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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

that it's unfair to lose my job because of covid?

122 replies

radickle · 01/04/2023 15:26

namechanged

I got a new job 10 months ago and I admit that my health has sadly really not been fair to me. Just want to say, I've never had an issue with sickness in the past and I feel it's really a case of being very unlucky.

Was off with covid at the very start of getting my job (the first month) 2 months later I got the sickness bug (that was bringing a lot of us down with it at work) and had to obviously go off. About a month after that I had to have an emergency dental appointment. There was also 2 more sicknesses after that involving an eye injury (first one) and then the second one was because it got infected. I had a meeting about attendance concern during that time.

I've just got covid again and called my manager and said to him that ill obviously come in but I know it's policy not to and he said I can't be in for a week and didn't say much else but then got a later phone call to tell me to expect to not be back in the role and a meeting will be made when I'm better... im confident I'm losing my job.

I'm rather heartbroken because I genuinely like my role and work hard and it was a job in the field I wanted and had looked for for ages. It's obviously a very competitive role though and obviously they will have a line up of people wanting it.

I haven't been particularly unwell with covid so far and I'd have gone to work but it's the company saying I can't, which is why it feels particularly harsh. I know my sickness record wasn't great but there would never have been this sickness if their policy allowed me to come in...

OP posts:
AgentProvocateur · 01/04/2023 15:39

Even without covid, that’s a lot on absences. It’s not possible me to run a business with unreliable staff as the workload on colleagues is just too much.

Mercurial123 · 01/04/2023 15:42

But the issue isn't just covid, the eye, the sickness bug, etc. You took a lot of time off work. It's bad luck, but surely you knew they would be concerned?

Dacadactyl · 01/04/2023 15:42

Is it a requirement to test in your role?

I actually think you were mad to test if you felt OK.

x2boys · 01/04/2023 15:44

That's a lot of time off work in ten months regardless of the Covid!

VictorianBathroomTiles · 01/04/2023 15:44

AgentProvocateur · 01/04/2023 15:39

Even without covid, that’s a lot on absences. It’s not possible me to run a business with unreliable staff as the workload on colleagues is just too much.

But what can you do if you have a period of your life where you just have a lot of illnesses or accidents? Seriously? What can she do about an eye injury or an infection?

Original poster
radickle · 01/04/2023 15:44

We were told to test and given tests because 3 other people had it

I know it's not just the covid overall but that's been my longest time off and I'd not have been off again now which is resulting in the 90% chance I've lost the job

OP posts:
Dacadactyl · 01/04/2023 15:46

I wouldn't have tested if I felt OK. You must've known you were on shaky ground with that sickness record.

BreviloquentBastard · 01/04/2023 15:46

It's bad luck but that is an awful lot of absence when you haven't even been there a year. It's not a very good first impression to make.

At the end of the day they have a business to run, and excessive absence is detrimental to that. In a competitive role where it's easy to replace you, I can understand where they're coming from. It isn't fair, really, but unfortunately sometimes life just isn't fair.

AlicesPalace · 01/04/2023 15:46

Honestly if I’d been as off as much as you had and not affected by COVID so much this time around then can I asked why you tested when it isn’t law now?

There are approximately 215 working days in a 10 months period - how many days off have you had in this time? I’d estimate at least 16 days (1 week for COVID the first time, 3 for the D&V bug, 1 for emergency dental, 1 day for the eye injury and 1 day for the eye infection plus another week for COVID now) - that equates to 7% of time worked you’ve been off! The national average is 4.9 days in a 12 month period so that is 4 days in a 10 month period. So if you’ve had 16 days off in the time (is that a good estimate?) you are FOUR time the National average. I’m sorry but that is insane. I’d be really unhappy as a manager, company and as a co-worker.

I hope you can get this resolved, but in order to keep your job, I’d be minimising my socialising, taking vitamins, getting loads of sleep and in all honesty I’d be struggling in even when I am not 100%.

Quveas · 01/04/2023 15:46

I'm sorry, it really is awful luck but that is six absences in ten months. I work in the public sector (where everyone thinks life is cushy!) and you would have been on sickness absence monitoring by the third one, and dismissed already by now. I genuionely am sorry, but if you retain your job you will be awfully lucky.

Lastnamedidntstick · 01/04/2023 15:48

so if you haven’t been particularly unwell, but you’ve tested for covid?

I thought covid testing wasn’t compulsory any more? Why test at all, especially if you know a +ve could lose you your job?

PickledPurplePickle · 01/04/2023 15:50

You’re not losing your job because of covid, you are losing your job because you have had 6 separate periods of sickness in 10 months

That is a lot - most of my staff haven’t had that in 5 years even with covid

myheartmyhead · 01/04/2023 15:51

Ask HR what the sickness policy is for the company.
For example, we are allowed 3% sickness, once we go over that we start going down the review route

Mangledrake · 01/04/2023 15:52

People are being ridiculous. Obviously covid is the main factor here. Assuming you have good evidence for the eye and dental incidents, competent attendance monitoring would see them for what they are - one offs.

If you were asked to test for COVID, then told not to come in, contact your union (if in one) or ACAS. Fight back a bit. This isn't a case of having a sore throat every Monday etc. Don't be ashamed and don't roll over.

x2boys · 01/04/2023 15:55

Mangledrake · 01/04/2023 15:52

People are being ridiculous. Obviously covid is the main factor here. Assuming you have good evidence for the eye and dental incidents, competent attendance monitoring would see them for what they are - one offs.

If you were asked to test for COVID, then told not to come in, contact your union (if in one) or ACAS. Fight back a bit. This isn't a case of having a sore throat every Monday etc. Don't be ashamed and don't roll over.

I don't think anyone's being ridiculous,six lots of sickness in ten months is a lot ,the Op may well have been very unlucky ,but when I worked in the NH S ,you got put,in a sickness review after three lots of absences in a 12 month period ,that's the reality for many people unfortunately.

Mangledrake · 01/04/2023 16:03

x2boys · 01/04/2023 15:55

I don't think anyone's being ridiculous,six lots of sickness in ten months is a lot ,the Op may well have been very unlucky ,but when I worked in the NH S ,you got put,in a sickness review after three lots of absences in a 12 month period ,that's the reality for many people unfortunately.

Show quote history

Sure - I'm used to the sickness review after three incidents. But unless your contract says otherwise, it's a review - check causes, circumstances, patterns. If the OP has been told to test for COVID and told not to come in with it, they're on very dodgy ground here.

1offnamechange · 01/04/2023 16:11

I can see what you're saying about it being unfair about this episode of covid, because basically it's only down to their rules that you can't come in, otherwise you feel well enough to work, so it seems unfair. But realistically, even 5 periods of absence in however many (7-9 months?) before this is still a lot, to the extent I'm surprised they didn't let you go at that point and even gave you a 6th chance

Couldn't you have taken some of the emergency dental/eye appointments as annual leave or offered to make up the time by staying late/working on the weekends/WFH, or taking it as unpaid leave rather than sickness? That's the only thing I can suggest you can possibly try to offer to mitigate it now - technically you shouldn't have to but if you want to keep your job all I can suggest is having an honest conversation with your manager, stressing you aren't usually ill and it's just unlucky, you really want to keep the job and is there anything you can do to prove your eagerness etc?

Even if they reject all your suggestions it will at least show you're willing to try and not taking the piss because you fancy a long weekend.

cannaecookrisotto · 01/04/2023 16:18

What's not helping is that you've been in post only 10 months and all these instances in that time.

If you'd worked at the company for 5 years and they can see that this isn't the norm for you they'd probably be more lenient.

My advice would be to call your boss on Monday, ask if there is anything you can do such as picking up a laptop to WFH, work in an isolated space within the office etc.

Be frank, say you've never experienced a period with so many sick days and you're as frustrated as they are and want to prove to them that it's not going to continue

BeeCucumber · 01/04/2023 16:22

It’s harsh but if you are part of a team and you are taking so much time off sick, it should come as no surprise to you that your employer would want to move you from this role . You are coming across as unreliable and your manager has to manage your absences and still get the task/job done. Perhaps you will moved to a role in the company that would suit your needs and their needs - and a role that would be less impacted if you didn’t turn up on a regular basis.

Lastnamedidntstick · 01/04/2023 16:25

x2boys · 01/04/2023 15:55

I don't think anyone's being ridiculous,six lots of sickness in ten months is a lot ,the Op may well have been very unlucky ,but when I worked in the NH S ,you got put,in a sickness review after three lots of absences in a 12 month period ,that's the reality for many people unfortunately.

Show quote history

“Sickness review” shouldn’t be a punishment or some sort of “on notice” for poor performance.

it’s supposed to be to support employees- they should be looking at why so many absences, and if there’s anything to help reduce/improve.

Disco2023 · 01/04/2023 16:30

It’s a lot. I work in the NHS which apparently is a gravy train for having loads of sick time paid, but in reality at my trust that amount of absence would be flagged up and put on a higher level serious sickness review never mind within the first year of employment.

If they won’t let you in with covid fair enough. But there have been several instances in a short space. Yes it may be bad luck but it doesn’t look good.

What was said at the last meeting, do they have a policy or stages for review on sickness?

Disco2023 · 01/04/2023 16:35

Lastnamedidntstick · 01/04/2023 16:25

“Sickness review” shouldn’t be a punishment or some sort of “on notice” for poor performance.

it’s supposed to be to support employees- they should be looking at why so many absences, and if there’s anything to help reduce/improve.

Show quote history

Yeah that would be nice and that’s what if officially is, let’s help you, why have you been off sick, how can we change this….

But in most cases actually it means ‘oh don’t be off now for several months/year or you will go to the next stage review and eventually your job is at risk’. harsh but it’s what happens.

This includes covid sickness regardless of the fact we shouldn’t attend work if we test positive.

Winter41 · 01/04/2023 16:47

It is really unfair that we are living through a pandemic and you are being penalised for getting sick. You have done the responsible thing in testing and also done the right thing by staying off when ill previously.

Unfortunately without any willingness by government to put things in place to minimise infection we are all going to get ill more frequently.

Are you in a probationary period ? I wonder if you would have a case for unfair dismissal?

Babyroobs · 01/04/2023 16:48

It does seem unfair. they shouldn't have insisted you tested if they were then going to penalize you when you tested positive.

PinkFrogss · 01/04/2023 16:58

How many days did you have off each absence?