AIBU to be fed up with colleagues repeatedly off sick?

[IngridsLittleToe]

I'm going to get my arse handed to me and I don't care. Sick staff....I'm so over feeling sympathetic. I'm not talking really sick staff...I'm talking repeated back ache/gynae problems/migraine/back ache/sore throat/cold/depression/back ache/sinusitis/cold/sore big toe....

They have been on repeated sickness absence management and pull it back from the brink each time. Only to start all over again. Years and years of this. The rest of the team have to pick up the pieces, cancel their jobs to cover someone else's and the sickie doesn't have any loyalty at all.

The whole time they are sick they manage to socialise and do a voluntary role. Any attempt to manage the sickness is met with claims of bullying and then they go sick with anxiety.

All on full pay.

AIBU to think they are shamelessly playing the system and should be sacked

I hate being off work, I love my job.
You can imagine how angry I am that I keep having to cancel or rearrange my clients because my years running gynae issues have flared up again. I have a hospital visit today, tomorrow an injection. Because I am so sick, I have an NHS therapist who has told me I have to take one day off for bed rest each week (Thursday this week) so I can’t just move people around as easily any more.
It sucks, but when you really are this ill, it’s exhausting. And sometimes I can go and do voluntary work, sometimes I can’t get out of bed.
Maybe your colleague is like me? Or maybe they just pull sickies for the sake of “free time off” who knows: but either way the only thing we do know - it’s none of your business so head down, do your work and don’t pick up the slack.

It sounds rather like DSis' department which had seven admin staff of which only three ever came into work consistently. With the other four it was exactly the pattern you're talking about, OP. Eventually the penny dropped, there was a major reconsideration of workload and someone noticed that, if the work was getting done with only three admin staff then that was probably all that they needed. They went through the farce of a redundancy exercise which left the three reliable ones in post - but the others were just redeployed elsewhere in the (public sector) organisation where they presumably carried on in just the same way.

Yeah but this is what you don't get management can't teach these kids, they can't set and mark exam classes. It always falls on a colleague to do more...and no a supply won't be able to do this... and yes teachers do have integrity and don't want these kids future screwed up by not having an English teacher for a year at GCSE. Sickness does affect colleagues

But when you are a teacher you care about the kids and their results. You may have taught them for almost 7 years - you want them to succeed. It’s not as easy to say it’s someone else’s problem when it’s their GCSEs or A Levels. Especially with niche subjects where supply isn’t easy to get hold of.

Totally this.

I employ people with lots of medical conditions and over the years many more. Its the same few that will ruin working conditions for the others.

People on this thread will be triggered because this hits close to home. Some of you have genuine need not to work. Some of you believe you do. If you a) don't get paid b) don't put "working" at the bottom of your things you need to do today whilst "shopping" going for coffee" is above that and are off sick then you would get my full support.

I would give part of my wages to help someone struggling financially because of ill health...that's the honest truth and have done so once.

The people who think that attending work is bottom of the list and still get paid.... we see you

Is part of the problem not also doctors who seem to sign anyone who ask off for whatever length they ask for?

I think the Civil Service and Local Government should stop paying full pay when staff are off sick. Stats show that public sector staff take more days off sick than those in the private sector.

How frustrating!

I never understand why the public sector tolerates this behaviour. I'm so sorry that you have to deal with this.

I think in healthcare, this is classic burn out behaviour. I don't think these people did their training only for this to become their norm.
I think we should accept pensioning off after a certain time rather than the current situation.

I think the issue is Public Sector sickness policies. In the private sector, if you are unable to perform your job for/after certain period of time, capability procedure is started. It’s not a question of whether or not you are genuinely ill or not - its whether you can do your job.

That’s why people have health insurances, etc and why we have a benefit system - to provide a safety net for those who are not well enough to work full-time or at all.

Nice! I was hod. Eventually we had supply in but tricky when the guy was in one day, out the next.

Well don't run yer business then, if you can't afford to look after your staff. Sounds like you want staff to work when they are sick.

So you’ve got access to this persons medical notes and you are posting about her on a public forum. Mm very professional!

Thing is everyone is talking about the public sector as if oh, dear, they have a problem -when WE have a problem - can’t care for the ill properly as understaffed or even babies dying due to poor maternity care (also affected by staffing) - it’s my tax paying you even if you’re at home with your feet up and Govs answer is tax more and throw money at it instead of putting their big girl pants on and changing employment laws and fixing the problem once and for all.
we haven’t had a decent gov for years

How much lower would council tax be if everyone on the public sector payroll was actually made to WORK for a living instead of skiving off?

It’s just not that simple. Some roles are historically understaffed and removing sick pay benefit would make it even less attractive. Carrying multiple vacancies in a team dealing with serious and high pressure work is a cause of ill health through stress. Of course there are people that take the piss and there needs to be better ways of managing that but collectively punishing everyone isn’t going to work.

And - in years to come we are going to have to fund their pensions -there was a big recruitment drive in the nhs in the 70s -these people will be retiring now and receive pensions for the next 20+ years paid by us

Public sector jobs have a disproportionate amount of female employees and sickness will be higher due to maternity, gynae, children bringing home a viral load from nursery and I'm glad we provide an enviroment which minimises stress on women who have these challenges.

I'm glad to support people to work with disabilities or chronic conditions.

It doesn't mean we are a charity paying people not capable of doing the job. 50% sickness is unsustainable. The public are served (or not) by these employees. All the people defending the right of someone to repeatedly go sick.....we are not talking average sickness...we are talking excessive absence and then returning on phased return and then claiming back their annual leave accrued whilst off... you get a few fulltime days per year from them. If your child was sent home or your clinic appt was cancelled and you were rescheduled to the date sick employee could see you (I'll be honest with you...it will be rescheduled again because they'll go off again) you might have some idea why it's an issue. You are protected from that by their colleagues who step up and do someone else's job for them

Annual leave accrued when off sick is nothing to do with the employee off sick. That is simply how it is, because time off sick is not annual leave. It is someone being to ill to work.
And you can signed off sick and still go shopping and for coffee. Or are people off sick expected to be in their homes until the say they return to work?

And you can signed off sick and still go shopping and for coffee. Or are people off sick expected to be in their homes until the say they return to work?

I mean I can see how this might apply sometimes - someone off with severe depression perhaps. But honestly, on the whole, if I am ill enough to be off work then I would not be well enough to go shopping or for coffee.

It depends why you are off sick. Bed bound with flu, yeah you will be too ill.
But you get signed off of work, not life.

Can you clarify how you have access to their medical records? Other than a self-certification or a sick note?

But if you're too ill to take your annual leave when off sick, so you can replace it later, why don't you also have to replace the work you were too ill to do? Seems like a bit of imbalance there.

What is wrong with people who hate to work?

Of course! Absolutely get signed off work, take your salary and go and live the best life! It’s your right!! And if the colleagues picking up your work aren’t doing with with glee and aplomb? They’re clearly evil and well and truly jel!