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?

@blueluce85 - how do you think society needs to deal with people with some level of disability? So, people who will need more time off work than a healthy person but can work? Genuine question.

We can't have it both ways - on the 1 hand insist that disabled people must be in work and then on the other hand let employers refuse to employ them.

Well we can try let's not give up too easily.

DGRossetti

How?

If people with disabilities are to be employed, then the government have to compel employers to support them. If necessary the government should compensate employers in instances such as the OP.

What's happening now is wrong. For 3 years I've not been able to use any annual leave for myself - it has all been used for hospital appointments. Why is it right that I am not entitled to have time for myself, or to be with family, or to do something that I enjoy?

I can't make time back because my body just can't manage to be out and about 6 or 7 days a week which is what would happen were I to work a full week and then go to appointments too.

This just isn't a life.

Is that really fair on the person picking up your work, or the company for having to pay for cover?

Ha Ha. I'd be happy to trade places with the poor old healthy person having to pick up some extra work. They can have the chronic disabling condition that isn't my fault either.

But as awful as it is to have to deal with a long term illness, should time not be made up where possible? So if a full time employee... I get that is impossible, but a part time employee working 3hrs a day.... Thats a total of 15hrs a week... There are at least another 20hrs a week that could be used to make up time in.

@blueluce85 Read the thread.

If people with disabilities are to be employed, then the government have to compel employers to support them.

They do - employers are required to make "reasonable" adjustments. What is "reasonable" depends on the size of the employer, the nature of the disability, etc. Ultimately it's for the employment tribunal to decide what is "reasonable" in specific situations. What is "reasonable" for one employer would be completely unreasonable for another.

blueluce85

Firstly, read the thread.
Secondly, some of us, the OP included, are having treatment that makes us feel unwell so making up time isn't an option.
Thirdly, some jobs, including the OP, need someone there at a certain time. They don't necessarily need the employee there at another time.

Kazzyhoward

That supposes that the employee can afford to take the employer to tribunal, isn't hamstring by the 3 month minus 1 day time limit, can afford to lose their job when the employer takes umbrage at the challenge and can afford to exist on the possibly meagre award from the tribunal.

And reasonable adjustments don't extend to my hospital appointments where I work.

That supposes that the employee can afford to take the employer to tribunal

Isn't that what unions are for? I.e. to support their members when needed.

Isn't that what unions are for? I.e. to support their members when needed.

And good luck with that. My union wouldn't support me in a possible tribunal case because in their view "the company was doing their best to sort reasonable adjustments".

In my view 10 months to buy in a chair isn't reasonable but what could I do? Sue the union for failing to help me sue?