Advice - One day sick leave - how much info do you 'have' to give?

[Chottie]

I visited a consultant's clinic and following this have been booked in to have an gynae procedure later in the month. It will be one day surgery under a general anesthetic and it is on a Friday. So I will just need one day off work and will not require a sick note.

Do I have to tell my Line Manager exactly what I am having done? It is personal, she is a work colleague and not a close friend and I really don't want to give all the ins and outs unless I 'have' to.

Please can someone advise me?

Check your company policy but most will honour hospital appointments as paid leave without a problem and you shouldn't need to disclose the details. Do you have an appointment letter to show , just in case ?

I've had two quite major gynae ops in the last 18 months. IME, as soon as you say the word gynae they don't want to know any more! Those that did, got the gory details and wished they hadn't asked.....

I don't think you need to give any info at all - ive handed in sick notes saying "surgery", "post-surgery recovery", and (my personal favourite) "illness" and it's never been questioned.

I've usually said I have a medical appointment, and usually haven't been questioned further. If it turned out to be something which would result in ongoing appointments, I would probably give a summary.

I did offer to tell them all the details if they really wanted... So far, they've always declined. I suspect my embarrassment threshold is higher than theirs, so it's probably for the best.

All you need to state is "surgical procedure". I personally wouldn't give any further details .

Long story, but I was livid with my boss as sickness absence reports were submitted to our Board of a Trustees. They were anonymised, but unfortunately I was still identifiable. During the quarter that I needed a couple of weeks off nobody else was absent from my department, and the spreadsheet stated "gynae surgery" . I wasn't too pleased when one of the Trustees asked me how I was as "surgery on my womb" must have made me very uncomfortable. I was mortified. I had a hospital sick note that stated "gynae surgery", but if I was ever in that position again I'd request the doctor was less specific. But it's difficult to think straight after a general anaesthetic. At least you can self-certify as it is just one day!

No. I've had time off work for surgery as part of my IVF treatment and didn't tell work a thing. Just said I was having minor gynae op.

Thanks everyone, I will stick to my guns :)

By the way, has the consultant said you will be ok to go back to work on the Monday. I also had one day gynae surgery and had two weeks off.

Unfortunately ( as my ex nurse mum kept saying) - bodies don't know that surgery is one day or in hospital for two weeks.

Thank you bookish I didn't even think about that. I have a pre op assessment early next week and I will check with the nurse.

It just shows how tied we are to work and how scared to take time off.... I had another unrelated op earlier this year and took the time off for surgery and recovery as leave.......