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?

You've failed to grasp why employees have to go through a probationary period. It's not so they can find out your foibles and learn to deal with them, it's so they can sack you if you're not up to the job.

Those are not legitimate reason to be off sick, a week for a cold is excessive. I wouldn't employ you. You need to demonstrate more commitment. If your like this during probation what would you be like if employed with more rights?

Regardless of your most recent update, you do need to find a way to move forward in employment OP

If it turns out that they haven't followed procedure and you manage to keep your job on a technicality, you still need to find a way to stop taking the piss.

OP - when you are on probation they can let you go at any time with a weeks notice. They do not need to follow the standard procedures and laws for letting people go. That is the whole point of probation.

I am very surprised you didn't know this and I would be very surprised if you were kept on following your probation given your high rate of absence due to sickness.

Personally, I wouldn't even have extended your probation but the fact that they did that showed that they were willing to give you a chance but I would say you had messed that up by calling in sick again on your extended probation.

Sorry, but I wouldn’t want to employ you.

Sorry OP, but the reason why employers have a probationary period is to weed out the sick and the lazy. Harsh but true. Unless you are lucky and you are good at your job, you are very likely to be heading out the door with your P45.

I love the way some people are assuming that period pain is something that can always be easily treated. Some women can't take the pill, or coil etc. Some women want to conceive. And some women have a nightmare with flooding etc as they go in to menopause but can no longer take the pill and don't suit Mirena.

Some allowances should be made and I say that as the part owner of a business employing a dozen people where frequent absence has an impact.

Good management means getting the best out of your employees, working to their strengths etc. That sometimes means accommodating their weaknesses.

If you try going down the ‘loophole’ route you’ll likely increase your chances of them getting rid of you

You honestly don’t think this is a problem do you?

You think you are perfectly entitled to a couple of days each month if you’re not feeling completely fine

That is the biggest issue

If you lose this job I suspect you’ll think it’s entirely the employers fault and go on to do exactly the same thing with many more employers

Listen to what people are saying on here - it is not acceptable to have that much absence in the workplace and it won’t be tolerated by any employer in the long term - they simply can’t afford to do so

@Turquoiseduck

So why is it that women don't all frequently take 2 days a month off with problems periods?!

Could it be that adequate protection and painkillers exist

You've also lost sight of the fact that the OP took 5 days off with a cold. It paints a picture of her as work shy

How would you as a business owner respond to that?!

I suspect that the OP is ignoring us all, while those around her are telling her that of course she shouldn't have to go to work when she's not feeling very well, and that her employers are just nasty people.

I love the way some people are assuming that period pain is something that can always be easily treated. Some women can't take the pill, or coil etc. Some women want to conceive. And some women have a nightmare with flooding etc as they go in to menopause but can no longer take the pill and don't suit Mirena

I agree with this. However, I run a small business and if every woman on my team was off on a monthly basis we would go bankrupt and then what would happen is that EVERYONE would lose their jobs and be unemployed as a result. It would affect every person I employ in a detrimental manner. You cannot just ignore this- the health of the business benefits everyone who is employed by them. If the OP cannot fulfil a full time role due to health issues then she would be better off going part time/ reducing her hours. I have utmost sympathy for people with health issues but really- if they cannot fulfil their role then they cannot fulfil their role. Thats the bottom line really- if they are incapable of doing their job then the cause is largely irrelevant.

@Turquoiseduck
I love the way some people are assuming that period pain is something that can always be easily treated.

And the five days for a cold? You can’t seriously be an employer - that amount of absence is obscene.

As a comparison, I have just finished 4 years employment, and I had one day off in all that time. I am a strong believer in not bringing your germs into work. That said, I was not ill to be off, it was "post housemove exhaustion", allowed due to a cold and i presume my sickness record.

I do though empathise with periods

@nojob that disciplinary and formal route will only apply once you've passed probation. Until then no notice can be given and you can just be paid your 1 week notice in your last pay check.

Spudlet, same here. Once I had my DS, they weren't so bad. The cramps improved a lot but they gradually got heavier so I went for the depo. I haven't needed the naproxen since I had DS 3.5 years a go

With respect to people saying that they've only had a couple of days off sick in 10+ years, that could be because you've enjoyed very/relatively good health all of that time, you've gone in when ill and struggled through (possibly passing things on to others, who may be much more immunocompromised than you) or a combination of these factors.

It's all anecdotal - you may as well express shock at some of these poor householders whose homes have just flooded, facing insurance payouts of tens of thousands to get back to how they were before the storm and say "But I've insured my house at the top of a mountain for 30 years and only ever claimed for a broken window".

I'm talking in general terms, though - I do agree that the OP sounds as if she may not have a realistic idea of what level of illness warrants what amount of sick leave.

OP - it doesn't matter what there policy says. You have under 2 years service - they can just sack you.

So why is it that women don't all frequently take 2 days a month off with problems periods?!

Could it be because not all women experience the same degree of pain? My daughter faints and vomits during her period. She took strong painkillers which screwed up her digestion so much she went to a&e twice , once with bleeding from her stomach.

People who have never experienced this level of pain don't understand it. It is often caused by endometriosis which affects 1.5 million women in the UK and on average takes 7.5 years to diagnose. It's a serious problem which is why a group of MPs have launched an enquiry about it on the 10th of this month.

You've also lost sight of the fact that the OP took 5 days off with a cold. It paints a picture of her as work shy. How would you as a business owner respond to that?!

I was quite clearly responding to pps who said that period pain was easily treated, but seeing as you ask, I would look at the employee's doctor's certificate and then sit the employee down and discuss it with them fully. (I haven't read full thread but I understand she did have flu+like symptoms.) I would discuss symptoms, frequency, potential treatments and the employee's attitude to these things.
I would also assess the work that the employee had done, and what it demonstrates. I would talk to co!leagues and we would jointly come to a conclusion about what we would do. Whether it would be worth taking her on and offering support, putting other measures in place, extending the probation period or whether they are simoly taking the Michael.

Doctors do give precautionary antibiotics - I’ve had it happen before, even though I said I didn’t want them. Wanted to get my daughter checked for asthma, as she was coughing all night (turned out to be triggered by dust mite allergy). The doctor insisted it was probably due to a virus, but would give me a prescription for antibiotics in case it turned out to be bacterial and didn’t clear up. Needless to say, I didn’t get the prescription filled out.

I also think all this focus on the word “cold” is misleading. I would never go to work with a high fever, regardless of the virus causing it.

I would look at the employee's doctor's certificate

You don’t necessarily get a doctors certificate for 5 days off - you can self certify for that time

As with a PP - I’m surprised that an employer doesn’t know this

Bearbehind I don't live in the UK. There is a different system over here.

I don't think I would push for a review, but it is worth approaching it proactively and trying to come up with an action plan with your manager - because this is likely to be of personal benefit whether or not you manage to stay in this role. Because while they can dismiss you for almost no reason in the first two years, and many employers would have with your sickness record - they haven't yet, so that implies there's a chance they will be in favour of resolving things if that can prevent dismissal. You might as well try, because the alternative is dismissal, so you haven't much to lose anyway.

Is there any private health cover with your job? That might be a route to get seen by a specialist gynaecology consultant - but if you do, check the details of the cover. Ours doesn't cover pregnancy (except miscarriage), menopause or chronic conditions like T2 diabetes. I don't know if chronic anaemia and dysmenorrhoea would be exempt or not - but if it's available, it's worth checking.

Wow. 10 days off in a few months for very minimal reasons is taking the piss. I definitely wouldn't extend your employment for those reasons.

OP yes they can easily let you go due to this. It's because you've had so many different instances of sickness that would likely be the issue.