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Sickies costing UK

  • Thread starter Scottish Business Owner
  • Start date

Brian McIntosh

New Member
Sorry, I had to rush and do something. What I was going to say was that the people i refer to above have a day here, a couple of days there and get away with it. As soon as there is a hint of them being sent to a company doctor they stop till the heat dies down and go back to their old ways. As far as employers doing anything about it, I think that's really difficult nowadays with so many employee rights and and procedures to follow.
 
Scottish Business Owner

Scottish Business Owner

New Member
Brian,

I think thats very typical of many people. There seems to be an in built feeling in people that it's right to have a few sickies each year. One idea I was toying with was a bonus only available for having no sickness but i'm not sure whether you can actually introduce something like this. I kind of saw it being paid on a monthly basis and it would be enough to make it not worth missing out on.
 

Brian McIntosh

New Member
I don't know the legalities of awarding people for not being off sick. I know one company near where I live only pay SSP and not full pay when their employees are sick. They don't have a lot of sickness days. The other side of that is that people who are genuinely ill will still come into work just so they don't lose money. It's a difficult situation for an employer and, no matter how approachable you are and look after your workforce, you'll always get someone who takes the p**s. Maybe we need to get a legal eagle to join the forum so we can run things like this past them.
 
Idea15

Idea15

New Member
Chronic "sickies" are usually a sign of a problem with management and leadership - the employee may be overworked, underworked, overmanaged, or undermanaged. There is always someone taking advantage, but in general, employees who are happy with their workload and level of responsibility don't have a need to take sickies.

I have heard some managers are now doing lie detector tests upon sick leave return - some need to be looking in the mirror instead.
 

Brian McIntosh

New Member
I caught the tail end of a report on the radio this morning and the gist of it was that some company, i didn't catch the name, is considering using a lie detector when employees call in sick. Or did I dream it??
 
Idea15

Idea15

New Member
You heard the story right, and that demonstrates my point exactly - instead of indulging in gadget lust, the company needs to take a long hard look at what it is about their workplace culture that makes their staff so desperate to get away from it.

But hey, it's easier to witchhunt and buy a shiny new toy, isn't it.
 

Brian McIntosh

New Member
Was the company named? I think you're right Heather when you say that if employees are happy they will be less inclined to take a "Torry Holiday" as it's known up here.
 
Scottish Business Owner

Scottish Business Owner

New Member
Lie detectors to be used to detect genuine sickness absence

Just came across the article regarding the lie detectors and it seems councils have also been using to detect false benefit claims etc.

Regarding the points raised about sickies. I would say I do more than most with regards to keeping staff happy etc but I still have problem with it. I dont think you can just dump this all on the employer. There are people out there who will take the p*** no matter how well incentivised or how much they enjoy their work.
 
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