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?

The cold virus is contagious for 2 days prior to symptoms and for upto 2 weeks after. So unless everyone takes two weeks off with a cold and is some how psychic and knows to take the 2 days off prior to feeling ill.... it won’t stop the spread.

@ Aridane, how would you know that? Are you a fly in the wall?
When my son got sick (often critical and life threatening) since 11th of this month I took time off work to look after him because he needs to go into a care plan and it would be difficult for a nanny to administer so I’ve been home all this time looking after him and making sure he gets better not worse. In the meantime I have been in regular contact with my boss and have been working from home when he’s asleep meaning I have not had a proper night sleep since Tuesday 11th but despite that I have completed all of my work from home and I am in fact ahead of schedule which means when I return to work I will be taking on new projects ahead of time. I have not been doing FA as you suggest we do.

I am conscious of the flexibility they have towards me at work and therefore I tend to do more than I would be expect to do to make it up to them. Just because we go home it doesn’t mean we sit on the couch while everyone else are working. That’s not how I view working from home.

I really don’t know where you get this information from and why you would generalised people?

Do you think being home with the kids is a holiday?

I work from home quite a bit. I feel more pressure to produce more work. The reason for that is, that I have known many people take the piss whilst working at home. That's across the last 10 years.

In my last place, people openly admitted to opening their laptop then laying on the sofa all day just keeping an eye on email.

Of course plenty work hard when working from home. However lots of people also use it as a piss take.

I think everyone is being a bit mean. You can easy be off 5 days with a bad cold/light flu. Also 2 days off a month is not an issue (hey some people work part time) but your employers need to know when you will be off. Speak to them about 2 unpaid days a month and let them know the best you can your cycle so the can plan for you being out. You can still be a productive member of the team if things are planned well.

What would be mean would be reassuring the op she will be fine, everyone does it

I think OP got the message and as already stated she’s not come back

some people work part time) but your employers need to know when you will be off.

You can't compare being part time, with calling in sick at least 24 days a year.

I wasn't if you read the post. I was suggesting it becomes planned unpaid monthly leave. Just like being contracted 2 days less a month.

Do you think being home with the kids is a holiday?

Yes - I think time spent at home looking after sick children should either be taken as annual leave or emergency dependent leave . However, because the latter is unpaid - and taking annual leave means, well, taking annual leave ( Do you think being home with the kids is a holiday?), unfortunately we have an epidemic of ‘working from home’ at my workplace when people look after sick DC (or ‘WFH’ instead of taking sick leave), leaving the rest of us to pick up their work

@zorroinlondon

I have little doubt you are the model employee - unlike the regiment of hardcore CFs in my workplace

@lollybee1
How do you cover two days every month, with the ‘best guess at your cycle’ every month? Where do you find someone to cover those two days? Or do you advertise for someone on a 2 day a month contract?

If a job is flexible or can accommodate WFH, that’s great. But it would usually be advertised as such. Taking a FT position and then requesting an accommodation like this would not be very prudent. It’s a waste of everyone’s time, not least the employee.

unfortunately we have an epidemic of ‘working from home’ at my workplace when people look after sick DC

Surely it depends on how old and how ill the children are. A 1 year old with a fever and vomiting bug, not so much, a 12 year old with a nasty cold, then yes.

How do you cover two days every month, with the ‘best guess at your cycle’ every month? Where do you find someone to cover those two days?

Many jobs don’t require like-for-like cover.

How is this thread still going? Did the OP get sacked in the end?

Many jobs do though. Why is it not enough for us as human beings to be responsible for finding a job that suits us and our needs? I don’t get the attitude of some on here, that feel the world owes everyone a job that suits them?

Perhaps that’s because I’m an employer and know what it takes to earn the profits needed to pay wages.

@lollybee1

I think everyone is being a bit mean. You can easy be off 5 days with a bad cold/light flu. Also 2 days off a month is not an issue

Come work for me. You won’t last a few weeks, let alone months/years if you think 2 days per month off sick is fine because some people work part-time.

Absolutely bonkers.

Wow, speaking as an ex HR consultant, 10 days sickness absence in 5 mths is a LOT - especially for the reasons you've given. I would expect that the extension of your probation is undoubtedly indirectly due to this & IF they do eventually 'pass' you, you could still find yourself subject to the 1st stage of the company's disciplinary procedure. Your periods happen every mth - from your employers' point of view, are they expected to put up with 1 or 2 days absence every single time?? And 5 days for a cold?? That's excessive - we all suffer heavy colds & the various unpleasant accompanying symptoms from time to time but most people manage to plod through it (max of 1-2 days off in extreme circumstances) - especially in a new job whilst on probation with an already significant sickness absence record. Sorry, but I think you're right to be concerned about the security of this job.

How is this thread still going? Did the OP get sacked in the end?

She's not been back, I think she's off sick! 🤒

@ lollybee1, some employers can accommodate if they have resources depending on the type of industry it is and we all have to reasonable to each other. This is not a battle between employee rights over employer or vice versa otherwise we’d live in a very hostile environment. But I do get your point.
Depending on the job and flexibility at work some things can be accommodated provided it is not abused because these flexibilities are conditional. If I were an employer and I was able to provide flexibility it would be conditional upon medical reports before I could allow someone two days off a month and it would be unpaid or as it is in my case whenever my 4 year old son got seriously ill and paid if the work could be done from home and I would expect the same quality of work if they wanted to be paid - provided this could be accommodated of course. And one last thing, if I felt this flexibility was being abused I would end it but not before putting a warning sign so everyone was aware the company was monitoring the situation.
Now you can all argue and kick until your feet ache but if a company is able to offer such concessions and it isn’t abused though I think you will always find one or two individuals who will always try their luck hence why I said medical reports to support it then good luck to the employee. He or she isn’t breaking any contractual agreement if it’s in the policy.
I understand different jobs have different pressures for example a friend who’s in IT works often from home and visits clients and his boss is very flexible. Another friend works in banking and although he holds a senior position and manages a department his absence is monitored and is subject to strict conditions for example he was sick twice in one year and had to have a meeting about it with HR making notes and that’s because they can’t afford to have people going sick, though he said the meeting was only to establish whether he had reason to be off work.

@Bikerider2020, that was a funny comment which was needed as the discussions are getting quite intense and serious

I didn't realise a couple of days each month was too bad.

This reminds me of the episode of The Windsors when Beatrice and Eugenie decide to try getting a job, and are aghast at only getting 30 days holiday a year, so they assume there's a zero missing off the end.