To think my boss can’t ask for pictures of child’s injury

[Hurtburt]

My little boy has just started walking, he hit his eye on a table This happened yesterday and it wasn’t too bad. Today I was due into work but his eye was blood shot, he had a massive black eye and he just looked awful. I told work I needed to take him to the hospital to be checked over. Work at first said okay. Then my boss text to say do I have any pictures of his eye? I feel like that is crossing the line, I’ve been here 5 years. Am I being unreasonable to think they can’t ask this of me?
My manager has now said we will have a meeting tomorrow for a chat

"Dear Boss

I am very surprised that you should ask me to send you a photograph of my child in order to verify that s/he has an injury. I have taken some advice on this matter and been informed that it may be in breach of employment law and my/my child's right to privacy. As a next step, if you intend to pursue with this matter I must insist that you put your request in writing."

When you tell someone you have "taken advice" it often scares them into back stepping as the implication is that you have taken legal advice.

"Taken advice" may be that you simply asked your postie or Tesco delivery person but thats neither here nor there

They have absolutely no right to do that

You on the other hand have the right to Time of For Dependants (unpaid) for exactly this sort of situation. Submit nothing. Sounds like they are talking themselves into a discrimination case and potentially breaching GDPR by asking for your sons private
Medical information and data (photograph)

Sounds like they dont know their arse from their elbow

they dont know about emplyment law and never shoud have rung you on mat leave asking if you were coming back early

Probably not but... Is he definitely asking for that reason? Maybe he's offering advice eg the doctor may want to see those pics straight after it happened, or his partner is a gp and offering to have a look for you etc? Rather than personally asking to see them as proof?

@PurpleOkapi

It depends on what sort of leave you're using, and on the company's policies. If your absence wouldn't have been excused but for the fact that it was a medical emergency, then asking for proof of the emergency is reasonable. They shouldn't need pictures of your child, though. If you offer to send them something from the hospital with your child's name on it, that should be enough.

I agree with this. Ask A&E reception for a certificate of attendance when you leave. It’s free and will just list your child’s name, no medical details.

This kind of thing is what finally pushed me out of work (aside from the fact my entire wage paid childcare and petrol!) When I first had kids and had to take time off when they were sick they were really understanding, by the end it was big sigh and how long are you taking, you know this is out of your holidays dont you? I honestly took the bare minimum off, worked overtime the days dh was collecting and basically made sure to go well above and beyond but my god it's hard (shudders as this is very likely in future again due to having started new job!!)

Completely unreasonable request. I hope it's in writing. YOu may need it going forward.

The legal ins and outs of it is besides the point, the big thing here is that they clearly don't trust you as an employee, which is worrying. Are they generally dickish or is there some back story here?

Take your union rep to the meeting tomorrow. Or at the very least talk to them before you go.

OP, I had something similar a couple of years ago. My employer at the time asked me to send a photograph of my son's injury.

They asked over the phone and I committed to nothing. I then emailed them and said 'Just to clarify what you were asking me on the phone earlier

Sounds like they are talking themselves into a discrimination case and potentially breaching GDPR by asking for your sons private
Medical information and data (photograph)

Wrong.

They shouldn’t be asking but it has nothing to do with GDPR.

What will they want when your child runs a temperature? A photo of the thermometer reading?

Offer the parking receipt from the hospital?

I was asked to provide proof of negative covid test for my child and the exact time it came in and I felt a bit the same to be honest. Its not my medical information so they shouldn't really be requesting it. I blindly complied but I felt a bit insulted that they asked.

Definitely not acceptable from a safeguarding point of view. I would say you are prepared to provide proof you were at the hospital. I wouldn't share a photo of your child they are work colleagues but other than that practically strangers, you cer wouldn't be sending any photo of your child to a random person. Also it is illegal for them to ask you when you are coming back it states that in law

Find another job

I would definitely say this is ‘last straw’ time. They’re never going to be a family friendly employer.

Start job hunting.

Not only unreasonable but potentially unlawful - do not send in pictures if your child, do seek some legal advice and start looking for another job.

If I sent a photo at all, it would be a very close up of the eye itself. There, it's a photo of my child's injured eye; I'm not sending identifiable pictures of my child on the internet to virtual strangers just because they ask for it. It's definitely not a legal requirement to do so, so why do you want it?

That’s weird. You either have a very poor manager with atrocious people skills or for some reason they do not trust you..

Rude

It is unreasonable, however, who was due to be looking after DC today & could they have taken them to be checked out?

My child's nursery wouldn't 'take them to be checked out', nor would I expect them to.

I'd be so mad at the implied lie and very unreasonable request that I would march into work with my child and say "Here is your proof that I am not a liar!"
No way would I email a picture.

I think they can ask, when I was a student nurse I rang up one day with d and v and was told to produce a sample.

Don’t send a photo. Send some sort of proof in an email telling them it’s inappropriate to send photos of your child. It would definitely be the last straw.