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Original poster

To think she’s faking?

670 replies

Appleofmypie · 27/05/2018 14:34

One of my team at work is 14 weeks pregnant. She’s been off sick for 5 weeks with severe hyperemesis and still has a week left on her sick note (she’s being signed off for 2 weeks at a time)

By complete coincidence she is Facebook friends with a friend of mine.

My friend has put some pictures on Facebook this morning of her Greek holiday she’s still on, and my work colleague is in most of them - sunbathing, eating, swimming in the sea, playing volleyball. She has obviously blocked me as she is tagged in the pictures but her name is unclickable.

I’m gonna sound like a complete cow but I think she’s faking her sickness.
She’s on full pay from work and we’re having to pay an agency temp to cover her work too. It’s a small company that is struggling and I doubt we’re going to make any profit this month due to this.

My questions are:

Should I tell/show our boss?
What evidence of hyperemesis does a GP need to see to sign you off or Could it just be on her say so?
Is she actually doing anything illegal?
I know that pregnancy sickness is covered separately to normal in terms of disciplinary but if it’s proven she’s faking could it still be gross misconduct?

Thanks

OP posts:
Motheroffourdragons · 28/05/2018 07:37

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ on behalf of the poster.

Original poster
Appleofmypie · 28/05/2018 08:26

Holiday is 100% happening at this moment.

Looked back at my friends profile and there’s a ‘countdown to holiday’ picture from 4 weeks ago so was definitely preplanned. Have screenshotted that as well.

OP posts:
ilovesooty · 28/05/2018 08:30

huha it is not really really that simple

KingIrving · 28/05/2018 09:02

You did right OP.

PatchworkElmer · 28/05/2018 09:19

You did the right thing OP. Another HG-sufferer here who couldn’t even cope with getting in a car.

SteveMcGarrettsBudgieSmugglers · 28/05/2018 09:21

her husband bought in a sick note saying she was suffering from HG the day she flew to Greece, that sick note says she is unfit to work due to HG, so she is lying to her employer.

If, as some have suggested she had suddenly recovered at 14 weeks, she should have returned to work, not gone on holiday to Greece. This was a prearranged holiday

I have no idea about employment law, hopefully the OP's boss will get advice from someone who does such as ACAS. What this woman is doing is wrong, its hard enough for women who genuinely have HG to get it taken seriously, so many employers think its just a bit of nausea.

PoorYorick · 28/05/2018 09:26

I think she needs to be disciplined for being so abominably stupid, if nothing else.

EdWinchester · 28/05/2018 09:36

I think you did the right thing, OP.

Colleague is taking the piss.

MrsSchadenfreude · 28/05/2018 09:39

So essentially, she booked a holiday and made sure she was “off sick” when she went.

I know someone who was sacked for this - not due to pregnancy, but signed off sick for a few weeks, and went to Disneyland. Photos all over FB.

My38274thNameChange · 28/05/2018 10:01

@SickofPeterRabbit

Jessica I know exactly how Tribunals work love! That is not the case at all! Both parties have to build a case against one another! I’ve been in two tribunals based on this very issue - Termination after sick leave. I’m not feeding you anymore, I’m really not that interested in humouring trolls!! You’re trying to get attention by being the one person picking apart comments Get a life

Who is Jessica?! That was my first post on the thread.

Incidentally I’ve been an employment lawyer for ten years and 90% of my work is contentious. The law and ET system doesn’t work in the way you think it does.

And I’d be advising the employer in this situation to consider dismissal for gross misconduct if the sick note did indeed say HG and she buggered off to Greece without telling them.

HarrietSpecter · 28/05/2018 10:11

Totally agree - as a small business owner, I would struggle with the cost of a temp on top of sick pay

And as someone who was vomiting between 10-20x a day, and couldn't even leave the house to get to the doctors to get help with my hyperemesis, there is no way I could have got on a plane (or even uploaded photos into Facebook!!!)

OP - your boss needs to know

CactusFred · 28/05/2018 10:28

Something similar happened with a colleague of mine.

I work for a small charity and colleague was off most of her pregnancy with a variety of things - she'd be in for a day and then off for weeks type of thing - and to be fair she did have a hard time at the beginning.

Yet pictures appeared on another colleague's FB of her on holiday (pregnant colleague's father was the other colleague's cousin and she is FB friends with his wife) in Spain. Thing was I had text her that morning to see how she was and she'd replied she was feeling so bad she hadn't left the house in days! Confused

I did show my boss as did the other colleague as I was the one having to cover her work, I was doing extra hours at a cost to the charity and to my own health (I became quite ill as a result of being 'run down' my GP said) - but nothing came of it because they were too scared to say anything as she was pregnant.

Our management are useless in that area.

Good for you for raising it with your boss OP.

JessicaJonesJacket · 28/05/2018 11:38

My38274th I think SickofPeterRabbit confused our names because I had said their reference to DWP procedure was irrelevant to the employment tribunal process.

LilacIris · 28/05/2018 12:16

@CoughLaughFart

Then if a colleague reports him/her then he/she will be fine. Simple.

Yes, that was the point I was making. There are scenarios when it is perfectly ok to go on holiday whilst signed off sick. I am aware of this, because it is part of my job to provide guidance on exactly this sort of thing, and that is why I provided this example. I’m not sure why the simple was needed.

Original poster
Appleofmypie · 28/05/2018 12:26

Ok so she has definitely blocked me.

I signed into fb on an old profile I had and looked her up. There’s even more pictures of her on holiday, she’s recently had her garden done, plus loads of status updates going back to last year about how much she hates her job and even one calling the boss a fat bitch! Tempted to show the boss these too or should I just leave it now? I don’t want it to turn into some kind of vendetta against her - I actually do like her!

OP posts:
DarlingNikita · 28/05/2018 12:31

Tempted to show the boss these too or should I just leave it now?

I'd leave it. That might come across as just vindictive.

AngeloMysterioso · 28/05/2018 12:32

I’d show your boss the holiday pics but not the rest. Her garden has nothing to do with her pregnancy (unless she landscaped it herself whilst off sick) and who hasn’t vented about their job on fb from time to time?

DragonMummy1418 · 28/05/2018 12:38

loads of status updates going back to last year about how much she hates her job and even one calling the boss a fat bitch!

Omg! Of course you should tell your boss this! I'd want to know if it was my business. She needs sacking! What a little fucking bitch!

crispysausagerolls · 28/05/2018 12:42

It never ceases to amaze me how fucking stupid people can be regarding work and social media. Honestly - if you wanted to get away with this sort of deception WHY be so thick/arrogant to think you could post pictures online and not get caught, even having blocked someone. Same with posting rude comments about her job and the boss - tbh I would show these to your boss because she should 100% get fired.

lapenguin · 28/05/2018 12:47

I think you did the right thing. If she had already booked that week off as annual leave and had come back at the end of her sick note that might be a different story, but in this case she took advantage of the situation. Seeing her down the shops? Okay, seeing her having a wail of a time in Greece? No that's taking advantage.
She can't be fired for being pregnant, but I'm sure she could be fired for taking advantage and lying. I'm sure it could even come under fraud.

lapenguin · 28/05/2018 12:50

Just saw the countdown from four weeks ago! That is crafty!
Also I wouldn't show your boss anything else unless it's related to the holiday she is having. Your boss is probably going through Facebook to have a little look herself anyway

FuckPants · 28/05/2018 12:59

I'd show your boss everything as your work colleague has probably blocked her too.

GladAllOver · 28/05/2018 13:07

It the boss decides to take disciplinary action, she will need all the evidence available. So yes, give her all you have.

Mummyoflittledragon · 28/05/2018 13:08

I’d screenshot the lot. Yes, she’s venting and under normal circumstances, it would be underhand to show the messages. However she’s manipulating and lying to her employer and putting business at risk. She deserves no consideration or protection.

FizzyGreenWater · 28/05/2018 13:10

Yes, in these circumstances I would show your boss everything - or, if her profile is open (if you weren't friends with her via your old profile) hen just suggest boss makes a fake profile and looks her up.

I think your boss deserves to see that she's been public about hating her job and slagging off the boss before she has to decide whether she believes the sob stories to come and possibly decides whether to take it further.