Facing disciplinary hearing after sickness.

[tom a]

I work for a large national company and am facing a disciplinary due to absence.

 

The company policy is if you are off 3 times or more or off for 3% or more of your total work days in a 12 month rolling period it triggers a disciplinary.

 

I have been off on three separate occasions and a total of 20 days which equates to 9.85% of my total days.

 

On each occasion I have gone through the correct reporting procedure and obtained the relevant doctors certificates where necessary.

 

I have been informed this morning that I will be invited to attend a disciplinary hearing and it could result in a formal warning.

 

I've no idea if this is allowed so I'm hoping someone more knowledgeable than me can give me advice.

 

Thanks in advance for any replies.

[king12345]

It's standard procedure.

 

You are entitled to be accompanied by a union rep or a colleague.

 

Some companies take this opportunity to discuss with you if they can do something to help preventing further sickness, for example a more comfortable chair if you suffer from back pain.

 

The warning is not automatically issued and your manager has discretion to avoid issuing it.

 

In any case, don't worry too much, people get this sort of warning all the time.

 

If you think the company can do something to help you stay healthy, say that in the meeting.

 

Also, if you have a long term condition that could trigger at any time, let them know.

 

The union will be able to go into much more details about all options.

[tom a]

Thanks for the prompt reply.

Unfortunately we don't have a union.

My sickness is not down to work and I was off with 3 different ailments.

I'll see what happens later this week.

[fkofilee]

Tom

- When i first had a disciplinary at work i was terrified.

I spent a week in shut down mode and i was only 19 at the time.

 

I unfortunately was let go due to political issues within the business and At that point i felt terrible.

But i began to understand the disciplinary process a lot more.

 

Trust me on this one

- Do not worry about it.

 

Work with them Not against them

-It will work out better and then after 6 / 12 months normally a warning gets taken off your file.

 

Do you have sick notes and stuff?

If not dont worry -Just let it come and go - Youll be alright

[tom a]

Thanks.

I'm more annoyed than worried.

 

My first absence was for 9 days due to my elderly mum being very ill and no one to look after her only me.

When I rang work they said " don't worry about work. Your mum comes first. If you need anything just ask".

I went back even though my sick note was for a month.

 

Second absence was a 24 hour sickness and diarrhoea episode.

When I rang work to go back in I was told I have to be clear for 48 hrs because I work in the food industry so I was off for 3 days.

 

Final sickness I was off for 8 days with a recent flu virus.

I spoke to my doctor and her advice was to stay at home and avoid contact with people.

18 people were off at the same time with the same illness.

 

I went back to work not being 100% fit because I don't like taking time off.

 

We have people at work at the minute who are genuinely ill with this flu bug

but are frightened of being off in case they are disciplined.

This then spreads the bug around.

Only time will tell.

[unclebulgaria67]

Tom - When i first had a disciplinary at work i was terrified. I spent a week in shut down mode and i was only 19 at the time.

I unfortunately was let go due to political issues within the business and At that point i felt terrible. But i began to understand the disciplinary process a lot more.

 

Trust me on this one - Do not worry about it. Work with them Not against them -It will work out better and then after 6 / 12 months normally a warning gets taken off your file.

Do you have sick notes and stuff? If not dont worry -Just let it come and go - Youll be alright

 

Good advice.

 

Having been a line manager taking staff through this process, I would add that it is designed to help staff, rather than be a startng point to dismiss them as a negative cost to the business. If the periods of sickness were genuine and the member of staff could do nothing about them, then it is a case of talking about anything that might help prevent further sickness. This would depend on what the sickness issues were.

 

I will give you one example, where the reason for sickness was an ongoing issue for an employer . A member of staff having periods of time off for mental health issues caused by domestic abuse. It became apparent that reasons for sickness provided were vague to cover up for what had been happening at home. This type of issue can be very difficult to deal with, because it might be the member of staff is still at risk and as an employer you would not wish to make matters worse. Most big employers offer a helpiine to professional agencies and specialist HR advisors.

 

If there is any ongoing health issue that an employer needs to be made aware of, then it is important to make the employer aware. Get advice about the health issue and understand any rights you may have.

 

Nb. I wrote this before the post about health issues. The advice stands and for anyone reading this thread in future.

[king12345]

Your first absence wasn't because you were ill, but your mum was.

So how did you get a sick note for yourself?

It shouldn't count as sickness but as family leave or whatever your company calls it.

[tom a]

Doctor classed it as stress related.

[king12345]

Doctor classed it as stress related.

 

 

 

Ok, so you were sick yourself, not just your mother.

As said, don't worry too much, these sort of warnings are the most common ones and unless you keep on going sick on a regular basis, it won't lead to anything bad.