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?

Spoon blender makes a good point too.
When I was managing a team of 18 people I had one person with a really bad cold coming into work, three days later half the team started to call in sick with a bad cold and in the end we had to spend more money getting temps and loss of revenue as the team couldn’t function as well without the others off.
Making the right call is important, sometimes you have to accept someone needs a day or three off or you could end up with an epidemic!
And what if you have a baby? I have a toddler who suffers from a severe viral induced wheeze and if he catches a cold he can get so sick he has to go to A&E and in some instances he’s had steroid to get his windpipe opened so he can breathe... and nothing is more important than my child so if someone comes into work sick I go into isolation into a room by myself and my employer knows all about it because I sat with them and showed them everything I had from the doctors, consultants and A&E and told them it’s simple I want to work but if someone has a cold either they go home and come back when they are better or I go home until he’s better or I get a room all to myself at work. In the nicest possible way and I wear a mask.
If my son lived with this condition and he was off sick often at work what would your comments be?
Pls discuss.

As far as a head cold is concerned, it is good working practice to clear with your manager whether they want you to come in with one (and infect team/customers) or stay at home (and impact on team/service delivery) then it's 'not your choice'.

If you are sick Stay Home, you are not indispensable.

Except, @Homewithaview, OP clearly is dispensible. Because she's about to lose her job because she stayed off. And so have/will others.

John What if there isn’t a separate room you could use at work? I’ve never worked anywhere where there are spare really ins available. Would you not go to work? Obviously, if your son was grown up and working and had a long-term condition that he declared, an employer would try to make adjustments. But if he was frequently off sick he would still lose his job.

@MissGuernsey I work from hone three days a week regularly. What’s your point? We don’t all need to be in the office 9-5 and I get far more done without interruptions of the office or commenting.

It’s such an old fashioned attitude that work from home staff aren’t actually working. I’m always ahead of my targets and if I wasn’t I’d be called to account.

I am more concerned that you are trying to conceive when your job is at risk and you have credit cards, presumably debt but admittedly could be your spends that you clear on payday

If it’s debt, you’re young and still have time to conceive. I would just suggest you consider clearing it and having a stable job before TTC.

Good luck next week, I am a solicitor but it’s been a while since I touched employment law. Legally, in my opinion, you don’t have much protection should your employer take the ultimate sanction

daisypond think the advice would then be as others have said if you have a contagious illness you dont come in. I actually think its really selfish when people come in with heavy colds/flu type things because you just know its gonna make its way to you. there is nothing heroic about battling in with a bad cold - stay at home and recover ffs for your own sake and your colleagues, I do not want your blooming cold

There are a lot of sanctimonious people on here.
Dismissing a bad cold is silly, or has noone noticed Coronavirus? Even not going that far, a bad cold can knock you out for a week, and really employers would not want that spread to everyone else.
The period pains need to be controlled for your own sake.

@daisypond I'm immunocompromised so I need to have that option. Otherwise my sickness increases. My job knew at interview

flower I don’t see how that’s relevant, though. John isn’t saying if he had a cold, he is saying if someone else at work does, he would self-isolate and wear a mask etc. It’s not about being heroic. What if you don’t get paid if you are off sick? A cold is a standard everyday illness. It’s not something you take time off work for in general.

If my son lived with this condition and he was off sick often at work what would your comments be?

Learn a skill or have a job that can be done from home, like coding or copy editing.

There is a not successful within probation period letter that also states your exit. It depends again on the policy and your manger should be clear with you the next steps rather than worrying if your going to be fired out of the blue..It seems OP you are getting a lot of advice here and you need to have a meeting with your Manager this week to discuss their concerns and your concerns and actions moving forward.. good luck

If my son lived with this condition and he was off sick often at work what would your comments be?
Pls discuss.

what has this got to do with the OP who does not have this condition?

Besides, this is MN, not a uni assignment 😂

@SkaLaLand
you mention that periods are no reason for missing work.
Sadly for me its a reality. Endometriosis causes horrific periods.
Just had my second surgery for it an ended up with a catheter as it was covering my bowels and bladder also. I have been off for 2 months before my surgery as I work in a school and my monthly period turned into a 2 month one with daily fainting.

They accommodated. If they couldn’t we’d have a civilised conversation about it and I’d look for another job that would accommodate. If they are a good employer there’s no reason to fall out is there?

daisypond it's relevant because the situation could be avoided all together if people would think twice before coming in with contagious illness'. I know to some people a bad cold isnt anything but why should everyone else have to catch it? makes me feel yuck just being in my office surrounded by people hacking away and sniffing everywhere, especially since I had my daughter who also doesnt want your cold/flu if I catch it

I am ill with cancer and I still have to go to work. I need the money. My work has to make reasonable adjustments. But there is no set definition of what that means. So far, I’m allowed to take time off for appointments and my work is paying me. I don’t have to use my annual leave, which is something. I have to commute five or six hours a day, going into work, going back to hospital, going back to work, going home. It’s exhausting and I haven’t even started the surgery, radio, chemo path yet. But if I’m not capable of doing my job, I will likely be sacked in the end.

The OP mentioned that she has been to her GP she needs to ask to see a gynae specialist if its that bad, going to your GP is no particular help for endometriosis. I was 40 by the time it was picked up.
I fainted every month until the age of 22. Had my appendix and gall bladder out, had god only knows how many investigations for "IBS" and then had 3 years of fertility treatment and it still wast spotted! Thank goodness we had my daughter.
For the last 3 years i was told by my GP that using 2 super strength tampax and a night time pad every hour and bloating like I am pregnant, and fainting was normal!

Please go and get it looked into if its as bad as you think OP

johnmartin To be fair, I asked three times. If you aren’t in Hr and this isn’t your area of expertise then why are you giving the op completely wrong advice and not acknowledging the posters who have pointed that out?

And I’m not a martyr either, I had an absence management meeting myself after I was of three times in a twelve month period. The op has done nothing to improve her attendance, it’s only this thread that has made her think about it.

the situation could be avoided all together if people would think twice before coming in with contagious illness.
And not get paid? The first three days of sickness are often not paid at all, which is completely legal. I know lots of people who aren’t paid.

the situation could be avoided all together if people would think twice before coming in with contagious illness.

what is a contagious illness anyways which requires staying away: D&V -yes, flu - yes, common cold - yes. But are you honestly expecting people to stay at home with a runny nose? Esp in the cold months, many go from cold to cold. I would barely be in work by that logic.

@LilyLovesLacey @spoonbender I just love those that twist everything to their own agenda. I work with food, so of course I wouldn't go into work with D&V, nor a heavy cold. I'm referring to taking time off for period pain, or a headache, or toothache, or an ear infection (all of which I've had in the 2 years) half the time, these things are easier to cope with at work due to not having the time to dwell on them like you have at home

I had my legs blown off this morning, and yet here I am at my desk! (Admittedly MNetting...) YABDISGUSTING

daisypond - sorry to hear about your illness. its awful that you still have to do that kind of commute and work, I find that incredibly sad. hope you're soon on the road to recovery

curlsnotfrizz comes down to common sense. I said a bad cold/flu not a runny nose. I don't associate people hacking their guts up all over the place as just having a runny nose. wouldnt be so bad if everyone practiced basic hygiene but its astounding how many I see who dont wash their hands often or sneeze/cough into a tissue/elbow

@CassandrasCastle was that supposed to be funny?