Feeling Harassed by work

[SortYourLifeOutMate]

I don't know what to do.

I currently work as a Nursing Assistant at a busy hospital. I've always worked 12-13 hour shifts.
I have a serious foot condition that requires surgery. I had surgery booked in that was cancelled 3 days before due to covid.
Since then I have been off work sick, due to doctors saying they don't want me working and making my feet worse before surgery.

Since handing in the first sick note, I have been non stop pestered by work to call, email etc.

My boss knows I suffer extreme anxiety and depression. Is this fair or should I call? Bare in mind my boss is very intimidating and hard to talk to. The constant 'asking to call' is not making matters better.

I don't know what to do. I just think if if was that 'urgent', why not email me to explain?

@SortYourLifeOutMate

I informed that I wouldn't be back until after surgery. I will let them know when surgery is booked. ?? What's so hard?

That’s not how it works. You don’t hand in a sick note and then have no contact until you’re ready to go back.

You need to keep in contact with them; failure to do so can lead to dismissal as you are flouting their sickness policies.

They have a duty of care to you; contact is essential. You are ignoring them, and it will end badly for you.

If you're been off for months you're possibly coming up to the point where you'll be going to half pay so maybe that is what they want to tell you.

You can't just ignore your employer for months, I'm pretty sure they will have a 'keep in touch' policy to follow for long term sick absentees.

OP you sound very entitled. Saying you’ll ‘contact them when you’re going back’ is unbelievable. You’re incredibly lucky to live in a country where you have employment rights and sick pay. Yes if you can’t work of course you should have the sick leave you’re entitled to but my goodness, it’s not that hard to have some consideration and professionalism as an employee and to remain in reasonable contact with your employers, keep them updated and help them to manage the situation. You’re got a bad foot-that doesn’t stop you emailing or returning phone calls. Unless your anxiety and depression is the diagnosed medical reason for your absence then it’s actually irrelevant here. You don’t sound like a great employee, I’ll be honest.

You won't get paid without a sick note. GP's will only do a sick note for 1-2 months at a time.

They are probably trying to tell you your pay is being cut. And so it should be, you sound like you just don't want to go back or work.

Why aren't you answering any of the posters questions OP?

Sorry OP, you don’t just get to say you’ll be back after the surgery and then refuse to be in touch. They are your employer, they are paying you and you need to get in touch with them. Refusing to engage in the required processes will leave them no choice, eventually, but to take disciplinary action. Please engage, now is not the time to lose your job, especially over such a non-issue.

@GeorginaTheGiant

OP you sound very entitled. Saying you’ll ‘contact them when you’re going back’ is unbelievable. You’re incredibly lucky to live in a country where you have employment rights and sick pay. Yes if you can’t work of course you should have the sick leave you’re entitled to but my goodness, it’s not that hard to have some consideration and professionalism as an employee and to remain in reasonable contact with your employers, keep them updated and help them to manage the situation. You’re got a bad foot-that doesn’t stop you emailing or returning phone calls. Unless your anxiety and depression is the diagnosed medical reason for your absence then it’s actually irrelevant here. You don’t sound like a great employee, I’ll be honest.

Totally agree.

OP why are you refusing a reasonable request from your employer?

I can think of at least a dozen valid reasons she may be wanting to speak to you. You are coming across as very immature and petulant.

Have you been off for coming up to 28 weeks sick OP?

As you can get SSP for up to28 weeksin onesicknessepisode. If you are stillsickat the end of28 weeks, you may be able to transfer to Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). SSP also stops if your job is terminated whilst you are offsick.

Unsure why my sentences have formed into one above!! Oops!!

YABU. They need to plan, and if you are off because of your foot how should they know about your anxiety?

It is reasonable to stay in contact with your workplace, just to touch base now and again, while you are of for a protracted period.

Tbh you have probably made your anxiety worse by not contacting them as the first opportunity.

So what is the eve date on your sick note?

You said you’d be back after surgery and you’d let them know when surgery is booked. What would you do for example if your surgery doesn’t get booked until next summer. Not contact them before then?

And surely the government didn't just write an open ended fit note?

Yabu. Presumably they are still paying you? If one of my employees was signed off indefinitely for a foot injury I would want to have weekly phone meetings to keep them updated with what is going on at work and to keep track of their progress in getting surgery scheduled. You cant just disappear for months, signed off or not.

The government ?! Gp bloody spell check!!

YABU - employers generally follow a sickness procedure which involves regular contact and updates. You don’t get to just drop in a sick note and that’s it, job done! You are presumably getting paid during this time?

@MichelleScarn

And surely the government didn't just write an open ended fit note?

GP's don't write open ended sick notes, it's done on a computer and you have to put how long it's for.

It's best practice to do 1-2 months at most

In the organisation I work in, weekly calls are required. It's similar in the NHS, friends who work there have told me.

The "not fit note" for your feet means that potentially you could be fit for alternative desk based work. If you're about to drop to half pay - most organisations don't pay sick at full rates for more than a few months - this might actually be a good option for you. Had it occurred to you that they might want to help you in some way, or that by talking to them you could help yourself?

You're bound by the terms and conditions of your employment which means cooperating with procedures regardless of whether you personally agree with them. Carry on like that and you'll end up unemployed. If you're in a union, talk to your rep and they'll tell you the same. They might even be able to meditate with your manager to try and help repair the relationship.

@SortYourLifeOutMate

I informed that I wouldn't be back until after surgery. I will let them know when surgery is booked. ?? What's so hard?

What did the sick note actually say though?

Just engage with your employer for god's sake!

Surely the easiest answer is to call them?

I would be frustrated as an employer if I really needed to speak to someone and they emailed back instead of calling

Chances are it's there policy to contact you for duty of care when you are off sick.
The only reason they keep contacting you is because you are ignoring them.
Our policy at work is weekly contact and home visit after 6 weeks. weekly call very quick update and if there anything they want us as an employer to do .
Most people ok get the odd one being an arsehole and won't answer the phone and we go and do a home visit ( we know there ill and it's duty of care to make sure there not lying dead behind there door).
They are quiet happy to take full pay of us instead of SSP but don't want to follow the procedure

Just answer the phone. Make life easier on yourself.

There will be a sickness absence policy, if you ae not engaging as per policy and making contact as required you may be in breach of the policy and started on a disciplinary process.
Ask your Occ health department for support, although they will be swamped at the moment. In some Trusts they can even expedite surgery.

You need to call your manager. She is accountable to her manager for absence in her team and that includes you, whatever your circumstances are. She also has to explain to the rest of her team how they are going to manage your work. It's not only about you.