Taking a "sicky"

[diy_fun_uk]

They would recalculate my 'Bradford Factor'...

Bradford Factor - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

This happened to me. Always had a reasonably good attendance record with maybe one sometimes two absences per year max, no more than a day or two at a time. Genuine reasons for taking them, my rationale was to always try and go in as I was a one man band of sorts, so the longer I was off the more that was waiting for me when I returned.

However one year I was off four times, only a day or so each time, but got pulled in for a meeting with the boss in accordance with company policy. Was advised if off again within that year it would be escalated with HR and would result in a written warning. To be fair my boss was okay about it, however she had to do the meeting to comply with the policy.

One of my colleagues said 'you should just have stayed off for five months, that would have counted as one instance of being absent.'

On the one hand I get the rationale about managers needing to plan resource, plug gaps etc, however on the other hand, depending on the job type, it amuses me that employee A can get pulled in for being off for e.g. 4 x 1 days, however employee B won't be warned for being off for 1 x 20 days.

 

[RandomGrinch]

Disciplinary, probably a warning.

It's interesting, that people are saying disciplinaries, or warnings.

As a manager of a small team, given this situation - there is absolutely nothing I can do under our HR policy. How can I know for certain that they weren't sick on that day?

As I said earlier, the absence would be noted, the 'Bradford factor' would be recalculated, which could escalate the matter, and a 'back to work' interview would be carried out.

I may have a suspicion that my employee was taking a sickie, but the pathway through our HR policy is so well defined, there is nothing I could do for a single occurrence.

It would certainly taint the relationship I have with my employee, but I would also question my management of them; I wouldnt be a very good manager if my employees felt they had to lie to me!

 

[diy_fun_uk]

It's most probably not the right way to look at it, however if I managed a team and there were absences, I'd consider the overall productivity and reliability of the team members if they were absent. As I said earlier, I appreciate there are variables to this depending on job types, the industry/service the company operates in etc. However let's say each team member was expected to produce 20 widgets per week. If I had a team member who consistently produced the 20 widgets, it wouldn't bother me if they took the occasional dubious sicky here and there as long as, overall, they maintained their output. However if another team member averaged 17-18 widgets per week and did the same, I'd look on them in a different light.

 

[motorbiking]

It's interesting, that people are saying disciplinaries, or warnings.

As a manager of a small team, given this situation - there is absolutely nothing I can do under our HR policy. How can I know for certain that they weren't sick on that day?

As I said earlier, the absence would be noted, the 'Bradford factor' would be recalculated, which could escalate the matter, and a 'back to work' interview would be carried out.

I may have a suspicion that my employee was taking a sickie, but the pathway through our HR policy is so well defined, there is nothing I could do for a single occurrence.

It would certainly taint the relationship I have with my employee, but I would also question my management of them; I wouldnt be a very good manager if my employees felt they had to lie to me!

That is why you invite them to a disciplinary hearing.

If they confess to the sicky, you'd probably go with a warning. If they lie and you subsequently find out (e.g. social media post) then you would have grounds to dismiss. A misconduct becomes gross misconduct once the employee lies to cover it up.

 

[RandomGrinch]

That is why you invite them to a disciplinary hearing.

But in the context of the OP, the employee has simply taken a day off sick.

Calling them in to a disciplinary meeting is unnecessary and confrontational, for what could legitimately be a day off due to illness.

If there was a pattern of these events and the back to work interview wasn't satisfactory, then the matter could justifiably be escalated.

 

[motorbiking]

You start with a fact finding meeting. As you say it could be entirely innocent.

Most people under the threat of more serious action will confess and apologies. Particularly if the managers says look, if this was a sicky, because you wanted the time off and you own up to it, we will deal with the matter via a verbal warning. If you deny it and we subsequently find evidence to the contrary then it becomes a matter of gross misconduct, which could lead to dismissal.

 

[Brigadier]

You're right to say you're constrained by your HR policy, but that is also there to protect you and the company, as well as the employee.

If there was a pattern of these events

The problem here (for managers; and I stand to be corrected on my interpretation) is that, if each occurrence is not found to be invalid, any pattern is not relevant (unless you have a "four sporadic absences p.a. = formal performance management"-type thing).

[if] the back to work interview wasn't satisfactory,

Which takes us back to @motorbiking 's advice.

 

[blup]

I know of at least one large public sector organisation that withheld pay for the first thee days sickness, then removed the rule during and after lockdown. Treating all employees like they're swinging the lead as a management alternative to dealing properly with the regular shirkers, then you realise the accountants are behind it as much as hr.

Blup

 

[motorbiking]

I had one employee try to blag sick for a boob job. I said no problem, if your doctor is ready to write a letter saying this in non-elective surgery then I am ok with you taking the week as sick. She then came back with it was for mental health.. So I politely invited her to think about where this might end and she booked the week as holiday.

 

[gas112]

Phoned up and told the boss i had anal blindness .
ay whats that he asked
I just cant see my ar5e getting out of bed today .
.


At BG it was 3 occasions before any mention of getting took off self certified and having to produce a doctors line paid for by the company .
So everyone used to take 3 weeks off were some fell down they thought it was a rolling year but was actually a rolling 13 months

 

[Dork Lard]

I was a manager before HR & even elf n safety was invented.

I have fond memories of dragging an ill colleauge out to my car & driving her home myself . . . .

If they don't want work then put them to one side & treat them with exactly the same contempt they treat their team.

 

[noseall]

Wot's a sicky?

 

[Ihavenojob]

Phoned up and told the boss i had anal blindness .
ay whats that he asked
I just cant see my ar5e getting out of bed today .
.


At BG it was 3 occasions before any mention of getting took off self certified and having to produce a doctors line paid for by the company .
So everyone used to take 3 weeks off were some fell down they thought it was a rolling year but was actually a rolling 13 months

New employees now don't get paid for the first three days sick.

 

[johnny2007]

I wouldnt be a very good manager if my employees felt they had to lie to me!

Exactly what I think.
It is the manager job to find cover and keep the team motivated.
I know of managers who don't even say hello to their staff, so staff take the Mickey out of them.
When my wife was a manager, on a couple of occasions she went in at weekend to cover for her staff annual leave.
They always respected her and the team productivity was at all time high until she retired.
Then an ass took over her job and within 3 months it was mayhem.
A year later they asked my wife to come back, even part time, but she was doing something else.
The company shut down 2 years after that, having lost most of the loyal employees who couldn't stand the ass.

 

[blup]

I had one employee try to blag sick for a boob job. I said no problem, if your doctor is ready to write a letter saying this in non-elective surgery then I am ok with you taking the week as sick. She then came back with it was for mental health.. So I politely invited her to think about where this might end and she booked the week as holiday.

Says everything about society if mental health is a reason for a boob job.

Blup