To expect this employee to make appointments in her own time?

[Womanager]

Name changed for this.

I manage an employee with various long term health conditions. She works part time (mornings only), but it seems like every time she has a hospital appointment, she makes it in the mornings so she has to request time off work to attend. We have a policy regarding paid time off for appointments, but this women seems to be abusing it.

WIBU to ask her to make appointments in her own time?

I don't that's an unreasonable request no but remember sometimes important appointments can't be changed and if they are there could be a long wait.

Maybe the hospital clinic for her particular condition only runs in the morning?

Can she swap so if she has a morning appointment she works the afternoon? Is she booking them or are the hospital Judy issuing appointments, it can be difficult to change them, when I was pregnant my consultant was only available on a Tuesday and Wednesday morning for appointments for example, so I had little choice

If you have a policy regarding paid time off and she has long term health conditions, then likely you'll be discriminating against her as a pt worker and possibly as someone with disabilities, by refusing to apply the policy to her.

I have never had much say in when I'm given a hospital appointment.

Depends on what the appointments are for. Some clinics only run in the morning.
I had a similar situation and agreed with my employer that I'd come in after my appointments and work in the afternoon, just on those days.

What ArfArfBarf said. Hospital clinics are at set times and days and this can't be changed to suit a school or employer.

A lot of hospital appointments are just sent out to you and changing often means to have to wait a very long time.

I have a condition where the clinic is only run every other Tuesday afternoon - maybe they don't have a choice? I do make up the time elsewhere though.

I've never had a say in the time of any of my hospital appointments - normally you just get a letter with a time and date through the post!

I ways try to make appointments around work but it isn't always possible. Could she work the afternoon if she is having an appointment in the morning? Is it actually causing an issue? Or is it just inconvienent? Does your policy specify 'reasonable time'. I know mine says they should be made out of working hours when possible.

As if. In my experience you take the appointment you're given or do without. I've never been given the opportunity to choose when to arrive. Quite rightly, a doctor's time is limited and patients have to fit into their schedule.

Lol that you can choose exactly when to have a hospital appointment. DH attends various clinics post brain tumour, you get given what they have available, you take what you can get and you just hope it doesn’t get cancelled (again) the day before and rescheduled.

Usually these policies are for full time people and note that part time are expected to make appointments in own time.

Ime hospital clinics either run morning or afternoon. If her clinic is always in the morning then there's nothing she can do. I had to attend a clinic weekly for a while, only open on Wednesday afternoon.

I have a lot of appointments and I find it very awkward with work but I always make up my time.

You dont usually get to pick and choose your appointment times, they are just given out randomly and not easy to change.
You could politely enquire about whether it is possible for her to have the appointments at another time because its interfering with the working day but dont be surprised if she says no. If so, theres nothing you can so about apart from asking her to make up the time later.

It’s an issue because my budget won’t stretch to hiring cover for her as well as paying her for the time off. So when she is out, the department is short staffed. Working an afternoon wouldn’t really help (not that she offers, and I’m not sure if I could enforce it) because there’s no one she could directly swap with so the morning would still be short staffed.

The appointments are for varying things- not just consultant clinics, but MRI scans and treatments too.

Our HR policy says that appointments needs to be made in the employee's time - but where this is not possible, they have to make up the time. If the same policy is used for everyone - and everyone can see that - I find that there doesn't have to be much of a discussion.

Do you see a letter with the appointment time each time? Because it wouldnt be unreasonable to see evidence of the appointment time just in case she is abusing the system.

How long has she worked there? Could you ask for a contract change to afternoons and find a new hire or someone to swap to mornings.

The policy just says that where possible you should make appointments in your own time, but where that’s not possible you will need to agree absence with your line manager. The only exceptions are if you’re covered under the Equality Act (such as for antenatal appointments).

you could always offer employees comprehensive private health care.

Yes, I see an appointment letter each time. I brought this in about a year ago, all employees must now show written evidence if they are requesting time off for medical appointments.

I’ve had a few hospital appointments lately. The clinic sessions only ran in the mornings. I tried to get an appointment as early in the day as possible so it would not impact on work as much but this meant an 8am appointment (and I was lucky to get that) that finished at 9, then a 1.5-hour commute to work, so the earliest I could there was 10.30.

Yeah only she is covered under the equality act because of health conditions. Like others say clinics have various windows - my renal consultant is only at my local hospital one afternoon a month for example otherwise I'd have to see them in London. Things aren't always straightforward the nhs.