Hey!
I'm looking for a bit of insight/advice please. I have an interview next week for my dream job in the Science sector within the NHS, it's very competitive but I feel like I have a good chance. However, my sickness record is incredibly poor and I'm so worried that if I get lucky enough to be offered the job, the offer will be rescinded based on my sickness record. It totals around 190 days in 2 years, which I know seems insane. I was off from February to August last year, and had a couple of absences before that due to suspected Endometriosis. (I think there were 2 of around 3-4 weeks before I was signed off long term). I was unable to work and unable to do anything really, besides lie on the sofa in pain. Because of the long wait list for NHS referrals it took around 11 months to be resolved (it was only resolved after saving enough money to go private). I had surgery and then an IUD inserted and have had no issues since then (beginning of August). During that time, my mum fell ill and was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer, she was expected to survive but unfortunately passed away very suddenly before she had the opportunity to start chemo. So last year was the worst year of my life, and I was very depressed. My employer was understanding during this time, however since then I've had 3 absences, one after getting the flu jab, one for tendonitis (I had to stay home and rest and due to working in a lab/cleanroom environment can't work from home) and one for norovirus. I received a verbal warning after the absence for tendonitis, and then a written warning for having to go off with norovirus. I tried to debate this, however given the sheer amount of absence was informed that it was company policy and that I can't expect special treatment. Anyway, I'm still a very valued member of my team and will receive a good reference from my manager and senior lead despite this. I know that the NHS reference asks for amount of absence/disciplinary action, will this completely rule me out as a potential candidate? Can anyone in NHS Recruitment please advise.
Thank you for reading 😊 I know it's very long!