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?

runmummy you think three days off in 120 days isn’t ‘acceptable, normal or reasonable’ and you’d fire him? God forbid you ever get sick, when did human bodies get replaced by machines? That seems to be how we’re supposed to operate now.

Manager is probably fed up as 3 periods sickness in 4 months is a lot. Manager being fed up doesnt mean he will get fired. But I don't think you are over thinking it.
I think he should have phoned in himself. He can ring now, just say wanted to check manager got the message as the line was so bad.

I'm surprised lots of people think this is not a lot, but if he has been vomiting all night he wont be much help and probably is contagious. Doesnt help it has happened the friday before a bank holiday weekend.

All these people saying 3 days off sick in 4 month is terrible etc sound very harsh. I never take time off sick unless very ill myself. I have been lucky and not needed any sick days for several years but that's just luck. If I had been ill I would have taken days off.

It's not the 'days', it's three separate absences in a short period of time. That would have triggered an attendance protocol at my old work.

Manager was pretty rude but maybe there's been other stuff going out with your husband at work that you aren't privy to. He should have called himself though, even if sick. He's an adult and has a responsibility. I wonder if he got you to phone as he knew what the response would be.

Three periods of absence in four months can definitely result in your employment being terminated where I work if you're in your probation period.

Of course genuine sickness can't be helped and everyone needs time off occasionally but when it's a regular thing it does cause problems. Re-arranging meetings and appointments, and organising cover for the same person all the time is frustrating, potentially expensive and can cost the business money.

The manager sounds very unprofessional, but agree with PP that when he wakes he should call himself and explain.

I reckon he should go in and make sure he vomits on the manager

Can't believe firstly your DH asked you to phone in for him and secondly that you agreed. He's an adult, just because he's sick in the night doesn't mean he can't set an alarm and make a 1 minute phone call.

Maybe disciplinary action will be the wake up call he needs to act more professionally. The Manager should have just said 'Get him to call me'.

Yes he will be fired

How do you know? If hes been there over 2 years he will have rights. Worst case scenario is a sickness absence meeting with his employer.

Personally, I think taking time off last month and three months previously is quite a lot.

@ohgodwhatcanido

I think this rule of having to ring in yourself is a load of wanky fucking shite, and it does my head in.

As for '3 days in 4 months is 3 absences and would require an interview.....' I know it does in some places. My husband's old workplace said if you have more than 3 in 6 months they will interview you to find out 'what is going on.'

The HILARIOUS thing is, that the 'rule' applies if it's '3 separate days' off sick, or 'one week off, a three day stint off, and a fortnight off.' Dumb as fuck.

I reckon they want the sick person to ring in so they can try and bully them into coming in. 'But we haven't GOT anyone to cover you.. at least TRY and come in.....'

Unfortunately, lots of employers are like this now, as all they care about is productivity and profits, and most of them give zero fucks about the welfare of their employees. Don't say it's not true coz it is.

OP, I hope your DH will be OK, but his boss DOES sound arsey and fed up. If I were your DH I would ring in and ask what the problem was and why he was shirty with you.

Take no notice of the people saying he will be sacked for having 3 separate days off in 3 months. That is a load of shit. And as for the posters saying '3 days in 3-4 months is a HUGE amount of time off!' Course is isn't! And if people ARE having SOOOO much time off, it's no wonder if they are working somewhere that treats you like a piece of shit.

Saying the employer 'wants the opportunity to help the employees' is a load of bollocks; they just wants them to get the fuck back to work It's laughable to suggest that the employer needs to speak to the employee because they CARE about them.

OP if I were your DH I would be looking for another job.

Where my daughter works the staff have to FaceTime the boss to report sickness

That's practical if you don't have an Apple phone. Or do they provide them?

And 3 days in 4 months is nothing! In my previous job I only took 2 days off in 5 years but I am pretty healthy. Some people aren't. Also, I was home-based so I was less likely to catch lurgies than you would be if eg you were having to travel on the Tube/buses every day.

Unless your pregenet of course then you can have as many sickness days that you want and nothing the employer can do but my god.

Humans get sick big bloody deal if he was a great employee 3 instances of sickness (espically if they have children as children pick up everything from school).

We have gone from when people are generally ill (D + V etc) having to drag themsleves into work and thus spreading it to everyone else or risk being seen as a waster / being manged out its bloody insane WE ARE HUMAN, HUMANS get sick if you want 0 sickness invent a fucking robot that can do all the work possible then because all these people saying they would manage people out if they had 3 instances of sickness in 4 months / year are bloody unrealistic.

I'd make a complaint in regards to the manager, he sounds like a rude wanker!

He needs to take responsibility, really. I've been working since 1986. The only time someone phoned in sick on my behalf was in 1987, when my mum rang in for me. It was pre mobile phones and I was in hospital with concussion after being knocked off my bike.

Itstime yes the phone is provided.

I have had a case were a client was invovled in a serious RTA and the company kept quoting the bradford scale saying they need to get back too work / we want him out because the 3 months off with a broken spine is too much thankfully he came to my office and the company invovled was forced to pay out 2 years worth of salary and have to provide a glowing reference (though the client had to take them to court again becuase the did not provide the agreed upon reference so another large amount of cash wasted)

I used to take loads of sick days, even if I just had a sniffle. Then I moved to Korea. You could have had your leg amputated and your boss would say ‘so sorry, when are you coming back?’ here. No one EVER takes sick days.

In the beginning, I hated it but now I’m used to it and tbh, I do think it’s better to just go into work unless you’re really at death’s door or it’s contagious. Most of the time that people take off is really not necessary in the UK.

There’s a happy medium and I do think Korea is a little extreme but people in the UK do take time off for everything imo.

Your hubby should have rung in himself.

However I'm not sure that he necessarily be fired there might be some questions if he has been off a few times recently but if you're sick your sick and there's not much you can do. The outrage about having been off 3 months ago on this thread makes me laugh. I commented on a thread recently about worrying about taking so much time off with sick children and the implications of the 48 hour rule but was shot down for being ridiculous about worrying about unplanned leave and the reaction of my employer! Good old mumsnet!

I can just imagine DP's boss's reaction if I called in sick for him because he had a dicky tummy, or vice versa if he called mine. Might just be my industry but it would reflect very badly on the employee. Just not done.

I had to do this last week. Ds was being sick and stuck in loo I know tmi.
He s still on probation so I worried about it when manager said okay but he needs to see me on his next shift.
Ds was fine and said the manager just said he should have called himself.
I also said to ds that is the only time I am going to do it. You're 30 you can't have mummy calling work for you. Do you want me to write an excuse note to?
Your DH will probably get the talk about calling in himself and maybe a warning
Hope I helped

All this shite you've got to phone in yourself I've never heard the likes. What if you're not well enough to. I was laid up with the flu about 10 years ago and I physically couldn't even pick my phone up. That's not exaggerating either. My mum had to phone for me. My manager didn't throw his rattle of his pram and spit his dummy out.

Has he rang in himself yet? A grown man can be woken to ring work even if he’s had no sleep through a vomiting bug, he’s got the rest of the day to sleep.

His Boss was rude, some companies do have a policy that if you don’t call in sick yourself you are awol, (unless you really can’t ring as other pp have mentioned.)

All this shite you've got to phone in yourself I've never heard the likes.

When I've been too ill to make a phonecall (and not just asleep) I've dictated an email for DP to send for me from my account. Never considered getting my mum to call I must say.