Colleague off long term sick but running businesses on the side

[bubblesandfizzwithcherryontop]

A colleague of mine, lets call her Jane has been off sick for the last 5 months.
She stormed out of the office one day after a row with our manager after being challenged about her bad attitude towards others and refusal to do certain aspects of her job role.

Despite being off sick and on full pay (NHS), Jane has been running a couple of home-based businesses on the side. One is arts and crafts based (making keepsake type gifts to sell), and the other is make up artistry (she does wedding and party make up). She advertises both of these side businesses all over Facebook and other SM. Very open about both of them.

People from work are on her SM, but this doesn't seem to deter her from advertising the businesses whilst off sick, allegedly too stressed to even get out of bed.

Its causing a lot of resentment at work, especially as she's on full pay.

Too generous ….are you for real?🙄

She can definitely lose her job over this. She will be getting sick pay as she is employed by the nhs. You're not allowed to work. Not saying this is right. Someone i know was off sick from nhs with a bad back.. doing security work cash in hand at same time and lost their job.

@kitcat15 Too generous ….are you for real?🙄

Are you familiar with the NHS sick pay? 6 months full pay once you've been in the organisation a certain length of time, I think 5 years. So if someone was a pisstaker, there's literally no financial benefit to going to work (shift allowance aside I guess). The sick pay is great for people who really need it but it's definitely open to abuse.

Why would this be fraud though? Perhaps it is me being dim but if someone is say a surgeon & is signed off with stress but has a side business/hobby which involves knitting scarves - surely you can be signed off from one kind of job but not the other esp if they are completely different...

I would understand if she was signed off from being a surgeon but was working as bank staff in a diff hospital cutting away at people but this situation seems completely different?

I'd report it.
I , too, am sick of people suddenly going on long term sickness after a disciplinary/chat with management/poor appraisal etc... then going off to parties/mini holidays/ secret ( but not that secret!) second jobs.

@Pippa12 is absolutly right it is fraud. I went to training when i worked for the NHS that told us we cant be getting sick pay and undertake any payed work.

Another nosey parker post.

Resentment for what? If you're covering her workload, presumably you're being paid additional for it? If not, you are entitled to say no and your employer will be forced to find suitable cover.

A 2nd/3rd job does not equal fraud or tax avoidance.... there is currently a cost of living crisis if you have been lucky enough not to feel it. Your colleague like many others may need the additional income to survive.

How do you know these additional jobs are not therapeutic to your colleague and helping to build her confidence before returning to a stressful NHS role?

Of course they don't... all these people who are happily driving their colleagues into stress and anxiety don't give a fuck about anyone else. They are the only thing that matters,, they can't be in work work, but can't party, holiday, do their side hustle because that's good for them, but don't actually ask them to work work......

CAN party not can't!

Sucks to be you.

Complain to hr or line manager. They're taking the piss out of you. Don't speak up and it will continue...

Ha ha ha at the thought of being paid extra for covering someone’s work if they’re off sick. And the thought of saying no. It just doesn’t work like that in the nhs. There aren’t just magically trained staff to cover jobs and ultimately it’s the patients that suffer if you don’t take on the extra work.

Op, I’m totally with you. It’s taking the piss.

I can see why you feel frustrated and annoyed about it but on the flip side she has been signed off sick by her GP , so has medical evidence to back her up, and presumably GP is a better judge than us.
It's possible she was suffering anxiety and depression before being signed off and this impacted her performance. If you are signed off due to anxiety and depression it's actually very good for your MH if you can engage in other activities like arts and crafts which she may sell on but if its small scale is hardly likely to be making loads of money from it.
So I can see why you think its unfair and of course she may be taking the micky but it could equally be genuine. I would just leave her to it and let management sort it out if needed. really it's none of your business and you don't know all the facts so personally I wouldn't report

This would annoy me, as they can't advertise to fill her position, or if they can it's only temporary.

Exactly @QueenCremant other people just don't get it!

Yep, this.

Plus arts activities are beneficial to mental health and often recommended for the treatment of depression and anxiety.

Yeah I'm not NHS but closely linked and this wouldn't be allowed.

And it would piss me off immensely.

Fine, make your craft items but on a business basis is too far if you are too sick even for a phased return.

I'd imagine she'll make a rapid recovery about the time her full pay ends

But if you can’t do the job because the job itself makes you too stressed ( rather than short term stress like a death or trauma) surely you should leave and not expect them to pay you?
This example has her in stressed enough to be self employed. Do that and top up with UC not a full time wage for a job you aren’t prepared to do.

It's really none of your business. Stop gossiping about people.

After 6 months off sick you should be managed out of the business if you cannot return to work.

The rules at my work are quite clear if you're off sick for any length of time then you're not allowed to do other work while you're receiving your full salary

Imagine if a public sector organisation is struggling and every penny spent on patients is vital and all staff pull together has a number of these 'Janes' - they need dealing with. Shame on her. Why is it ok to take the p because she stormed off and sits on a generous sick pay whilst others at work have t cover for her.

Add all the Janes and Johns up - it costs a lot of money and wastes a lot of time

Maybe wonder why your work place is so toxic that your colleague has been signed off sick from it.

I can guarantee that if this colleague of yours was signed off sick with something like cancer, you would not even be considering reporting her. I bet you would be buying her arts and crafts.

From bitter experience with my own MH and sickness from the NHS, anyone off with MH is seen as swinging the lead.

No wonder the NHS is always claiming they need more money. It is fraudulent activity.

@XenoBitch why not resign and get another job if the workplace isn’t suitable though. That’s completely different to having an illness unrelated to where to where you work.

If someone had ‘something like cancer”they would be off with the expectation they would return when sufficiently well or worse case, they would be imminently leaving the organisation.

Where I work (FE) people use sick leave as part of their notice period.

My ex local government colleague was off with a bad back . A very expensive special chair was purchased but he refused to return because there was no expert to set up the chair . He had another weeks “gardening leave” while this was sorted out. It then transpired that while off sick he had been delivering takeaways and had been on a 17 hour flight . He was sacked .