Colleague off sick, don't want her to come back. AIBU?

[Penny80]

Colleague currently off sick, has been for two months and will be for another month at least. The reason given on her sick note is not true, but would've been very hard for a doctor to doubt her. She planned to go off sick and told more than one colleague that this was her intent. Manager is aware of this but has to deal with her by the book so unable to confront etc.

Colleague has a history of poor behaviour in the office, she is snippy and outright nasty to other staff, including one in particular who has been very upset by it. In my mind this clearly amounts to bullying. Wouldn't be the first time, colleague was investigated by previous manager (same company different department) for similar behaviour, accusation was completely true but colleague never accepted it - witch hunt, conspiracy blah blah blah. Measures were put in place but she soon after moved teams.

She is a horrible person and although I only work part time I find she makes the office so tense and uncomfortable that even though we've been short staffed that it's much better without her there. Everyone is noticeably happier.

Writing this now I feel like there's no way I'm being unreasonable (maybe people will disagree with that) but DH and a couple of friends who don't know colleague have suggested I should be more understanding and maybe she's really ill (she isn't). It's hard to explain the impact one person has in the office but it's a small team and she's so horrible there's just not enough people to dilute her influence iyswim.

It's not clear at this stage if she will be returning. AIBU to not care about her and hope that she doesn't come back? Feel a bit heartless but secretly happy I don't have to deal with her at the moment. Obviously NC btw.

You are accusing a doctor of lying if they have written a sick note for a reason which you say is falsified.

Doctors write sick notes based on their clinical judgement, not on what patients ask them to write.

So the person told everyone now about the sick note and what they were doing? Or was it just one person? Did they tell you personally what was on the sick note?

This was our dept last summer. Negative colleague off sick for weeks and everything was so much calmer. Luckily they eventually left, although not before having me in tears several times in between them coming back from sick and resigning.

@Heatherjayne1972 I know because she told us she was going to do this. I can't prove it because it was a verbal conversation and nothing on paper. Manager knows about this as another colleague has told her. I am part time and wasn't there when manager was told.

When I went to my GP about depression, they offered to sign me off and I didnt even ask for it. I declined.

I work with GP's. If a patient comes to them saying they are depressed, stressed or anxious about something and they want to be signed off, it would take a cold hearted GP to say no.

It sounds like you might be wise to request a transfer to another department or to look for another job if you're unhappy and struggling so much with the dynamics of your current team.

YANBU to hope a horrible person doesn't come back to work

I've only met a couple of these really awful ones at work and it's a hell of a strain. One was on a contract and the day it ended - though mgmt should have kicked her out long before for swearing and tantrumming - the whole office was overjoyed. Before I reached my desk on the second floor, I had the receptionist, the security guard, and everyone I passed on the stairs saying "you know what day it is today" with a big smile.

@Chanelprincess I'm not going to request a transfer. I'm good at what I do and I shouldn't have to leave because of this. It would be a whole team leaving if everyone who felt like I did went.

I feel for the OP actually. Her colleague sounds like someone I'm aware of but thankfully don't actually work with in employment.
She unfortunately has not gone sick but a lot of people who are being bullied by her would be delighted if she did.

@TaliZorahVasNormandy but a GP makes a clinical judgement on whether to sign someone off.

I went to my GP due to X. My GP made a clinical judgement that I was not going to work due W, X, Y and Z - any one of those would have been a legal reason for me to be off work, but, the clinical judgement meant all four went down.

OP - sorry I think i realise who you are now, I'm in a shite mood (and a bit fed up of people accusing GPs of lying which is how it has come across). Thank you for the support you gave me in my thread.

No problem @WhaleofaThyme we all have our moments on here! Please don't think that any of the reasons you are off are not believable, that's not the case at all. This is a very specific situation and I am certain my colleague is not being truthful.

@Penny80 - does your workplace have a sick leave pay policy? I think after one month people don't get paid.

Do you want to fight this and have her fired or do you just want to rejoice that she's not coming back?

Is there anyway she has actually resigned and the sick notice is her resignation / notification period?

You are accusing a doctor of lying if they have written a sick note for a reason which you say is falsified.

Don't be ridiculous. The doctor's clinical judgement is made based on the evidence they have, which includes (sometimes which ONLY includes) the patient's description of their symptoms. There is no clinical test for stress, depression, anxiety, or many of the other most common reasons for people being signed off.

You're making yourself look very silly in this thread.

There is no clinical test for stress, depression, anxiety, or many of the other most common reasons for people being signed off

Yes there are - there's multiple quick tests (verbal) for all kinds of mental health conditions. PHQ-9 for instance.

A doctor will not write a sick note unless they believed it to be clinically true. They don't hand them out like lollies.

What was it she said? Was it a blatant lie or more like 'I'm going to see the doctor". Telling someone you plan to see the doctor doesn't mean your lying about an illness.

@Cuffuffle it was something like "I've had enough of this shit, she's not listening to me, I'm going off sick". It was blatant. The shit is the new work, 'she' is our manager.

God, I opened this thinking you must work in my office.

One of our managers is off sick, and my heart sings a little every Monday morning when I go in and she's not there. She's a lazy sanctimonious bully, and I just hope to god she fools someone else and gets another job.

@WhaleofaThyme six months full pay, six months half. She definitely hasn't resigned yet but I think she's likely job hunting.

Whale you've obviously not worked with a colleague like OPs and you are taking this personally.

OP there was a toxic colleague at my last role and was she pure evil. I dreamed of her going off sick...even the HR director for Europe couldn't pull her up because she was the EA to a VP.

Thankfully he retired and she was made redundant but YANBU to want a toxic colleague to not return.

In answer to anyone wondering what I hope to come out of this, I really do trust my manager's judgement. She's a really good person and an excellent supportive manager. If colleague comes back I think she will be handled correctly but I'm not going to lie and say I want her back because I don't. I don't feel this particular leopard will change its spots.

Jurassic. But the PHQ9 and the like depend on the patient’s answers. They can be easily manipulated.

I think after one month people don't get paid.
This completely depends on contract. I would have full pay, then half pay, for at least 6 months.

There's not much you can do but rant. Your management can take action if there is good evidence but it seems to be mainly hear-say. As your colleague is signed off by a doctor, the employer cannot call her out with out libelling the GP. If you want change then focus on how to get action on her behaviour should she return.

I guess then you can count your blessings?

I am now wondering if we work in the same team (although I have no issues with anyone in my team at all), but you have kind of described my manager - although I haven't been at work so no idea if she is in or not at the moment.

To the person who said was this post about me - nah. I am genuinely very unwell at the moment (and to make it easier for everyone that I work with I have handed in my notice so I can be replaced as it's likely to take me months to get better)

What about the policy on number of sick days? Some places count that even though it has been signed off as medically unfit - is there a chance she will be fired?

There is a policy of number of sick days (I can't remember what the figure is though tbh) but this wouldn't count towards it I don't think. They look more at how many periods of absence to spot a pattern.

@Penny80 I'm curious as to what sort of industry you work in... Why can't your manager just address the initial concerns if she's such a bully?