home visit for sickness absence - what is the purpose?

[pavlovthesmugcat]

My boss told me yesterday that I have to have a home visit as I have been off sick since 26th April (with gp certificate) for hyperemesis (i work part time).

She gave me no reason for the visit only that she had to visit this week, and can only do this evening at 5pm.

I have agreed, but I don't feel comfortable about her coming to my home. I don't get on with her really. We get on fine with 'work' stuff but not with 'manager/employee' stuff (mainly as she is a crap manager and I make sure she does things properly in relation to me). She is notorious for not correctly recording/taking from meetings the content that was discussed, she hears what she wants to and acts like that was discussed and agreed. She takes things and twists them to suit her needs and I dislike meeting with her at the best of times at work let alone when I am in my own home.

Our policy I beleive states 20 days is the trigger for home visits, but I am sure it it recommended not compulsory? Can I refuse her to come to my home when I am off sick?

Dh has recently had a long period of sickness which triggered the home visit thing.

I think it's meant to be a way of your employer staying in touch and making sure they know what they can do to support you. But in reality it feels intrusive and like they're checking up on you.

He went in for a pointless meeting at his work instead as he felt uncomfortable about his boss coming here. Boss couldn't have cared less and it was obviously a box ticking exercise.

flowerybeanbag! Oh I don't know what to do. I would prefer to go into the office, but she has arranged it for 5pm as her diary is full. No-one will be around.

Ok firstly as they are your employers, they are entitled and indeed probably required to make contact to check on your welfare.

As this seems to be an official visit, I believe you have the right to ask for someone else to be there with you.

If you are in the union I would definitely ask for someone from the union to be there and take notes and if they are unable to make that date and time then you could ask for the meeting to be moved to a time that they can make it.

Failing that is there anyone else that can come along, a close friend or someone you trust. I don't think they need to be from work. Alternatively you could request someone from HR to be there.

I really think from all you have said that a third person there is vital as you don't have a good relationship and you do want to make sure all the vital points are covered.

Personally I would go for the home visit rather than in the office, you are on home territory and as someone who has had to do home visits, it does make the whole thing more personal and less work focused than it would be in the office.

Prior to the meeting have a think about what points you want to get across such as :

a) Level of sickness - don't be shy to be detailed about this, maybe a list of how many times per day you are sick or something similar

b) What the GP says - Do they think it will ease of or are you likely to have this for the whole pregnancy, you poor thing if so

c) Your keeness to have an OH referral for both you and your managers best interests

If it were me I'd make a list of what I want to cover.

Also make sure that you are demonstrating how reasonable you are i.e. provided you are comfortable with it say you have no problem with them accessing your GPs notes

I'd say they were on a very sticky wicket trying to pursue a pregnancy related illness down the normal absence procedures, so keep that in mind and try to keep very very calm.

Good luck.

Darn, whilst typing my long message, flowerybeanbag covered the points much more eloquently than myself.

You're perfectly within your rights to phone up just now and say "look I've been thinking about tonight and I'd rather come into the office. When suits you?".

Tbh, I doubt she's really that keen to come out to see you after work unless it's a scam to slope off early and she lives round the corner from you .

Ok, this is what I have done...i have emailed my union rep, copied in my manager and asked if he could attend the meeting this evening along with my manager. I said I felt he would have valuable input into the H&S risk assessment that will need to be completed.

Now, he is also my union rep, so hopefully that means she will play it by the book.

I will play ball as far as I have to, as long as it is done by the book and I am not doing anything I do not have to do. They had enough of that from me, they took my 'extra mile' trust and my loyalty and they broke it. They do not know how to do things by the book. That is why I dont get on with her, as I challenge that daily - but i work in a profession where if I don't and processes are not followed, someone could die. But the processes of not doing things by the book, is covers our operational work right through to the core of HR. Which is why I challenge it all. But, as a good union friend of mine says, means I am less likely to be made redudant as a result of it!

smallchange - LOL she does live not far from me, and she is having to slope off early to see me as I am directly on her route home - she would normally be in the office until 6-7pm she will be home before 6pm!

Oooh - busted!

But, I will let her off that, as she wanted to visit me later than 5pm as she is too busy, I told her 5pm is the latest as DD has tea then bed.

Just to add - is there any way you think you could vomit on her shoes while she's there?

Well done for getting the union rep there, I would mention the OH referral at least 3 times to make sure it gets noted down.

Maybe I'm just a bit too sensitive but I do feel this thread is getting a bit personal. I don't feel that having an employee meeting at 5pm then going home sounds like sloping off and if she is routinely finishing at 7pm then whilst this doesn't excuse shoddy management practices, it sounds like she may be overloaded.

pirate Oh I am sure I can arrange that! I will eat something yucky and then get DH to cook something with garlic in it, hey presto!

Shame she did not see me last week, I looked sooooooo awful. Now I am on the meds I just look tired.

rookie - just being lighthearted about it, not meaning it offensively. Things can get very serious and sometimes, I think at least, I need some humour to keep me sane.

Union rep not responded yet, I can't get hold of him so don't know if he is around, but the email is sent at least so my boss knows she is, at least aware that I am aware of the processes.

If the person I have asked to come cannot come today/does not respond, do you think I should ask for it to be re-arranged? She was quite insistent it had to be done this week and I am anticipating returning to work next week in some capacity providing the medication continues to work, and I can manage the extreme tiredness (as a consequence of either that or being pregnant, can't quite figure out which!)

You have the right for it to be held at a date, time and venue which suits you, so yes, you should ask for it to be re-arranged.

I'm pretty sure if its an official meeting then you are meant to be provided with at least 5 days notification in writing, thats certainly the position in our place.

rookie - she is very blase about it, I think to be honest its more just a tick-box exercise. I think she has (or thinks she has) a deadline to meet of seeing me by the end of this week?

How about I suggest something like this?

'I feel it would be beneficial for xx to attend the meeting arranged at home, but unfortunately I am unable to contact him, to advise if he can attend this evening, I would like to provisionally re-arrange it for tuesday at 11am when xx can attend. I am anticipating that I will be returning to work next week, and if this is the case, we will need to meet anyway so can have this meeting at work. If I am still not well enough to return to work, this meeting can be held at my home address and be the home visit that you are required to complete.

Please let me know asap how you wish to proceed'.

Can you phone your branch office and see if someone else can attend if your local rep is unable?

I wouldn't say the above - just because she might take it that you've been 'frightened' back to work. Don't give an expected return to work date yet - just say you're still adjusting to the medication. What did the doc say?

Pirate - the thing is, I don't want to make a big deal out of it. I mean I am here, but I don't want her to think I have a major problem where there is currently not one, I just want to avoid there being a major problem in the future, and by not having her come to my home, or by some-one else there, I can be sure she does things correctly, or be put right.

The thing about the union rep, as the H&S officer, he has a legitimate reason to be there as he often has input in risk assessments for pregnancy given that the nature of my work can be complex in regards to risk. It would give me the support I need without getting her back up unneccesarily at this stage.

Doc said exactly that, play it by ear see how well meds work. He also said adjusting hours when I return to work would be sensible until this gets under control.

Well, keep trying the H&S officer, and maybe also phone OH and get a self-referral started? Tell them this manager's coming around - she might use the opportunity to get you to agree to something you're not ready for, so if you can tell her that you're already talking to OH about the best way to proceed for the company and you, then she's not got a (slightly vomited on) leg to stand on...?

'I disagree with YanknCock that 'if you're not well enough to go into work you're not well enough to go into meetings'. That's not true at all. Lots of people are not well enough to be permanently back at work everyday, but are well enough to come in for an hour's meeting about their situation.'

Fair enough, perhaps not applicable in all situations. But for my situation that was what the union manager for the area said, and my social worker agreed. I had the triple joy of SPD, antenatal depression, and hyperemesis--think it was mainly due to my mental state that the meeting was ill-advised in my situation. Am actually a hell of a lot better now due to finally getting the correct dose of antidepressants.

Even so, I find the concept of a home visit invasive, and with pavlov's manager's history, would be extremely suspicious of her motives.

I am letting her come. Sod it, she can do all the talking, and I shall tell her I do not know when I anticipate returning. I have decided, that yes, it is invasive, and no I don't like it one little bit, but it means I tidy up only once, and it gives me a chance to get what i want from returning to work when i am ready. And gets it over and done with, rather than doing it another time.

Union rep/H&S officer has said the time and date has to be mutually agreeable by both and that if I need time to arrange someone to attend, that time has to be given, no time limit, a time when all 3 are able to make it. Unfortunately he cannot attend today or this week at all due to short notice.

I am not going to mess her about. She is a very busy woman and much of her inability to deal with staff is her overworkedness (albeit her own fault for taking it all on to impress her boss) along with her appaling people skills. I will not make my life harder for me or her than I have to (for my future sanity at work more than anything) but if it starts going in a direction I feel uncomfortable with, I will stop it and ask her to continue it when I have some-one else present.

Hiya Pav - you need to come to the party to take the stress off of you!

That aside, I always thought that any pregnancy related sickness, wasn't treated in the same manner as non pregnancy related sickness. I can remember when I was pg with DS and had horrendous sickness for about 6 weeks, I was off work but it didn't go on my sick record as it was pregancy related - shouldn't this apply here?