Can employers visit you at home if you've got your 1st 4wk sicknote?

[Bendi]

My Mum has her 1st sicknote in more than 20 years, for depression. She's received a letter saying her senior line Manager & HR bod will come to her home next Thursday week to 'offer her support'.

Is this harrassment or am I being too quick to be cross on her behalf? Appreciate any advice please, she has a 'phone appointment with the Dr this Thursday & can't get thru' to her union rep, but is understandably anxious.

No, not harassment. Perfectly normal and very supportive to visit someone at home when they are off with depression or similar. They will probably want to know if anything work-related is causing or contributing so they can address it, and just see how she is doing. Give them a chance to be nice!

Of course if they are not nice, come back here, but don't assume all sorts of terrible things. If your mum is never ever off sick reasonable of them to be more concerned than with someone who has a headache or upset tummy every month.

Thanks flowerybeanbag - just being overprotective I guess, tho' they did send a memo to all staff last year that if you're off sick you're only allowed to go out for bread & milk..... Suppose they have a problem with swingers of lead .

Rofl at needing a memo about only being allowed to go out for bread and milk, that's a classic!

Oh and just to add, if they have an absence problem it's quite likely that these home visits are part of a policy to address it, triggered automatically by absences over x days or something. In which case swingers of lead should be very concerned, non-swingers need not worry in the slightest.

lol @ at milk & bread too

glad to see flowery's got here already

was going to say we have a policy thing to say that we should keep in contact with employees who are off for a month or more, and arrange to visit them at home [which is of course informal and nice as fbb says] during this time. All staff are aware that this is how things go. On the whole it seems to make things easier for the person who is off to get back - less of feeling out-of-touch and stuff. When I do this with any of my lot, I tend to turn up with bunch of flowers - but I'm just soft

Thanks both, we really appreciate it. So lets hope we have a nice gigglewitch alike armed with gerberas. Cheers.

I have become a lot less soft as my career goes on, but retain a soft spot for people like your mum Bendi, who would benefit from Flowery flowers as well. Paid for by the manager of course...

Thanks, I'm sure it'll be fine, good job well done MN'ers. xx Look forward to giggley gerberas & flowery freesias.

my friend had a visit like this and we were all suss they were checking up on her. Turned out it was for her benefit, to see what they could do to help.