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Original poster

Part-timers - if you're off sick on a working day, do you go in on a non-working day?

30 replies

MrsQueen · 08/09/2014 20:40

Hi, grateful for views on this.

I work 4 days a week - was full time but have a chronic health problem which leaves me very tired, so wanted more time to rest.

I'm now pregnant, having a difficult pregnancy and have had a lot of sick leave.

My manager has suggested that if I have one of my normal working days off sick, then I could come in on my non-working day instead to make the time up.

It wasn't phrased as an instruction - it was more that I'd said I was having difficulty finishing some of my projects (which affects my performance rating if I don't finish them), and she suggested that as a solution.

Wondering what anybody else thinks of this?

OP posts:
iliketea · 08/09/2014 20:43

I would say if you're sick, then you don't make up the time on your day off. She wouldn't expect some who worked full-time to make up a sick day at the weekend, so why should you do it on a day you don't normally work.

Cataline · 08/09/2014 20:44

Definitely not!

Original poster
MrsQueen · 08/09/2014 20:45

Thanks iliketea that's kind of what I thought but my sickness leave really is very bad, so I suppose I'm wondering if it's gone too far now and I should just suck it up and work when I can....

OP posts:
noblegiraffe · 08/09/2014 20:47

No. You could have another job on those days!

AlpacaMyBags · 08/09/2014 20:47

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

fanjobiscuits · 08/09/2014 20:47

No I wouldn't

BranchingOut · 08/09/2014 20:50

No. Certainly not at the request of your employer.

But I think the context of whether or not you would choose to do so depends on the job. Professional jobs with a high salary often include out of hours work as a matter of course, so in my previous job I would invariably work at the weekend. There was often even more to do if I had been sick in the week and got a bit behind.

cece · 08/09/2014 20:51

No I do not!

sleepyhead · 08/09/2014 20:56

I don't (although I would finish any time sensitive work at home if possible, and maybe even go in if necessary - but on my own initiative, my boss would never, ever suggest it.)

However, dh gets statutory sick pay only and his employer has a very strict absence management policy, so he will ask to make time up rather than have a sickness strike against him & reduced pay if possible.

tinkerbellvspredator · 08/09/2014 20:56

Pregnancy related illness is not counted towards your sickness absence. Make sure it isn't being counted incorrectly / you report it as pregnancy related.

However in other circumstances (not pregnant) I might consider doing this as very poor attendance can result in action and ultimately dismissal.

Lagoonablue · 08/09/2014 20:57

Sickness while pregnant is not counted iyswim.

Iggly · 08/09/2014 20:58

No way.

Would working from home help at all?

Floralnomad · 08/09/2014 20:59

I think your manager is trying to be helpful : if for example you normally work mon- Thursday and need to take wed off sick she's saying you can call wed your day off and come in on Friday instead - hence you won't be counted as being off sick , which has got to be better in the long term . If my scenario is right then that's very flexible of them .

Original poster
MrsQueen · 08/09/2014 21:00

Thanks for the comments.

I suppose if something was really urgent (and only I could do it) then I might go in on a weekend, so working on my non-working day is sort of the same. But that's not really the problem - I'm not missing any real deadlines, it's just that I won't meet my objectives for the year in terms of finishing my projects.

I was quite taken aback by the suggestion tbh - but I wanted to get a sanity check from mumsnet of whether everybody else does this and I was just being unreasonable!

OP posts:
Frontier · 08/09/2014 21:00

Absolutely not! However, I probably would work longer hours in my first few days back to catch up, especially if that would be the norm for full-timers. Depends really if it's a salaried or hourly paid type job.

If I was complaining to my boss that I had more work than I could do in my allotted hours, after I'd been off sick, he might suggest that I work an extra day to catch up but I would absolutely expect to be paid for it.

Meglet · 08/09/2014 21:01

No.

I don't think pregnancy sickness can count against you either.

ChillySundays · 08/09/2014 21:06

If you are not being paid then the offer of coming in on your day off means you don't loose any money

zipzap · 08/09/2014 21:13

Does your boss know that you're pregnant, is he marking you down as being absent due to being pregnant and does he realise that being absent due to being pregnant is different legally compared with just being absent because you're sick?

Do you have an HR department or could you talk to your boss - if your performance rating is going to be affected because you are having to have lots of time off sick due to being pregnant, can they change what you are due to do - so say you are only there for 2 days a week at the moment (fingers crossed it will pass and you'll be feeling much better soon!) they need to be judging you on doing your 2 days work in 2 days, not judging you on only doing 2 days work instead of 4 days work iyswim - where you're going to be at a disadvantage from the beginning as you're obviously not going to be able to do 4 days work in 2 days, particularly if this is a situation that could take a few weeks or months rather than be a one off week or two.

What I think I'm trying to say - your boss should be cutting the number of your projects rather than expecting you to come in when you are off.

BackforGood · 08/09/2014 21:17

From your title, I was going to say 'No', but reading your post, I'd give some consideration to what Floral said.

A colleague of mine had run out of sick leave, and she worked together with our manager to form an agreement that she could work more flexibly, so that she was able to work on the days she was feeling better and rest on the less good days, without losing anymore days, which she wouldn't be paid for. I think that's a positive, not a negative.

Original poster
MrsQueen · 08/09/2014 21:17

That's interesting zipzap thanks - their attitude is definitely that I'm supposed to be doing the projects that are allocated for 4 days a week, they don't reduce those for sickness leave.

They definitely know I'm pregnant (bump too big to hide even if I wanted to!) and are marking the sick leave as pregnancy related. I do get paid for the time off sick, and wouldn't get any extra pay for choosing to voluntarily work on my normal non-working day.

I suppose it's a relationship thing - maybe in the interests of my long term relationship with them it would be better to show willing/make the effort and go in the extra days, I feel like at the moment they're losing patience with my sickness levels.

OP posts:
Original poster
MrsQueen · 08/09/2014 21:19

Just to clarify - my sick pay is discretionary, as I've used up the contractual amount, but at the moment they are still paying it and have said there are no plans to stop paying. So really working extra days wouldn't benefit me financially, but I wondered whether it was "the norm" and maybe I was just being silly?

I was very non-committal when it was suggested, so haven't agreed or anything.

OP posts:
NoSquirrels · 08/09/2014 21:25

Depends. I work p/t. If it's possible for me to swap days instead of being absent I do so, but with childcare booked on specific days it's rare that it's possible. Or I'll work from home if needed.And I'd only do it if I knew my workload/the business was critical - I am prepared to be as flexible as possible in order to create goodwill that I then get back when i need a favour (teacher strike days at short notice).

But yes, check the pregnancy sickness reporting and be clear if it's too help your record or benefit them!

IsItMeOr · 08/09/2014 21:26

This looks helpful.

I think your manager is trying to be helpful, but is in fact being deeply misguided.

"Your employer should record any pregnancy-related sickness absence
separately from other sick leave, so that pregnancy-related sickness absence is not used as a reason for disciplinary action, dismissal or redundancy."

Do you have a union rep or HR person you could speak to? I don't think you can be penalised for missing objectives due to pregnancy-related sickness absence.

flowery · 09/09/2014 10:06

Sounds to me as though the employer is recording pregnancy related sickness absence separately, quite rightly, and there is nothing to suggest the OP is going to be disciplined, dismissed or made redundant because of the absence.

OP if you were not being paid for sickness absence and were feeling fit enough to go in on another day, then it is good of your employer to offer that flexibility and you could have considered it.

However as you are (currently) being paid anyway, there is no need to go in on another day unless you want to, and it doesn't sound as though you are being pressured to, which is exactly right. You say yourself it was a suggestion not an instruction, so it's entirely up to you.

treadheavily · 09/09/2014 10:14

When I was PT I did make up sick days when I could. It was my choice. I wanted to jave leave available for emergencies and also keep up with my work.