to expect HR to leave me alone when I’m on sick leave?

[Stopwatching]

I’ve been off sick for a few weeks and have now been signed off for another 5 weeks. HR want me to attend a teams call so they can update me individually about a team reorganisation which was announced this week.
I have already seen the PowerPoint presentation slides so I know my job is not affected so AIBU to expect HR to leave me in peace until I return from sick leave?

You're definitely within your rights to ask for an email update rather than a call if you're not well!

It depends on lots of factors in my opinion: your seniority; the type of job; the type of illness; the culture of the business.

I wouldn’t have a problem with this after being out of the workplace for weeks if I was well enough but I’m a reasonably senior manager and my workplace is supportive and pleasant.

I think they have a legal responsibility to ensure you don't miss out on information and opportunities while off sick because you could sue them for discrimination

You could prob just ask them for an email and say you don't feel up to it

Your work are obliged to keep you abreast of developments like that and it's reasonable to agree phone or similar contact with you at intervals - we'd normally have a weekly call where I work, at a time agreed by the person who was off sick. They would be failing in their duty of care if they just ignored you for five weeks. I think you're being a little unreasonable, sorry OP.

Depends on the type of illness to an extent. And also the nature of the job and the restructure. It’s good that they want to keep staff informed properly.

Also yes, when I was on long term sick I had to stay in weekly contact with my manager, they're meant to do a home visit though and I declined that

I’ve been ignored for the first 6 weeks of sick leave

Ignored, or left alone?

Ffs stop being so bloody difficult. You could try being grateful your job is safe and that they’re actually trying to fulfil their legal obligation to keep you informed

Are you 100% sure this doesn't affect you?

The only reason I can see for them being insistent to schedule a call with you and not just fire an email over is that you are in the bucket of people at risk.

Then yeah, YABU. One call in 11 weeks isn’t asking a lot.

That's poor, in my opinion, although based on your OP one could be forgiven for thinking that's what you'd prefer!

Yeah you sound like you resent being “ignored” but then also resent them trying to update you?

Sorry, that was in response to a PP who used the word ignored. I’m quite happy to be ignored/left in peace by HR.

Rude!

@Stopwatching quite clear that the rude one is you. Maybe they’ve changed their mind and you’re for the chop, they’d ‘leave you alone’ then!

Fingers crossed!

They should be having contact with you, even if it's only every couple of weeks. If they've left you alone for six weeks this points to them not caring much about your wellbeing, so in a way I can understand why you don't want much to do with them. But a decent employer would be agreeing a contact plan with a view to supporting you back into work.

Yep. I had a long period of sick leave. I was left alone until there was a 'need to know' piece of information that they had to tell me about. And then they left me alone again.

I was not ignored, then harassed, and then ignored again. I was left alone, then informed, then left alone.
I was treated as I should be, and according to the requirements of their rule.

You can decline it, nothing will happen to you if you do. When people in my team are signed off I generally only speak to them when they send me updated fit notes. I let them know they can contact me if they need anything, but like you they tend to want to be left alone. I’m not even sure what the legality is of HR contacting you about a work related update when you’re signed off. If it’s for work related stress or something similar then it’s pretty inconsiderate of them to do that.

It’s really tricky for HR to get things right, and very easy for them to inadvertently get things wrong.

if there’s a change going on, they are obliged to let you know. They also have an obligation to check in on your well-being, in a way that is supportive but not pressuring.

They won’t know your preferred method for communication, and yours will probably be different to the next person’s.

If it was me I’d politely advise them of my contact preferences. It can’t be ‘no contact at all’ because you will need to keep them abreast somehow of your health, and as time goes on they will need to escalate the situation if you’re not going back.

it’s not reasonable to complain about too much contact, too little contact and the wrong type of contact. You have to help HR get it right. Then, if they continue to get it wrong, you’re within your rights to be annoyed.

HR here! If it’s a significant reorg they will need to ensure they’ve made every effort to inform anybody on leave and give them the opportunity to engage in the process should they wish.

Thanks. I’m thinking of saying I have seen the PowerPoint presentation so I don’t need to attend the meeting unless they have anything to add to that

They won’t know your preferred method for communication, and yours will probably be different to the next person’s

I don't think anyones preferred method is a teams call for what could easily be an email.