WIBU to confront my manager?

[Disillusioned1111]

I started a new job at the end of July. I work nights, my manager works days. I’ve only seen her in person twice since I started the job, once at my induction and once at a team meeting during the day. Last week I was off sick, with a flare up of a long term chronic health condition. I told my manager about this when I was employed as my condition is classed as a disability. I tried to call in on Monday but the phone lines were down, so I emailed her and explained and I told her that I would let her know when I was ready to return to work, no problems. I returned to work last night, having completed my return to work interview via phone. There was an envelope waiting on the office desk with the RTW form for me to sign. In it she has mentioned that I failed to call in on a daily basis and must do so in future. I was a bit miffed because she didn’t mention this on the phone or when I called in, but okay. Bit OTT in my opinion, but fine if that’s procedure. However I then sat down to read the minutes from the weekly team meeting on the Wednesday I was off. ( Night staff don’t get a team meeting, we are just expected to read the minutes posted on a notice board). In it she informs the team that another staff member has left, and then on the line below -

”Disillusioned - no idea what’s happening with her?”

I’m furious. Number one, she knows full well that I was off sick, and why. Number two, why was that being discussed at a team meeting? It’s none of anybody else’s business why I’m off sick, my absence has no direct impact on the day team, I’ve never worked with them or even met all but one of them!!

WIBU to mention this to my manager?

Your manager's choice of words probably look harsher in writing, as you can't hear her tone of voice, but if she hadn't heard from you, she wasn't sure when you'd be back. She wasn't necessarily being nasty in her words.

I don't see why this needs to be a confrontation.

You could just say something like, I didn't realise I had to call in daily. I see from the minutes it left you unsure about what was happening. We didn't have to do daily calls in my last place, if I had known I'd have done that.

Job done.

So why bother confronting her?

Expend your energy on job hunting because I suspect the decision will shortly be taken out of your hands anyway

No, absences don’t require cover unless a certain number of people are off. I was the only person off last week.

Sacking someone for disability related sickness IS discriminatory.

She did know because OP had emailed her.

Erm, you absolutely can. I have a disability and as long as capability procedures are followed they can indeed sack you for sickness whether it's disability related or not.

Because she shouldn’t be discussing employee sickness with other employees. Why wouldn’t I mention it to her?

Well they wouldn’t have to say a thing other than

“you haven’t passed your probation”

She didn’t

she said she had no idea about you

zero mention of sickness

I’d suggest you do some research on that.

https://landaulaw.co.uk/probation/

I don't know why people keep banging on about your contract OP, I have never in my 24 year working career ever had a contract that contains such detail as requiring daily phone calls when off sick.

Contracts usually just state what pay you get when off sick.

The process for informing the employer is nearly always detailed in the Sickness Policy, NOT a contract of employment.

I don't think you did anything wrong, as you say you can't call in sick every day if you haven't been made aware that's the policy or directed to where you can read the sickness policy. You've acknowledged this though and said you will do so in future.

As I read the OPs posts the issue isn't with having to phone in every day.

The issue is the totally unprofessional behaviour of the line manager in not only saying what she has (unnecessarily) in a team meeting but recording it in the minutes as well!

Yes on the Monday

the meeting was on the Wednesday. She had no idea whether the op would be in that night. Because two days previously the op has said she’d “let her know” when she up for returning. What does that mean… two hours before shift starts?

Your manager sounds really unprofessional. Yes, I think you should definitely bring up the meeting minutes and I’d also say that you’re happy to call in every day that you’re off sick in future but that you hadn’t been aware that this is the policy. Manager could also have replied to your email, wishing you better and explaining that you’d need to briefly phone each day you’re off.

I’d also remind her that you did call on the first day but couldn’t get through. Your manager shouldn’t be discussing your sick leave in a team meeting beyond a factual “Jenny is on sick leave and we’re expecting her to be off until Friday. Until then, Adam please can you cover Jenny’s daily reports.”

Surely that's worse? She implied that OP was skiving off work for no good reason and hadn't been in touch to let anyone know what was going on.

Did you actually read that op

They can say you didn’t pass your probation. Simple. As. That.

You’re clearly going out of your way to be deliberately obtuse on this thread so I’m just going to ignore your responses now.

Or that she simply had no idea whether the op would be in for her night shift that day

Op

you don’t have a contract
you’re on probation
you’re job hunting

I think this will all rather neatly resolve itself with you not passing your probation but already having a job lined up to go to

@Nuttyroche given the OP said she would contact her manager when she was coming back, the fact she hadn't contacted her manager on Wednesday should be a dead give away that she wouldn't be in, no?

It's not rocket science.

I’ve already had all my probationary assessment paperwork signed off as competent. Sickness would be the only reason they could cite now, and yes, they do provide a reason for failure of probation even though they aren’t required to.

Exactly, that’s exactly how I feel!

The op works nights

this was during the day

so the manager had no idea whether the op was going to let her know whether she’d be in that night or not

and when you returned on Monday oP - how and when did you let her know that you would be returning?

Didn't the "no idea whats happening iwth here" just mean she didn't know when you'd return to work? Could probably have been phrased better for people who weren't at the meeting.

No contract
but all your probationary paperwork signed off?

They aren’t required to

so they wouldn’t