Possible dismissal

[Beachxmumx]

I’m looking for advice really. I have been back to work for over a year now and in the last 6/7 months have had to take a total of three days off due to my partner being poorly and unable to look after our daughter.

I have recently had a meeting with my manager who has said that I will be going to a hearing about the most recent day off. I am now completely freaking out that I am going to potentially lose my job and equally my partner is upset.

Can they just dismiss me because of that or will it be a warning? Obviously these things have been unavoidable, and without going into detail my partner has been quite poorly.

Any reassurance would be great, as I’m currently sat applying for new jobs!! Might add 5 years service for this company.

You say you’ll be “going to a hearing”. Does that mean you’ve had a letter stating that taking this time off is considered a potential disciplinary offence and inviting you to a formal disciplinary hearing about it?

Have you got active warnings on your file already? Just wondering why you think you might be dismissed?

You are entitled to unpaid emergency dependants’ leave, so they can’t discipline you for that unless they have reason to believe it wasn’t a genuine emergency or something. Three days in 6/7 months is fairly high but there’s no specific limit so as long as they were all genuine emergencies that should be fine.

When you say you've been back at work for a year (and have been with the same employer for 5 years), what was the reason for your previous absence? Long term sick, a sabbatical, maternity leave? It might give a clearer picture of your total absence record.

I got told in the meeting that this will "have to go to a hearing" but as yet I haven't been given or sent anything to say when it is and what the offence is. My leave other than that has been fine, and my years leave was maternity leave.

And no active warnings and no real reason why I think I might be dismissed other than me freaking out and thinking the worst tbh. I can't think of any real reason why I could be dismissed apart from the amount of time off I have had. Other than that I'm a reliable, punctual and hard worker.

Do you have a company handbook? Does it detail anything in there regards sickness? Do you know what your Bradford score is?

Have they had a meeting with you to address the amount of time off sick?

I have to say, I hate things like this. Three individual days off, in emergency situations, which cannot be helped, and you're pulled into a "hearing". Way to treat your staff!!!

It is not op's sickness though but absence due to caring responsibilities/childcare. Read up on your company absence policy. Emergency time off may be covered but limited to making arrangements. If your dd was sorted elsewhere would you have taken the days off, is your dp's illness chronic? As your dd gets older is this situation likely to occur more frequently? If you could show you have a backup childcare plan or are willing to make alternative childcare arrangements to avoid future absences that would probably be enough.

I had a brief meeting with my manager a couple of months ago where it was highlighted about the amount of time I was "sick". But there was no verbal warning or anything it was just a general chat (or so I thought) nothing formal was completed no documentation or minutes to the meeting.

We have a young child, a mortgage etc and it's heart wrenching to think that it could be taken away because of this....

It is a chronic illness and we have also talked about alternative childcare in emergency circumstances. At the moment I'm not sure if it's a scare tactic just yet as I haven't heard anything, no letter or anything.

Few questions:

When you say back to work just over a year is that after mat leave or your total time employed by this company, how many years in service do you have?

How have the absences been recorded, sickness or dependants leave, were you paid?

What is your company policy re absence, eg 3 occasions in 12 months invokes the disciplinary process, stage 1 = verbal warning, stage 2 = writen warning .....

I meant alternative regular childcare , not just for emergencies. Is your dp likely to find looking after your dd more difficult as time goes on.

My partners illness should hopefully be stable as it is now under control and is on regular medication, and we know what to do when we have a flare up if that makes sense. So we will be able to manage.

As for the days off I'll have to go and look and see what it was put down as. And then I'll have to look at the sickness and absence policy to see if the days off have triggered the disciplinary action process.

Speaking about it now makes me see sense a bit more I think I have just freaked out about it.

Make sure the absence is recorded correctly. You weren't off sick, you were taking emergency dependants' leave, so people talking about Bradford factor or sick record or warnings for occasions are on the wrong track. For time off for emergencies involving dependants, those things aren't relevant, and can't 'trigger' anything at all.

Flowery thank you... will have to double check the days. I'm assuming I'll be able to see it on my payslip or login at work.