Can my employer do this? Is this even legal?

[Stroggle]

have the first 3 days sickness unpaid? Then ssp? So if I get a sickness bug I’m going to lose 2 days pay? I’ve never encountered this and I’ve worked in some Mickey Mouse places

Sounds like a cultural issue to me.

@Stroggle ,have you read my post about my good friend…you really are very lucky!

Not if you're given six months in any one 12-month period, no.

But as far as most employers go, three weeks of sick pay is pretty good for someone who is literally just out of probation and still unqualified.

That’s the thing, if I’d seen it for what it was I’d have seriously given some second thought to if this was the place for me

Your poor friend with stage 4 cancer? So horrible. I take it she didn’t have an CiC or IP? Poor love. It’s why those things are so important. Makes you realise you’re just a number

I had that when I worked for a local authority - as far as I know only soecific to that LA not to all. It meant that people took a whole week off when they were sick rather than a day or two (ie. They may as well make the most of it seen as they'd lost two days already). They stopped the policy during covid as they wanted to encourage people NOT to work if they tested positive.

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) : Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Standard for every single job I’ve had since leaving uni. SSP only until 6 or 12 months service/end of probation. Anything over 5 days contingent on a fit note/sick note being supplied.

Not great if you happen to fall in that time period but I can see why it would be a shock if you’re not used to those Ts&Cs.

We have a fairly generous sickness policy at my work. I work for a large corp, once you have completed 6 months probation you will get 3 months company sick, after a year goes up to 6 months and for 5 years + it is 12 months - prior to probation it is SSP only. Many new joiners ask about sickness/ maternity policies and entitlements prior to signing contracts. You are well within your rights to ask before signing and if you don’t then it’s a bit late to query it once you’ve already joined. Look for a company that looks after it’s employees better.

Company I work for used to pay sick leave. It was so abused that they actually added an extra week to everyone's annual holiday allowance and said sick pay was SSP only from then.

If you get ill and don't want SSP you can use some of your holiday, or if you're lucky enough to not get ill that year you have the extra time off.

Fairly standard for probation period of job

A firm I worked at had this policy. People used to come in ill - think puking in bins or running to loo. They brought in a policy to say you couldn’t enter office if contagious.

Well, it's the statutory minimum, so it is what it is. Jolly good show for all those that get better but it's the reality for many people.

The only outrage is that anyone is shocked by this - the barest legal minimum is what many people get paid.

Our sick pay scheme is based on length of service and you don’t get anything in probationary period
In my experience very few people take the piss even those who have generous packages

I'd love to know what posters saying "people take the piss" here actually mean. That they take sick days and go off to theme parks? On holiday? What?

I worked for a big corporate for 30 years who always paid normal pay if off sick!

What does it matter what they specifically do? They take paid time off work by calling in ‘sick’ when they are not sick.

Dreadful. The UK is so far behind countries like Denmark, Sweden and Germany on employee welfare.

With a relative of mine it is that they dont do anything. Theyre not sick. They just take weeks or even months and months off sat at home watching movies. Then they get managed out. Start somewhere new. Then they're off sick again. Right now, off sick. Not a thing wrong. Just bone idol.

but will also attend doctors appointments, ask for referrals, will wait in a&e hours and walk out before being seen. Nothing wrong.

I am shocked! Where ever I have worked you get sick pay from day one.

All professional roles though

Before I ever heard of sick policies all i ever knew was working and too sick to work; I'm not sure if i ever got any sick pay except possibly some goodwill payments from employers.

I'm pretty sure getting "signed off for stress" was not in existence. Somehow I missed a few decades and it's a thing now, maybe the new version of 'Mother's Little Helper"?

Standard in almost all the companies I have worked for over the last 30+ years.
The only place I have ever worked for, which paid full sick pay, was the NHS and I can not tell you how many employees took the absolute piss out of this.

In all the jobs I have had I have never know so many people to have so much regular time off sick. If that had been a small privately run business it would have gone bust.

TBH it sounds like, mentally, there's quite a lot wrong with your relative.

And you know they are not sick because....?

What are you even getting at? Do you not believe that anyone phones in sick when they are not sick?