General Chat

Strangely, they've taken Work related stress/depression off the list of 'reasons for absence'. I've taken a screen print of their list of absences - which now include 'Men's problems' and 'Women's problems' :-D :-D :-D

ZZZ - they were talking about my sickness 'pattern' too.
Yes, of course there was a pattern - I could take so much, then my body went Noooooo. :-D

The irony was their 'plan' was for me to:
Encourage me to 'look after myself'.
Send me to a dietician
Attend lunchtime 'activities' at work
Ensure I took planned leave.

I may live alone, but am more than capable of changing my sheets, washing my hair, even de-fuzzing myself!! Oh - and I even manage t feed and de-flea my 3 (only 3 and all are neutered) cats

I studied nutrition in my youth - do they assume I live on McDonalds? I've been to McDonalds once in my life - I have standards, and eat a lot of venison - I bet 'they' don't!

Why the hell would I want to attend lunchtime 'activities' - much more pleasant to have 3 hour walks across the New Forest at the Weekend, with someone I actually like!

Annual leave - yes, I had 2 separate weeks planned. The first week, my GP had signed me off work the week before, so it was touch and go whether my sister & I went (a course on medieval book binding). The day before we were due to go (and the first day of my leave) I received a letter informing me of an Absence Management meeting the day after I got back from leave. I had to submit any 'evidence' 4 days before (that would be whilst on annual leave, in a place with no internet access)
I objected to the timing, was offered 2 days after I got back - objected again. It wasn't until 6 days into our holiday that we found internet access - the date had been changed to a week after I got back. Holiday #1 ruined.

The Appeal was set for a day after I got back from the second holiday, a family holiday. I objected. Eventually set for 5 days after I got back.
Holiday #2 ruined

These 2 weeks leave had been organised, and I'd booked the leave at least 3 months previously. Total hypocrisy to tell me to 'ensure I take planned holiday' - then to ruin both holidays, by causing unnecessary stress. The holidays weren't cheap, either :-|

Oh yes, and my line manager said I couldn't cope with learning new processes. I am more than capable - if shown how to use them, and they actually work. I bet the line manager doesn't know anything about medieval book binding, wiring doll's house lighting, building sheds, chopping wood (an old skill, but not many people under 40 can do it) laying laminate flooring or changing the gear box and engine on a Morris Minor :-P

Maggiewinchester, I wish you luck and hope it doesn't take too long to have justice for yourself and have a new start, new job and be stress free.

I've printed out everything from my personnel file - and used one of their folders to put it in :-D
Strangely, the grievance letter I sent (recorded delivery) - that was left in the 'post slings' we have for every member of staff for 3 weeks, until I put it into my 'evidence' for an absence management meeting - and was then dealt with, not by the person to whom it was addressed, but by my line manager (it complained about her) and a member of HR - wasn't amongst the personnel stuff - so I sent it to a manager and asked them to put it in.
Bit of a boo-boo not following their own procedures - shame!

My resignation letter (recorded delivery again) wasn't picked up for 6 days - yet the person to whom it was sent was in the office both the day it arrived, and the next day.

This time in 2 weeks, I'll be free!! Poor, scraping by - but free! :-D

Maggie, i hope it goes to tribunal. Surely they are breaking some rules somewhere. they just cannot treat you like that. Do you belong to a union.?

Hope you have a detailed record of everything, following your case i think you will win easily. They cannot be allowed to get away with the way they have treated you and hopefully stop them doing it to anyone else.

Such a shame that you had to resign but i understand why.

yes too late for them to pretend to care indeed. they must think ur daft not to see that now.

Keep us posted and i truly hope you will recover soon and feel a lot stressed.

Florence
in the hebrides. :-) <3

I went home after 2 hours, even that took 4 calls to my boss and her telling me she seen a pattern start, I've only done it once before. Grr. What's all that about then. Oh yes careing management, silly me for not realising.

I went into work an hour late this morning - I didn't feel 100%, and quite frankly don't give a damn.

It was strange for a member of Higher Management to ask me how I was and tell me to go home if I didn't feel any better.

Too little too late. :-P

" A clear indication they didn't give a flying wotsit about me" sums it up sadly.

I think they use that where I work. Certainly doesn't take into account the type of illness you may have - not all illnesses can come under the Equalities Act.
I started suffering from work related stress 2 years ago, and was found to have diverticulitis, which was exacerbated by stress. When it erupted, causing great pain, I would be off for a day, and it would subside, but as the workload steadily increased, the bad times increased, until my GP certified me off sick for 3 weeks.
Nothing was done about the stress, apart from my filling in stress assessment forms, and visiting OH, in my managers' hope they would say it came under the Equalities Act - which, of course, it didn't.

The stress was then ignored - apart from the forms - and my absence was focussed on - even if my GP had given me a certificate.
My health deteriorated, I developed arrhythmia and gastritis, had a CT scan, visited various specialists etc.
I was told my absences would be 'merited'. I asked how? Eventually I was given a list of 'acceptable' absences - 1) planned hospital visits (at my insistence). 2) a broken limb 3) Flu, or D & V.

Can you spot anything in that list that may relate to gastritis, arrhythmia, or diverticular disease? Apparently, if I was in great pain, it didn't matter. Came to a head when I went to my GP after going to work in great pain. Apparently I had a huge mass in my abdomen and a horrendous temperature too. GP thought I had appendicitis, sent me to the local hospital for an ultra sound, Doc there kept me in, and asked me why on earth I had been going to work. He thought, if it got no better, he may have to operate the next day.

Temperature subsided, mass went, and I was allowed home the next day when I'd eaten (I hadn't eaten for 36 hours) - then I got D & V. Went back to work, and was told the absence would be 'merited'!!!! Apparently I 'Didn't HAVE to say in hospital overnight'.
A clear indication they didn't give a flying wotsit about me - just focussed on the absences.

Then I handed in my notice. Couched in terms that indicate a tribunal may be forthcoming.

:-D

Yes indeed Florence that is the way it used to be in jobs I've been in, been in my current job for over 10 years, not on zero hours, not sure when they started this Bradford index malarkey, it's rubbish and as far as I know not effective, just pi..es people off.

i have a contract and if i am off sick for up to 7 days, i can self certificate but have to fill in an absence form. However i get paid for 6 months in full and then it is halved for 3 months and then you would have an IV to see what the problem is. I.E if you had an operation, you might be off for 6 months or longer.

I think the points system might refer to people who have zero hours contract? I saw a programme about staff who work for Amazon. If they had one day off, they got some points, 2 days more and awarning etc..it was really harsh.

i think they do these zero hours contracts so they can hire and fire when it suits them and the employee doesnt stand a chance.

If I was off for 8 days(incl weekends) I would have to get a signed Drs cert. They send this to personnel and its reg against you. If you have more than 10 days off a year through sickness, I think they do look at the reasons and if it was mainly odd days here and there, your boss may well iv you to see why.

When I worked in a bank years ago, they were very hot on looking at people who reg took odd days off and you could lose you annual payrise because of it!

In some ways, it weedes out the onces who pull sickies when they are not really ill.

Florence
in the hebrides.

LOL bobtanian, about football.

didn't know what that was........wiki came to the rescue.......could be quite damaging to a occasional poorly individual.......

doesn't mention halfdays though...........like attending football matches.......ooops forget I said that!!

The medical teams who have collected hundreds of Ebola patients from their homes in the Liberian capital might like to comment & compare their employment contract with the Bradford Index.

A question for those still in full time work.
What is the proceedure you have to go through if you phone in sick or are taken ill at work, does your employer go by the Bradford score index where they look for a pattern and you get points etc.