To think your work should leave you alone when you're ill?

[Thatsnotmynameee]

I was off sick last week. Rare for me to be off, last time before last week it was 4 months ago and then 6 months before that one. I told them why I was off (standard illness) and when I would be back (few days) my manager rings me at lunchtime that day to "discuss my absence" what is the need for this?? I missed the call because I was asleep (because I was ill and been up most of the night being ill) it just seems like complete overkill. Let people rest ffs.

You seem to be getting the usual office martyrs responding to you on this thread.

As long as you follow the policy on how to report illness in your workplace first thing in the morning then that is all you need to do.

Your manager should not be calling you again in the middle of the day once you have already reported your illness. Any meeting about your health should be conducted when you are back at work.

You can self-certify for 7 days and then you need a fit note from your GP.

Everyone in my team of 7 people have been off sick at least two or three times this year with things like flu, covid or accidents (two of my colleagues had to deal with broken bones). So I don't think your record is that unusual.

It is policy to have 48 hours off from your last episode.

This happened last week...

When you rang your manager back what did they say?

On a thread about bowel issues which was on here a while ago someone posted that her friend who has bowel problems does not eat anything at work all day because she would be crapping all the time.
How is it that we have come to this unacceptable treatment of employees. Where someone has to starve all day at work for fear of losing their job

At my work depending on what it is you can text then call manager later. Then really they would expect at least text or phone call every other day. Twice in ten months isn't that rare really. Before last year I hadn't had any sick leave since 2020. Last year I was off sick twice. Once was a planned operation in July and the other was Covid in November.

Agree that they should leave you alone while you're ill and that contacting you to discuss your illness while you're on the first day or two of illness is not appropriate. There's no point to this and it doesn't help your recovery.

Disagree with the way you frame your sickness record though. 3 times in less than a year isn't rare. If (and I appreciate this isn't exactly what you said, so please ignore if it's way off base) you are keeping abreast of the your sickness and just making sure you don't trigger warnings, or if this is the sort of sickness record you have most years, you may be coming across as somewhat mediocre. Not that that means they should be contacting you to talk while you're sick, just giving you a heads up that many managers won't see your sickness record the way you seem to see it.

Yes and therefore up to you to keep daily contact with your manger if in case of D&V. What does the sickness policy say?
D&V can last anything from 24 -72 hours. How would you know you would be off ‘for a few days in advance?? You could have returned on day 3
it was half term last week for many people. Just saying.

It would trigger at my companies too.

3 episodes in 12 months would trigger an informal sickness process where I am (NHS), unless there was a chronic relapsing condition on the record that could be discounted. It's a lot - I haven't had a sick day for over 8 years.

Gosh it’s hardly a bad record these things happen

and it’s definitely not nice being harassed when sick by work

I’m baffled that you think 3 times in 10 months is rare OP.. my husband rarely has time off sick meaning 1 day in 3 years, I’m rarely off sick meaning no days since 2019ish. 3 times in 10 months is a LOT, it’s certainly not what I would describe as rare. That would trigger most sickness absences.

No wonder people go into work sick............which they then also get moaned at for

At my work (charity) we don’t get paid for the first 3 days of sickness to stop people taking the piss. It’s amazing that most people can drag themselves out of bed when they’re not getting paid!

It would also trigger it in my work
place. 3 occasions in 12 months triggers it for me

Oh and I should just say that I worked through chemo because I only get 6 weeks sick pay before ssp kicks in and I needed to save that for when I had my breast removed!

It's called duty of care.
Imagine someone rings in with cold/flu but its really MH issues for example, or someone lives alone and is really ill. Your manager expected you in work that day so does have to chase up to see how you are and make sure you're supported.
Your absence also isn't rare so maybe they're worried there's a pattern.
Everyone wants to jump down managers throats all the time when someone is off but the duty of care and attendance protocol has to be followed. I once had a person awol and being worried, I went to their home. They had a massive seizure and were very unwell and if that's me being a big jobsworth I don't care because he got the medical attention he maybe wouldn't have received otherwise

Your works terrible policies are not something to be bragged about. You should have had chemo off.

in regards to the OP. I only check in at the end of self cert and then every sickline and I text first and arrange a time. So I do think your work is being unreasonable.

However I also agree 3 times a year is not rare but depends on your job. Office worker who can WFH it’s a high absence but a manual/hospitality etc worker who needs to be there in person I would say that’s about average.

Sorry you had to do that You shouldnt have had to

Chemo can cause horrible side effects like diarrheoa

You can self-certify for 7 days and then you need a fit note from your GP.

This isn't normal. Most companies only allow 3 days self-certification.

and it’s definitely not nice being harassed when sick by work

A single polite voicemail (that it seems like OP might never have even returned in 3 days) is not harrassment.

It’s not about the 3 days, it sounds like OP didn’t follow sickness and absence policy from the post they have put on.

Tbh, I've never worked anywhere where you couldn't self certify for the first 7 days (ie for five working days) - I think this is standard?

It would be a terrible waste of GP's time to expect them to certify absences that aren't even a week old.

That's a lot of sickness

I don’t think being off three times in a year is ‘rare’. Where I work, managers have the right to ring up and check in with you, and to find out when you think you will be back. Saying you’ll be off for a few days sounds like you don’t even want to try and return to work - normally a person would check in every day. You might be sick but you are still being paid by the company so you still owe them communication.

You rang in sick with D&V and your manager rang you back at lunchtime to discuss your absence? Wow.

I agree they should leave you alone when you are sick. If they need to discuss attendance, that is done when you are back to work.