To think I will be dismissed for sickness record?

[nojob]

I started a new job last October with 3 month probation. I was told in January that my probation was to be extended for 2 months 'due to absence' as I'm not fully trained up yet and haven't been able to demonstrate I can meet the required standard. They said they are confident that I should meet the required standard by the end of February.

I have been off sick for 10 days in total (2 days in November, 2 days in December, 1 day in January all due to very bad periods and 5 days last week due to a heavy cold.). Can they decide not to pass my probation even if my performance is ok? They haven't said anything yet but I get the vibe that they are not very supportive of sickness. I missed some important training when I was off last week. Should I be worried?

I had four days off sick with a heavy cold last year. I was coughing so much it was making me vomit, and I absolutely couldn’t have done my job, working as a lecturer. I think the “just take a Lemsip” posters are forgetting that everyone is hit differently, and that people do different jobs.

That said, we hit a “marker” if we have two instances of sickness in six months, and there’s a referral to HR. A further sickness is a referral to OH, although managers can use discretion based on the “return to work” meeting. One of my colleagues works really hard, has been with the organisation over 10 years, and is pretty much never off sick. She had a bad back, and then got a sickness bug, in quick succession - our manager stopped the HR meeting and chalked it down to bad luck. (Which it was.)

I’m surprised sickness hasn’t been flagged up as a specific problem here, OP, and I too would be concerned about not securing a permanent post.

PP made a good point. The average is 4 days a year for sickness in the UK.

I've had 2.5 days off since I started this job in September 2018.
I also have anaemia and bad periods. I have to have a change of pants and tights in my work bag as on the second day of my period I usually soak through my clothes.

You really don't seem to realise what is normal for a workplace.

Trust me, been to the doctor so many times over the years I've lost count. It's all in my medical records if they want a copy.

Giving them a copy really wouldn't help you. No matter how little this may be your fault, telling your employers that they can expect you to be away two days every month is not going to make them keen on keeping you.

Sadly I don’t think the OP is a troll

I think she genuinely thinks think kind of entitled behaviour is perfectly fine - despite not one person agreeing after 11 pages

In my job, you would not pass probation and would be let go.

I can't comment on the work aspect but I have sympathy for you OP.

From the age of 14, my periods were beyond horrendous, real agony, very heavy flow, being sick, passing out, I couldn't get out of bed without passing out.

My mother refused to let me get any medical help, Paracetamol just didn't cut it.,

Things calmed down after I had my first DD.

@Missarad
I had a coil fitted for many years and it made my periods very heavy

You seriously think taking 24 days of sick a year is fine. Almost 5 weeks? That's the equivalent of your annual leave.

I genuinely dont believe you thought it was ok because your last job let you work from home, when you know its not an option in this job. No one believes its perfectly ok to take 5 weeks sick leave a year

OP, you have a really odd attitude to sickness at work. It is absolutely not normal to be off for two days a month. Two days a year is probably won't the national average. And not being off even if you think you're dying, is the norm when on probation.

As someone else said, it seems as though give been mollycoddled by your family, and just don't have a realistic picture of what it takes to hold down a job, and not inconvenience your colleagues.

This situation isn't down to unsympathetic employers. This is the reality of the workplace

Wind em up and watch em go...

Lol at op wide eyed and innocently asking “they haven’t told me where I stand, is that bad practice?”

I think you've had some really harsh responses here OP.

I'm a senior manager and I would not want somebody with a heavy cold coming into work. I do not want somebody who feels that they have no choice but to come in infecting everyone else so the rest of my team ending up going off sick the week after. And you know what, even I as a senior manager have had a heavy cold that has lasted more than a week that has kept me at home so I didn't infect anyone else. I find it pretty fucking miraculous that all of you commenting have never been laid low with some horrible lurgy for a week or more.

And I'm sorry Thefaceofboe "5 days for a cold!! I had pneumonia in November and wasn’t even off a full week". No you didn't. You had pneumonia and didn't take even a week off? Either you didn't actually have pneumonia or you are the OP's boss. Or you are totally mad. You do know that you can die from pneumonia and it takes weeks to fully recover from it?

Maybe look for a job that you can do from home then? You’re clearly not going to keep this job so do something you can cope with.

Gosh I don't think I've had that many sick days in a decade, never mind 4 months.

The fact you are on your probation, yes I would be extremely worried!

Do you track your period and know when it's coming? Use a days annual leave rather than a sick day.

Have you read your firms employment contract? My employer only allows 5 days self certified in a year.

I think the OP might be very, very young.

OP, it’s astounding that you need to even ask if you could be dismissed. You’d be long gone in most work places. You’ll need to sort it out before you become almost unemployable.

Good luck with being pregnant and giving birth.

They haven't told me where I stand yet...is that bad practice?

You do seem to expect to be spoon-fed by your employers. Basically all you need to know is that you're on probation. You should be able to work out for yourself that, given the choice between someone with a good sickness record and someone who has been off for more than 10% of their probation, it's a no-brainer for the employer.

Sorry but 10 days in 4 months is really bad. I don’t think I’ve notched up that in 4 years. And 5 days off for a cold?? You battle through it and go to work. Your employers will have you marked as a ‘sick note’ and yes, you’ll likely struggle to pass your probation.

My DD always complains when I send her to school feeling under the weather, sore throat, bad cold, stomach cramps etc. All her friends would be allowed to stay off. And all her friends will start in the work place with a sickness record like the op. I'm teaching my DD that you carry on even if you don't feel 100%. In fact you carry on even if you only feel 50%....
DD complains that I'd even send her in with a broken leg - too right I would!

I've been working for 25 years , I have had no more than 5 days off in total.

And you know what, even I as a senior manager have had a heavy cold that has lasted more than a week that has kept me at home so I didn't infect anyone else.

No cold is infectious for a full week, let alone more than a week. In most jobs someone who thought it appropriate to be off for over a week with a cold would be on performance management, senior manager or not.

No you didn't. You had pneumonia and didn't take even a week off? Either you didn't actually have pneumonia or you are the OP's boss. Or you are totally mad. You do know that you can die from pneumonia and it takes weeks to fully recover from it?

Backing up that other poster here. I had pneumonia (while recovering from a minor op too ) GP sent me to hospital suspecting sepsis. I really felt like I was dying that day. I was given very strong antibiotics that day and recovered fairly quickly. I wasn't working but I continued to look after my baby, do housework etc. If I'd been working I'd probably only have taken a few days off for it.

Bloody hell, ten days in four months???

I have been self employed for 20 years and have had two days off sick in that time - yours is a significant absence record.

5 days for a cold?? I'd think you were taking the piss.

To put it into perspective OP, I receive the highest rate PIP, inject a biologic weekly, take 17 tablets for breakfast each day, attend 4 different consultants over 3 different clinics for various autoimmune conditions, I use crutches, have ultrasounds and MRI’s every 9 months and I have had FOUR SICK DAYS days off IN 8 YEARS!!!!!

Woman up, ffs.

find it pretty fucking miraculous that all of you commenting have never been laid low with some horrible lurgy for a week or more

Well I guess there's quite a few exceptions to your rule on here - I have been working pretty much for the last 30 years and have had a week off twice - each time for aERPC following missed miscarriage , a couple of days off with a chest infection (I have asthma) and last year I had my most sick leave ever -5 weeks with serious anaemia and cancer investigations - thankfully not cancer . I know lots of people who have similar records of hardly any sick leave .

I think most people are finding the OP comments about not realising it's a lot of sick leave and being on probation yet taking a week off for a cold and lack of any understanding of how lucky she is still to be employed hard to fathom - flaky comes to mind

As an employer, I would have had to start a performance review at the third absence. That's to comply with employment law, not because it's something I want to be doing