Hip and knee opp

[robbertwhitton]

Have been signed off for 3 months following ongoing pain issues with my knee and hip,now finally after referral am having hip replacement early next year then an opp on my knee,what is Royal mails obligations towards me and managing my sick absence? Is it 6 months on full pay,can they offer me i h r Or even evr?.told the boss all this as I was pleased it was being addressed finally and was getting fixed,as usual he seemed to put a dampener on it so just wanted some clarification on what’s in store for me officially and not from how he thinks should happen. Have done nearly 40 years and am 59

[Edward Hunter]

How well they deal with it will depend on your manager. A hip replacement will fix the problem so IHR should not even be an option, as should your knee procedure, but RM will probably prefer to get you out of the door as it will take time. I was off for 14 weeks for hip replacement, then off the top of my head they give you 6 weeks to be back up and running on a full delivery/duty. Having two issues complicates things, as the knee will also take time though i doubt both together will take you up to 6 months full pay threshold. They offered me IHR, but it wasnt right for me to leave the business, but even if you cant get back to doing a full delivery, if you dont want to take IHR they should try and find you something you can do within a reasonable distance of where you live, though how hard they try to accommodate you is another thing. It will seem like a long way back to being able to do a delivery again, but you make improvements all the time with a hip replacement and the key is to do the physio and get moving, though having knee problems too may complicate things.Dont be bullied into taking IHR if you dont want it.

[robbertwhitton]

Many thanks for your reply,much appreciated,yes I have to say he is a bit of a doom and gloom guy,at the same time keeps on about the hours he has to save in the office! Would take evr tomorrow but he says it’s not that simple,but happy to continue once I’m fully fit,so will have to see,as with most of what goes on in Royal Mail,there’s the proper process and procedures and then the ones that suit a manager that’s full of mismanagement plans , 40 years is a fair time and the office politics are starting to grate on me just a bit!

[Edward Hunter]

VR would be double the amount of IHR, so a big difference.Im nearing 37 years in the job, all on delivery, but it isnt getting any easier, though i still quite like the actual job i would leave if the right option came about, though in reality i will be going for at least another 6 years if i am physically able, lol

[celtic1967]

I had a knee replacement and the managers seemed disappointed when I said i was going back on delivery, I think they were hoping to pay me off.
Take your time on recovery, do all the physio the hospital gives you to do and you will feel so much better after.
Good luck, hope it all goes well.

[grandypants]

I took IHR for the exact reasons as yourself, havnt had a hip replacement yet but surgeon told me that with the amount of walking we do per week that it would wear the joint out very quickly, my hip has really settled down now that I dont walk the amount I used to,I as regards the trying to find you alternative work it just dosnt happen

[robbertwhitton]

I took IHR for the exact reasons as yourself, havnt had a hip replacement yet but surgeon told me that with the amount of walking we do per week that it would wear the joint out very quickly, my hip has really settled down now that I dont walk the amount I used to,I as regards the trying to find you alternative work it just dosnt happen

How is the ihr payment calculated? I’m hoping to be back fit within 6 months,though manager seems to put his doom and gloom head on it what work they can find me or if I have to go to another office,my Dom support colleague said he would happily swap with me for however long it takes to get me up and running back on delivery

[97gaz]

IHR is not a calculation as such but a fixed formula. Anyone with a bit of service will get 34 weeks wages untaxed and twelve weeks lieu of notice taxed.
For me that worked out at £21.5K. I paid 1k tax on that but should get most of that back in April.

Alternatively they offer three years half wages. The catch with that is that it is related to employment support allowance. You claim ESA if you're eligible and the company makes the money up to half wages.

BTW. The sick scheme is six months full pay and then six months half pay.

[robbertwhitton]

Many thanks for that input 97 gaz,I’ve done nearly 40 years,was keen to get evr before all this,so I guess it’s what they are prepared to offer and what suits them if I’m going to be off for some 6 months?

[broughts]

Just had total hip replacement was off 11 weeks including 2 weeks shielding just finished 3 weeks rehab now back full duties but everybody is different

[robbertwhitton]

Just had total hip replacement was off 11 weeks including 2 weeks shielding just finished 3 weeks rehab now back full duties but everybody is different

So how was it? How do you feel now? How were Royal Mail with it?

[grandypants]

IHR is not a calculation as such but a fixed formula. Anyone with a bit of service will get 34 weeks wages untaxed and twelve weeks lieu of notice taxed.
For me that worked out at £21.5K. I paid 1k tax on that but should get most of that back in April.

Alternatively they offer three years half wages. The catch with that is that it is related to employment support allowance. You claim ESA if you're eligible and the company makes the money up to half wages.

BTW. The sick scheme is six months full pay and then six months half pay.

I paid the same in tax how will you get most of that back in april I am clueless when it comes to this sort of thing.

[97gaz]

I paid the same in tax how will you get most of that back in april I am clueless when it comes to this sort of thing.

It's hard to explain it. I used to employ a couple of people years ago in a different life and had to do wages so I still have an idea. Your tax code signifies your tax free allowance so for example 1262L means you get £12620 tax free. The easiest way to work out whether they will owe you or not is to look at your P45. Assuming you are not going to earn again this tax year just deduct the tax allowance from the total pay to date and and see what the remainder is and the tax bill should be 20% of that.

An example for tax code 1262.

Total pay to date- £15000
minus the £12620 tax allowance
equals £2380 taxable pay

20% 0f £2380 means you should have only paid £476 tax this year. Now look at your tax paid to date on the P45. You should get the difference back in April. It makes a big difference what point in the tax year how much you'll get back. In my case I left half way through the year.

[grandypants]

I paid the same in tax how will you get most of that back in april I am clueless when it comes to this sort of thing.

It's hard to explain it. I used to employ a couple of people years ago in a different life and had to do wages so I still have an idea. Your tax code signifies your tax free allowance so for example 1262L means you get £12620 tax free. The easiest way to work out whether they will owe you or not is to look at your P45. Assuming you are not going to earn again this tax year just deduct the tax allowance from the total pay to date and and see what the remainder is and the tax bill should be 20% of that.

An example for tax code 1262.

Total pay to date- £15000
minus the £12620 tax allowance
equals £2380 taxable pay

20% 0f £2380 means you should have only paid £476 tax this year. Now look at your tax paid to date on the P45. You should get the difference back in April. It makes a big difference what point in the tax year how much you'll get back. In my case I left half way through the year.

Thanks pal I will look into that, just one more thing if I am due money back is it automatic or do I have to claim it, told you I was clueless

[97gaz]

Thanks pal I will look into that, just one more thing if I am due money back is it automatic or do I have to claim it, told you I was clueless

Not sure. I'll probably leave it until April and see what happens. I do know they won't pay you back till then unless you get another job and go back onto PAYE.