Dismissed from work.

[user1464187087]

Good evening,
Please be gentle with me.
I was dismissed from work a few months ago. I worked as a staff member for the police for nearly 26 years.
For many years I worked as a police 999 Call Handler and ended up sufferring with anxiety as a result. I took calls from people who comitted suicide, died in fatal house fires, people that witnessed fatal road traffic collisions and a hell of a lot more.
I was dismissed because of my sickness due to anxiety and feel it was unfair.
I was in a union and felt that they didn't help me.
Am I being unreasonable to think this is unfair?
I didn't have months off sick and had been back working full time for four months at the time of my dismissal.
I started working there when I was 17 and was dismissed when I was 42.
I can't seem to get over it.
Sorry for the long post.

Police HR here…. Capability is a LONG process, with a huge period of investigation.
There is more to this story I would wager.
Was the desk job a temp redeployment?

But what was your sick leave pattern for the last two years?

Post deleted as the thread had moved on, my phone hadn’t loaded the page properly.

I'm sorry you're upset but you repeatedly say you haven't been off sick for four months.

It kinda indicates you've been off sick for quite a lot, repeatedly, and not doing so for four months is an achievement of sorts?

I feel you havent really given the full picture here. Maybe not intentionally, but also maybe intentionally

These kinds of discrimination cases are well worth exploring. Stand up for yourself, OP!

So to clarify-
you worked as a call handler, found it extremely stressful and had long periods of sickness which resulted in going through stages to a capacity meeting. In that time you moved to another role within the police and worked with no issues? And they then sacked you?
id get some legal advice, it seems unfair you moved roles and was then sacked despite no issues. That’s like a reasonable adjustment that was successful, they shouldn’t have needed to sack you as the issue had gone. And does sickness carry over from one role to another? Or does starting a new role reset it? It really depends on the policy within the company. It does seem very unfair though.

How long had you been in the new role?
Are you saying you had no sick days at all in that new role?

They could argue that you had lots of time off sick but then as soon as the dismissal process started - you didn’t have any more sick days which looks odd.

But if it was simply a case that you got a new role, which suited you much better then you could argue that your lack of sick days was because your MH was directly related to the old role.

My colleague had a lot of time off and it was a nightmare to try and get rid of him.
They started the dismissal process and then all of a sudden he had no more absences - they foolishly stopped the process and now he’s back to having lots of absences and now they’re struggling to get rid of him again.

It’s horrible as this job was part of your identity but in all honesty it sounds as though this job is not good for you and you needed to completely step away from that area all together anyway - this has just forced your hand.
You know that you could not continue working there for the next 20 years.

Its time to put your health first and start a new career where you can use your transferable skills but not make yourself ill.

It is only fair to the taxpayer and your colleagues- who have to step in to cover you. If you aren’t fit for this role that someone else is employed who can carry out this important job. It is time to look for a different line of work

Sorry but do you expect to have a job forever when you don't turn up ?

Don't employers have a duty of care to their employees? Especially emergency service workers?

You have 3 months from the termination claim to commence legal proceedings. In practice this means contacting Acas, who offer a free conciliation service, as a first step.

If you had anxiety so serious you couldn't carry out the role then you likely meet the threshold for being classed as disabled under the Equality Act (doesn't matter if you don't 'feel' disabled). If so, they had a duty to make reasonable adjustments in order to allow you to carry out the role. That doesn't mean continuing to employ someone who can't provide reliable service but it does mean cutting you some slack and maybe applying the capability procedure less rigidly. If they don't make adjustments then it's disability discrimination and unfair dismissal, entitling you to compensation.

If it was me I'd contact Acas. Even if you're outside the 3 month limit, in discrimination cases the time limit can sometimes be extended.

Come on OP
Tell us the full story and not just your side
Capability procedures take years!

Op, you’re focusing on how long you were back in role for when it happened, but capability procedures take a long time, particularly in the police.

how long were you off before this, what did your absence record look like over the whole period since you stated struggling and how long were you off, over what period, in the new role.

then when did the procedure start versus when you came back . I assume it started then you returned?

when you did return, did you still suffer anxiety, was that apparent in how you were able to do your role?

Yes I have a family member who is police, and they had to do this, I think the process took a year or two, it is not quick, so there is something missing here.

the police don’t dismiss anyone without all the evidence in place, being absolutely certain, and covering every single angle including discrimination.

which makes me think that’s why acas couldn’t help at the time, every single box was ticked, and this was the only opton, and this must have been going on for a very long time indeed, and the 4 months back would look like she came back to keep her job at the very end of ghe process.

I just want to say Thank You 💐 to you for doing such a tough job as the 999 call handler.
I hope you feel better soon and find a role that suits you, if you haven’t already done so.

OP, I’m sorry you have been through this experience.
In this context fair has two meanings- fair morally which has zero impact on anything, and fair legally which could only be agreed on by going through a legal process.
In your head you need to accept that differentiation.

If you decide to proceed down a legal route then my advice is to do that properly. But you also need to be realistic with yourself as to the likely outcome (Legally fair from the small amount of information you’ve given). What outcome are you looking for?

Are you conveniently forgetting the part where she talks about the nature of her job as a call handler and the impact it had on her mental health? This is considered an industrial injury nowadays, and as such she should be compensated instead of cast out.
A good friend of mine worked as a call handler for the Ambulance service. She lasted 2 years before she had to leave due to the stress of the job. Turnover is very high for the same reason.

Was ill health retirement never given as an option ?

Surely if you can't cope with a job, which is known to be stressful, you ensure you have good coping mechanisms, look after yourself, ask for help, look for another role, not keep going off bloody sick!

Too young probably.

It’s not conscription.

I think you should take legal advice. You might have a case for personal injury.
This would be separate from any claim regarding your dismissal and I believe you have 3 years to bring a claim.

Can you give more detail of how long and frequent you were off for?

If the dismissal was 4 months ago please dont contact ACAS as any potential case you might bring would be "out of time".

You must have had an awful lot if time off from your job to be dismissed.

If the job caused you anxiety then it wasnt a good fit for you so perhaps it's good that you find something new.

Never "too young" for IHR.