Off sick and manager wants to have a catchup?

[Applerumbles]

I’ve been off sick from work with MH issues for well over a year.
My line manager has just emailed to ask tor a catchup call to see how I am and what they can do to support me.
I can’t face talking to him (or anyone really) so would it be ok to say that I’m not well enough for a call and that I am still getting medical treatment for my illness?
Im not sure he should be contacting me if I am off sick and providing fitnotes?

I don’t deserve the degree of vitriol I am getting for a post in the MH section.

You sound incredibly entitled. And yes your employer is entitled to speak with you - in fact they should really have been doing this regularly

I also had 2 semi formal meetings with hr to talk about my situation, progression, phased return etc and they'll talk to you about different sickness stages in their policy. If there is no reasonable chance of you ever returning to work they will move to dismiss you/retire you. The policy is the same whether it's physical or mental, mine wa also a mixture of both.

I am in a union so maybe I should ask them to help me deal with this.

If you were in one of my staff I’d have been calling you every 2-4 weeks. Is this the first time he’s asked for contact?

You don't. It sounds like you are having an awful time but you still have to try and engage with the sickness policy unfortunately.

Thank you.

Absolutely. They'll explain things for you as well so you know what to expect and what you can reasonably expect from your employer etc.

About 10 years ago I had this (as a manager) and spoke to a HR advisor about how to deal with the situation. I was told that I had to remain in touch - not in any sort of hassling way and not trying to override the doctors fit notes, but because its important to do so.

As others say, Im surprised they hadnt contacted you before.

I used to agree the next call at the end of the previous and always said if she wasnt up to it to ask her husband to call me and rearrange. I think I called her monthly.

I agree catch up calls are normal. While there are rules about what an employer can or can't sack you for, it is perfectly ok for them to periodically ask what the situation is. While I'm not aware of an exact time frame, they are paying you and therefore they have a right to know what is happening with you.

I have never heard of someone keeping a position open for more than a year and I think its a little unreasonable to expect a company to keep an employee on record after a year of them being too ill to work, sorry OP. I think after a year, it's time for long term sickness benefits if you can't work.

I work in IT and nobody has ever had more than 6m off sick with anything - stress, cancer, anything, without being managed out by month 7 or 8. No insurance scheme though where I have worked.

Sorry you have been so ill and sorry you are having to consider other options (once you get to the 2y mark with the insurance maybe?)

NHS worker here. When I was off having both hips replaced I had to speak to my manager every single week, it's in our procedure. They need to know what is going on and you are obliged to keep them up to date.

I am sympathetic to your illness, but you cannot expect your workplace to just hold open your position indefinitely. At some point it has to become an employment separation rather than a leave.

It's completely reasonable for your manager to meet/catch up with you while you're off sick. My employer allows someone to attend the meeting, a colleague or trade union rep, for support. Is this option open to you?

All employers should have procedures in place to support employees back to work and if there is no scope for return, then it's reasonable to consider medical redeployment, ill health retirement, or dismissal - depending on individual circumstances.

My employer's sickness policy, for example, is that contact is maintained/welfare meetings carried out every 2 to 4 weeks, and a referral to Occupational Health is made in the first 2 weeks of absence with subsequent referrals made for long term absences. You would not be left, under any circumstances, for a year whether you're paid or not.

It is more difficult to communicate when seriously mentally ill though.

That is absolutely essential. I'm with Unison and they have a very large legal section and can tell you what is and is not reasonable.

If you can’t predict that you’ll be well enough to return to work then surely the best option would be to leave? You’ve already had a year off and not even up for a conversation with your manager to keep them in the loop. They’re asking if they can help you! What do you plan to do stay on sick forever?

Just saw this post from OP. Absolutely talk to your union. I am certain they have dealt with similar situations before.

I think this is a great idea, my family member is a union rep and helps people in the NHS etc with things like this. They will tell you to engage with the long term sickness process though, which does include keeping in touch with HR, as per ACAS guidelines https://www.acas.org.uk/sick-leave which might be useful. The frequency should have been agreed before a year though.

You just need to follow whatever the required process is. I'd contact your union or the insurer who is paying your sick pay to find out what your obligations to your employer are. There may be none, but it would probably be good for your mental health to at least have clarity on that point.

It’s not the best option for me to leave as I would lose the income from the company income protection plan

@ApplerumblesYou’re able to communicate clearly on here so surely you can engage with your employer who is simply doing their job. You’re still employed by the company and they are trying to communicate with you but you seem determined not to. And to answer your earlier question, of course it would be the same for a physical illness, I’m not sure why you think it would be any different.

From an employer's point of view, you are leaving them in limbo without adequate updates and no awareness of if you will ever go back. Businesses are vulnerable and need to plan ahead for staffing issues, and to have someone off sick for over a year is a major strain.

It is not necessarily about what it costs them but about the functionality of the business and department. If you don't see yourself returning in the next 12 weeks, I would say it is time to resign.

I was once in a situation where I was off ill a fair bit and then in addition, my dad died so I was off to address the probate and sell the house (work was five hours away from where I was needed, back where my parents lived).

I took the pragmatic view that I could not keep work hanging on without me knowing when I'd go back, so I resigned right away. They then did the decent thing for me too, and provided redundancy pay even though I was not redundant. Think of how you can be fair.

I also saw my ex-partner keep his employer hanging on for 18 months due to his mental health issues, and it turned out he had no intention of returning. He had not provided them any updates at all, just saying 'I am still receiving treatment.'

It caused a major problem in the construction business as he was the site manager.

Yes, you could ask for written email communication only maybe? If you read the ACAS guidelines, you can also nominate a friend or family member to speak to them if your mental health issues make it difficult.

No but in order to continue to receive that company paid benefit you need to engage with the process and policies.