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?

What’s your plan going forward? You need to show them you’ve taken steps to not have to be off every month. If you’re having 2 days off a month out of 20? 23? Working days a month you’re knocking on for being off 20% of the time. That’s not going to cut it.

Sorry but YABU to expect them to support this. Do you have an underlying condition with regards to your periods? If they’re really bad, you need to insist your GP refers you for more help.

Can they just fire me out of the blue?

Yes.

Wow. That's a LOT of sick leave.

I would be worried too, that's a heck of a lot of sick days in 4 months. I haven't had that many days off in 22 years and 5 days for a cold, I had a dreadful cold the week before last and was literally on my knees for 3 days at work, but there no way I would have considered calling in sick.
As an employer I would not be being continuing your employment

They've only formally mentioned my absences once, when they extended my probation. Should they give me a warning first?

YABU. That’s far too much sickness for totally unnecessary things and you will more than likely fail probation.

And yes, if you’ve been in a job less than 2 years you can be fired for any reason, or even no reason. You have no rights under 2 years.

I personally wouldn't have extended your probation I would have failed you and given you your notice I'm afraid. When I was a less experienced manager I would have persisted with an employee with such a bad absence record in the hope that they were just unlucky and things would improve. Experience has told me that that simply is not the case and staff who take regular short absences without an underlying health reason continue with that or get worse.

I strongly suggest you are not off sick again this year.

Should they give me a warning first?

No, they don’t need to. You have no rights until you’ve been in a job for 2 years and so can be fired for any reason.

You really have very little in the way of employment protection until you have been continuously employed for 2 years somewhere. Until then you can be dismissed for any reason really ( barring probable discrimination).

I'm sorry to say but I think an employer would be understandably concerned about the reliability of someone with so many incidences of separate sickness so early in their employment. I think if it were me I would be proactively seeking out my manager and explaining that I was taking steps to make sure that the period absences wouldn't be happening again. 5 days for a cold is very long - for a cold 1 or 2 days tops think

Not if your in probation no

They don’t need a reason to dismiss with less than two years service so I would imagine with the sickness record it’s a very real possibility.

I haven’t had ten days sick in years let alone a few months and wouldn’t call in for a cold or period but just dose up.

The fact that @nojob is ignoring the questions about the reasons for your absence and only focussing on whether work can give you the heave ho kinda suggests to me that lessons will be not be learned.

10 days in four months for minor things. I'd be more surprised if they kept you on.

Under 2 years employment they can do what they like.

I think they only need to give you 1 week notice

I also used to have terrible periods, as in faint on the floor terrible (though once I did that at work people stopped questioning how bad they could really be...), so I do sympathise with you - but you have to get some help op, you have to manage them. For me, that was prescription painkillers and the mini-pill, and I had investigations to see if there was an underlying cause (there wasn’t, I just had primary dysmenorrhea, which sucks).

You need to get some help, you don’t have to live like this op. Get onto your GP and don’t let them fob you off. It may also help with your job if you can honestly say ‘Yes they are bad, but I am seeing the doctor and we’re looking for a solution’ - it shows you being proactive and looking for a way to improve things.

Are you otherwise well OP? A normal cold shouldn't wipe you out like that for 5 days.

They've only formally mentioned my absences once, when they extended my probation. Should they give me a warning first?

No, they don’t need to give you a warning first of all and it doesn’t matter whether they have already formally mentioned it or not.

That's an awful lot of sick leave. You'll need to check the company's sickness and probation policies.

I haven’t had ten days sick in years let alone a few months and wouldn’t call in for a cold or period but just dose up.

Think I've had 4 days off due to ill health in a period of 16 years. Not that I haven't been ill, but I work freelance in an industry where there are very few of us for far too many clients. Cannot imagine 5 days off for a cold.

Your sickness rate is terrible. I'm sorry but it is. If you'd had 1 incident of 10 days, that would be different - but 10 days across 4 separate incidents in 4 months?? Your Bradford score will be really high

I'd be out the door at my place by now and I have a really supportive employer

You had a verbal warning and you're in you're probationary which they have extended due to this. If I was you're employers I would be letting you go. 5 days for cold is a pisstake you sound like one of those people who's slightly poorly takes time off. People take medication and continue to go to work.

Yeah, I cant think fine place that I have worked, that would keep you on.

You average 2 days off a month.

Unless you have an under lying condition, and even, then I think you might be heading towards a problem.

If they use Bradford factor you're not going to score well.

And yes they can terminated you, with appropriate notice.

You need need to have a good reason for why so many absences and what you are going to do to sort it out going forwards. You might get away with a further extension of the probationary period.

I’m sorry op but that is a lot of sickness in just a few months and I say that as someone with a health condition where I have been hospitalised 3 times (on a intensive ward as well) and even in those incidents I didn’t have 5 days off in a row! I’m sorry a ‘heavy cold’ is a bit of a rubbish excuse. I’m sorry if that sounds harsh but being in a new job role you should have tried a bit harder.