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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Having to ring absence line by 8am

219 replies

ProbablyLate · 07/10/2021 07:35

DH and I are both teachers and have this policy and I wonder if it's the same in other jobs.

If I need a day off for illness I have to ring school between 7:30 and 8am. I appreciate that schools need to know as early as possible if staff aren't going to be in, and this works fine in the situation that you wake up ill in the morning. DH came home ill yesterday and last night let his head of department know he wouldn't be in today and cobbled together some cover work but he still has to be up to ring the absence line.

AIBU to think that if its obvious the previous day that you're going to be off ill the next day there should be another way of letting them know as often having a good sleep can make you feel much better?

OP posts:
ittakes2 · 07/10/2021 08:47

Is his absence line just not a recorded message? Why not just ring and leave a message before bed?

girlmom21 · 07/10/2021 08:47

@Clarice99 a sick note is clearly different.

If you had flu and it started on a Wednesday would you phone and say 'I definitely won't be in until Tuesday? No, because sickness doesn't always start on a Monday and last a week. Yes I would, and have, notified by boss daily. On your 1st day of sickness you may think you'll be ok by day 2/3 for it then to last longer, or vice versa.

DilemmaDelilah · 07/10/2021 08:50

At my organisation the rule is that you have to ring and speak personally to your line manager a minimum of half an hour before you are due to start work. Not easy if you start at 08:00 and your line manager doesn't start until 09:00 or later, or if you are seriously unwell or have lost your voice! It is grounds for disciplinary action if you don't adhere to the policy. There have been times when I have had a temperature of 40 degrees, have barely slept, can barely talk and I have had to set my alarm so that I can ring my line manager before 07:30, only to find that she doesn't answer because she is in the shower or is asleep. This particular line manager was inexperienced and therefore a stickler for the rules and I had been told off for not speaking to her in person when she wasn't available for me to do that. My current line manager is much more reasonable. He recognises that if you are really unwell the last thing you want to do is to be compos mentis enough to speak to him an hour and a half before he is due to start work and is happy to have a text, provided I follow that up with a call later, and if it is obvious that I will be off for several days he is happy for me to just keep him updated rather than ringing every day. However technically I could be disciplined for that.

chipsandpeas · 07/10/2021 08:51

in my work i need to call the absence line every day of sickness even tho its obvious i wont be in, we dont need to do this if we have a sick line

Ugzbugz · 07/10/2021 08:54

I worl in a big corporate bullshit office And had to rung my manager at 8am to say wouldn't be in even when my DS was off and new I would be off with him (had to take hols which is fine) so would set my alarm, creep around not to wake him and call in. my new team we just sent a whats app message to manager to chat group saying won't be in.

BungleandGeorge · 07/10/2021 08:54

Ring on the morning and speak to line manager (have to get hold of them!). Your system sounds very convenient to me, just ring and leave a message. More convenient for school too as they can have an admin staff process everyone on the messages rather than replying on managers to report and document the absence. I’d have no problem ringing on the day, for a short term illness you could be feeling better overnight.

NotMyJobToFixProblemsIMade · 07/10/2021 08:55

I'm pretty sure the kids (their parents) have to let school know each morning before registration.

SELDNMUM · 07/10/2021 08:57

As you say OP a good nights sleep can sometimes make you feel better so calling again in the morning makes sense to confirm the absence.

Animum2 · 07/10/2021 08:57

Our policy is that you ring or let you line manager know before 9am so they can arrange whose doing what before the morning huddle

Pottedpalm · 07/10/2021 08:59

Common sense really; school need to organise cover and most teachers will be in school by 8 and need to know if they have a cover lesson that day. Also the hod in secondary will meed to be aware that they have to oversee the cover classes.
I doubt many people actually get up and use a land line these days; just set alarm on mobile, make the call, back to sleep. If the person missed the call, leave a voicemail. Then there is evidence of your call. I would send a text too; call not answered, I won’t be in. Job done.

Blanketpolicy · 07/10/2021 08:59

Obviously not knowing the nature of his illness and expecting a drip feed, I am assuming he is just feeling a bit fluey/migraine.

I have never actually encountered someone feeling ill and when finishing work for the day preempting they will be off sick the next day.

He could feel better overnight after a sleep, so not unreasonable to be expected to call in in the morning with an update so they know for sure if cover is required. It is just a phone call, he can go back to bed after if he needs more sleep.

FuckingFlumps · 07/10/2021 08:59

@NotMyJobToFixProblemsIMade

I'm pretty sure the kids (their parents) have to let school know each morning before registration.
Not at our school, we only expect daily calls if the parents are unsure if the child will be better or not the day before. If your child has sickness or diarrhoea we only expect a call if they are off for more than 48 hours. Ifyou know they are still unwell and not going to be back in the following day then you can call at any point during the day to let the office know.
tickingthebox73 · 07/10/2021 09:00

@ChloeCrocodile

From an employers point of view (not a school)- we make employees phone in daily (unless they have a sick note) as otherwise we get people taking more time off.

Does that apply to all illnesses? Over the last 10 years I've had two periods of illness. Once I had a sick note from the doctor issued straight away so presumably wouldn't have had to call in, but the other I was hospitalised and awaiting surgery to clear my throat so I could breathe properly - it would have been really stupid for the school to insist I (or a worried family member) call every day.

A family member can call in the case you describe.

BUT we have one currently on high sick leave who now keeps getting his wife to phone in....Hmm (we are going to stop this now)

But I think here you have to remember you are probably not the problem that the rules have to solve....

We have to have rules in place to keep the piss-takers in line....I had one member of staff on 50 sick days in a year (individual days, so like for a cold, a headache, a stomach upset....I could go on).

ChloeCrocodile · 07/10/2021 09:03

I'm pretty sure the kids (their parents) have to let school know each morning before registration.

Not at my current school, nor the previous one. Parents are / were asked to let us know before registration, but it was an answering machine so they could leave messages the night before. If a parent has called in on day 1 we only get in touch with them if we haven't heard again by day 5.

DotBall · 07/10/2021 09:05

We have to ring between 7am and 7.15am unless the illness is ongoing, in which case your return is discussed in a phone call at some point during one of your days off.

They are also very considerate and encourage staff to remain off until fully fit to return. It helps their supply planning.

TataMamma · 07/10/2021 09:06

Is it him who has to make the call? Could you call and say he's really unwell on his behalf? (Presumably there are some emergency situations where this has to happen, but can it be done at other times too?)

labourslostlove · 07/10/2021 09:08

Years ago I answered the phone to a colleague ringing in 'sick' at 8am and could hear airport announcements in the background. I didn't say anything, but things might have been different if the phone had been answered by a senior person or HR manager. So I've always assumed the morning call time is just to make it a little bit harder to skive e.g. you could phone in the evening and say you're definitely too ill for work tomorrow, and then head off on holiday or to an all night party. At least if you're genuinely sick you should be able to use the phone at 8am.

Shadedog · 07/10/2021 09:09

We are supposed to ring before 8am. Seems fair enough on your first day (we start at 7:30) but I was ordered home for 10 days isolation due to dc testing +ve and my line manager still wanted me to call and leave a message every day. I wasn’t actually ill and I’d be up anyway but it seemed rather pointless as I was at home due to their policy. It’s the same with d&v, you have to stay home for 48 hours, they know about it but still want the message. Guy literally vomited in front of manager a few weeks ago, she sent him home mid afternoon and next morning put a message on the WhatsApp group reminding him to phone in.

earthyfire · 07/10/2021 09:10

Parents have to call daily if their child is off school and I have to as an employee, so I don't think it is unreasonable for teachers to have to do the same - thankfully our school and my work has an absence line with voicemail or we can send an email.

CantChatNow · 07/10/2021 09:13

I work in a school - we have to phone in by 7am! But can leave an answerphone message so could call the night before. We do then have to call it in each day by 7am but again, can leave a message the night before.

Couchbettato · 07/10/2021 09:13

Don't most places have a sickness absence policy where if you're sick with d&v that you need to be off for 48 hours any way?

This has always baffled me because it's been the case every where I've worked, so if you tell your manager you're off with d&v then you shouldn't need to call in each day imo. That's not usually upheld though.

ojojojoja · 07/10/2021 09:16

could you call the night before evening and leave a voicemail on that line?

girlmom21 · 07/10/2021 09:18

@Couchbettato

Don't most places have a sickness absence policy where if you're sick with d&v that you need to be off for 48 hours any way?

This has always baffled me because it's been the case every where I've worked, so if you tell your manager you're off with d&v then you shouldn't need to call in each day imo. That's not usually upheld though.

OP hasn't said it's D&V. I think that policy only applies to education and healthcare.
Dartfordwarblerautumn · 07/10/2021 09:18

In my company, not teaching, you were able to ask a named delegate to call on your behalf. This was a person you’d nominated in a form in your HR records and was expected to be your long term partner in almost all cases. Usually HR would then call sometime later in the mourning or early after to “chat” (check up!) on what was happening. But it was a recognition that you weren’t always well enough to meet our 8am deadline. However, once reported and self certified we didn’t have to call every morning - just the day before we said we’d return to work to advise if we were going to meet that or be off longer. Once we had GP note we didn’t have to call but did have to scan and email through the certificate on day we got it.

HeronLanyon · 07/10/2021 09:19

Fully agree if it is clear you’re not going to be well the following day once reported that should really be it rather than have to set alarm and waken and make another call. Also wondering what you’d do if you were at the same time trying to access gp appointment or childcare cover or at a and e etc. Hmmm

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