Having to ring absence line by 8am

[ProbablyLate]

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?

how do you know you will be sick tomorrow

If you've thrown up today then of course you know you shouldn't go in tomorrow. The 48 hour rule applies to everyone not just children.

Nhs - hospital - last I knew - You have to call our department if sick,often try to call colleagues to cover for you, then call a centralised automated number next going through various questions, then your manager calls you to discuss illness- then you need to report ahead if will be back next day or start whole process the next day … then when you go back have a sickness interview with your manager to discuss your absence, reasons for it, how you intend to prevent it happening again, the impact your absence had on colleagues / your department… and then of course if you dare to fall sick again soon after or have 3 episodes in a year you get interview with HR and referral to occupational health ….

@FuckingFlumps

how do you know you will be sick tomorrow

If you've thrown up today then of course you know you shouldn't go in tomorrow. The 48 hour rule applies to everyone not just children.

This is the point I was making earlier.

Someone said OP didn't confirm it was d&v but has since confirmed it.

I also don't work in education or health care, and never have. But every where I have work has had a policy that for d&/orv do not come in for 48 hours, yet it's never enforced and we have silly rules like call in 2 hours before your shift each day.

The 48 hour rule should apply to all for d&v which is a common bug to be affected by.

We currently have to phone the HST before 7am to let them know if we’ll be absent that day.
Before the summer holidays one of my children developed a cough and high temperature overnight - back when everyone in the bubble had to isolate until the result was received - and I was told off for phoning at 7.45am after struggling to get a drive through test slot.
I wouldn’t have minded but I love my job and was made to feel very small and a reminder was put in the staff bulletin!!!

I also don't work in education or health care, and never have. But every where I have work has had a policy that for d&/orv do not come in for 48 hours, yet it's never enforced and we have silly rules like call in 2 hours before your shift each day.

I agree many workplaces don't enforce the policy expecting staff to come in even if they have clearly shown they have d&v most often by actually throwing up. It's incredibly frustrating to then be treated like you're trying to scive off when obviously you're just following the very sensible rule of not coming in for 48 hours.

I've also been in some work places where senior staff then have the audacity to moan when people do come back before 48 hours as they are fed up of the inquisition and they have inevitably infected other staff.

@Waitformetoarrive

Perfectly normally. You report sickness on the actual day, how do you know you will be sick tomorrow. Standard rule in the majority of work places , not sure why you think being a teacher is different.

its not normal! never has been, but these managers (little hitlers) indroduced it, and because people allowed it and just did as they where told the LH has got away with it if your ill you should be resting not worrying about bloody phone calls

My dh didnt have to he called on day one and said he co9uldnt walk properly day five i think he called againsaying he was going to the doc

YANBU in my school if you vomit you have to be off for 48hours - so they know he won’t return the next day and I do think it’s a bit silly as they have to then ring round and get cover staff for him and however many other staff are off, which is stressful when they could have done that the day before.
When I put an planned absence form in for training courses or a funeral etc then I can do it in advance so I don’t really see the difference.

DH is head at a free school and his policy is that staff must phone his mobile at 7am each morning if they wish to request an absence due to illness.

DH will then review the request alongside the business manager, taking into account previous absence history, other staff absence and cover availability.

He will inform the staff member by 7.30am if the request is to be granted. Any requests not made by 7am are not granted and the staff member is expected to attend as normal.

Allowing results the day before is an open invitation to piss takers.

We have to call in a minimum of an hour before school starts (and as someone who has to sort the staffing, believe me every minute counts) and then call before the end of the day to let them know about the next.

If children are sent home sick school policy is usually stay home for 24 hours after whatever the ailment is passes. I’d have thought the same should apply to teachers.

@GreenLakes

DH is head at a free school and his policy is that staff must phone his mobile at 7am each morning if they wish to request an absence due to illness.

DH will then review the request alongside the business manager, taking into account previous absence history, other staff absence and cover availability.

He will inform the staff member by 7.30am if the request is to be granted. Any requests not made by 7am are not granted and the staff member is expected to attend as normal.

Allowing results the day before is an open invitation to piss takers.

So what happens if a staff member throws up after 7am? Surley he would not want them to come in and spread that sickness just because they happened to not have timed their sickness to fit into his policy?

Why didn’t he just leave a voicemail the night before? Do you actually have to speak to someone? We can leave a voicemail as long as it’s before 7.30

@FuckingFlumps

how do you know you will be sick tomorrow

If you've thrown up today then of course you know you shouldn't go in tomorrow. The 48 hour rule applies to everyone not just children.

OP said he was vomiting in the night so probably after he spoke to his employers. Regardless, the school have a policy which is there for everyone to follow, it is not that hard.

We can leave a voicemail any time as long as it's early enough to sort cover. If we know the night before they are happy for us to let them know then or if we wake up ill in the night etc. We can also email SMT, we have a dedicated staff only email address that all SMT have access to 24/7.

@GreenLakes

DH is head at a free school and his policy is that staff must phone his mobile at 7am each morning if they wish to request an absence due to illness.

DH will then review the request alongside the business manager, taking into account previous absence history, other staff absence and cover availability.

He will inform the staff member by 7.30am if the request is to be granted. Any requests not made by 7am are not granted and the staff member is expected to attend as normal.

Allowing results the day before is an open invitation to piss takers.

Bloody hell I thought my work's attitude to sickness was shit but this is absolutely taking the biscuit. I'd imagine they would have said I needed to come in when I was pretty much suicidal. (I didn't actually tell work it was that bad) What's deemed not a good enough reason to be in?

OP said he was vomiting in the night so probably after he spoke to his employers. Regardless, the school have a policy which is there for everyone to follow, it is not that hard.

Yes but they also sent him home which is a clear sign he wasn't well. Most people teachers included drag themselves in if sick and try to work through it. So to be sent home is a very clear indication he's not likely to be in the next morning.

You asked how he knew he would still be unwell the next day and with sickness of course you know you're not going to be in. Nevertheless I suspect they would also expect him to call the next day despite it not being 48 hours since they knew he last threw up. It's a clear sign of demaning a policy is adhere for policy's sake rather than using common sense.

We have this policy but the managers never answer the phone and you are not allowed to text. Total joke

Oh yes and the was the time one New Year when I was full of some sort of cold, I got ready for work, cleared my car and set off, five minutes down the road I was crying with exhaustion, I turned round, drove home and phoned in sick (I had been in out of hours over the actual new year) honestly I would probably have crashed my car had I continued to drive to work.

@GreenLakes

DH is head at a free school and his policy is that staff must phone his mobile at 7am each morning if they wish to request an absence due to illness.

DH will then review the request alongside the business manager, taking into account previous absence history, other staff absence and cover availability.

He will inform the staff member by 7.30am if the request is to be granted. Any requests not made by 7am are not granted and the staff member is expected to attend as normal.

Allowing results the day before is an open invitation to piss takers.

And what happens if, after considering previous absence history, other staff absence and cover availability, that the request for sick leave is declined, and the member of staff still decides to stay off as they're actually ill?

This is a horrific policy, if someone is ill then they don't come in. Managing their absence once they're back in school is another matter and there are very clear legal steps that need to be taken should you need to manage their absence.

I do hope your dh's staff are in a union, mine would wipe the floor with this policy if I told them my legitimate sickness absence was unauthorised.

DH is a bastard .Get pleasure seeing teachers on receiving end of petty rules.
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@GreenLakes

DH is head at a free school and his policy is that staff must phone his mobile at 7am each morning if they wish to request an absence due to illness.

DH will then review the request alongside the business manager, taking into account previous absence history, other staff absence and cover availability.

He will inform the staff member by 7.30am if the request is to be granted. Any requests not made by 7am are not granted and the staff member is expected to attend as normal.

Allowing results the day before is an open invitation to piss takers.

He will inform staff if their request is granted?! What a ridiculous rule. I wouldn't be ringing to ask permission to have sick leave, I would be TELLING him I'm having it. If staff are poorly they are poorly. So, say they have D&V but there is no cover that day or they ring at 7.15am because they couldn't get off the loo, he would expect them in? Sounds like he has no people managememt skills at all.

@GreenLakes

DH is head at a free school and his policy is that staff must phone his mobile at 7am each morning if they wish to request an absence due to illness.

DH will then review the request alongside the business manager, taking into account previous absence history, other staff absence and cover availability.

He will inform the staff member by 7.30am if the request is to be granted. Any requests not made by 7am are not granted and the staff member is expected to attend as normal.

Allowing results the day before is an open invitation to piss takers.

so i would like to know what the ill person is expected to do if they have been awake all night and finally the pain meds kicked in about 5 am? do you really expect them to be in a fit state to wake up and phone you? and what if you as medically untrained people then decided @ 7.30 that the person dosed up to high heaven was to come into school? its all wrong! you are treating your staff like they are all work shy liars!

We have to ring the DHT between 6.30am and 7am if we're going to be off and then again between 2pm and 2.30pm to confirm if we're back the next day or not. No texts, no voicemails and it has to be us that calls. If they don't answer, tough luck.