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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To worry I'll be sacked for being sick

64 replies

Rosebel · 14/12/2021 22:55

Where I work if you are unable to come to work due to illness you (as in employee) must phone in and speak to a manager.
In itself this is a reasonable request except sometimes it isn't.
I have a rotten cold at the moment and had Monday and today off as I had totally lost my voice and speaking to customers is a big part of the job.
As my voice was totally gone my DH had to phone them for me which he did. Email this afternoon off my manager asking how I was and would I be in tomorrow. I replied I would even though I'm still rough and quite horse.
He responded and then said in my welcome back there will be an issue as I didn't follow the sickness policy (because I didn't ring up). I explained again that I'd lost my voice and just got a reply saying we'll discuss it tomorrow.
I'm really worried about it now and scared it'll be classed as gross misconduct meaning they can sack me.
I understand why the policy is there but surely common sense should be applied. If someone has lost their voice how can they phone in sick? Are they being unreasonable to give me a hard time? Would they sack me for this reason?

OP posts:

antisocialsocialclub · 16/12/2021 09:56

@Warblerinwinter

Ask your manager how he would have expected you to call in personally if you’d been “run over by a bus” and were unconscious? It is clearly not a “rule” that can be applied to all situations. There have to be allowances based on circumstances for not following these GUIDELINES . Sure, normally it is good practice for businesses to get people to phone and talk to someone and is does reduce sickness levels - but having a good reason not to is not a disciplinary offence unless the company is crap and controlling - in which case start looking for a new job now as they’ll screw you over for other things too

This!

Vapeyvapevape · 16/12/2021 10:12

What does he expect you to do?! Video call and mime

I think that ‘demonstrate how ill you are using the medium of interpretive dance’ should be included in the policy .

slashlover · 16/12/2021 10:15

Not sure how that worked….she would have needed a GP sickness note before then, so once that didn’t turn up why didn’t they follow Up.

If someone works Thursday, Friday and Sunday for example then it would easy to go from Monday in week 1 to Thursday of week 2 before anything was triggered.

ArnoldBee · 16/12/2021 10:15

It's a very large organisation so post takes a long time to filter through along with any self cert being sorted on return to the office.

pastypirate · 16/12/2021 10:17

I'm confused by this - a phone call was made as per the policy. He is being unnecessarily stroppy unless you have a ropey sickness record.

IntermittentParps · 16/12/2021 10:30

@Vapeyvapevape

What does he expect you to do?! Video call and mime

I think that ‘demonstrate how ill you are using the medium of interpretive dance’ should be included in the policy .

Yes!

Spidey66 · 16/12/2021 10:37

Obviously its best if you ring in yourself but its not always practical.

I'm 55 but when I was early 20s my mum had to phone my work to say I was off sick....it was pre mobile phones and I was in hospital with concussion.

It's all been sorted anyway so you're ok

BashfulClam · 16/12/2021 10:50

A colleague in an old job was in hospital with a tube in his throat. His mother called in to let work know and the jumped up dick that managed to sickness line (a really awful human being) said he will be marked as not authorised as he hadn’t called in in person. The colleagues mother was having none of it ‘which part of my son having a tube in his throat and heavy sedation did you not understand! Get me your manager as you are obviously incapable of understanding plain English!’ She didn’t work there so he didn’t scare her.

Tee20x · 16/12/2021 10:54

How can you ring up if you can't speak? Phone and breathe down the phone ??

Musicaltheatremum · 16/12/2021 11:02

I lost my voice completely a couple of years ago. Could not even croak and whispering was painful.

I'm a GP so went to work and did all the stuff that doesn't require speaking so my colleagues could see my patients.

So yes you can lose it completely

inawe · 16/12/2021 11:26

@Offmyfence Yes they do. I have in the past. I had voice problems for a couple of months preceding it, where I was very croaky at the end of a full day, and one morning I woke up and simply no sound came out when I tried to speak. I was told to rest my voice completely for a week.

TooWicked · 16/12/2021 11:34

What a ridiculous policy.

If this happens in the future, phone up and remain silent at your end until your manager hangs up.

And then follow up with an email “that was me making my phone call to tell you I can’t come into work as I’ve lost my voice”.

Offmyfence · 16/12/2021 13:32

@inawe as I said

Not in my experience they don't!

Which still stands, clearly your experience is different to mine?

KatherineJaneway · 16/12/2021 16:06

I worked for a company that insisted on doing this. Apparently the rationale was that people are more comfortable having someone else lie for them that they are sick then lying to their boss directly.

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