agree. A good workplace does not put pressure on staff to come in when they are ill and risk spreading germs round the office.

I work somewhere we have no system "triggered" if we are off sick, we are categorically not clock watchers and we can work from home whenever we need to. Makes for a much happier and more productive workplace with very low staff turnover.

I'm in the Civil Service and we always try to phone in unless you are completely unable to. We were always told it was because of a case many years ago where a member of staff's husband always called in sick for her. It turned out he was abusing her and was covering this up by phoning in to prevent her speaking to anyone. No one realised what was going on.
One time he took it too far and battered her to death. Maybe it could have been prevented. It's a very extreme case but it did happen.

My take as someone who does as part my job do oncall I would be suspicious if the person didn't ring in themselves .Not saying boss should be offhand like that but I know how stressful it can be to sort cover .I get ill also so does everyone else but in my eyes unless it emergency ie family emergency,hospital that sort thing you need ring in yourself as it can set the cogs turning more so be a Bank Holiday .

How are you both now?

All those calling bullshit on policies..in my DPs contract it actually states:

"All periods of sickness or unplanned leave must be reported to the manager at the earliest opportunity. Should you be unfit to report a period of absence you may get someone else to call or send an e-mail. However, you will need to personally speak to your manager within 12hours on the phone. Failure to speak to your manager within 12 hours may lead to immediate dismissal. Exceptions are made at the manager's discretion im extreme cases"

So they really can just sack you if its written into the contract...

I call for my DP when he has nocturnal seizures and then he rings later in the day when hes less groggy/more with it.. otherwise he calls himself from the go.