Manager refusing attendance review meeting

[crazyshrew]

So, this will be an odd one to many. Perhaps the complete opposite of what many would consider a problem.

Rough outline
OPG has an absence of 3 months-ish, 1-2 weeks of which was absolutely expected due to a planned hospital procedure.
The rest ultimately down to poor management. Refusing to act upon, or otherwise completely ignoring requests for simple changes which would enable the OPG to continue working in some sort of meaningful way until they got a date for hospital admission, or the weight of their declining physical health overtook their willingness and determination to keep working.

Ultimately on a routine GP visit got signed off with Depression (life long issue, previously recorded by OH as meeting the criteria to be protected under the Equality Act ) and left to fester at home, while awaiting surgery date

Post surgery, manager created further delays in enabling OPG's return to work. No OH referral made, until OPG ultimately, very frustrated, contacted a manager in a neighbouring office who quickly put wheels in motion, then of course there were further delays in local manager carrying out the advised risk assessments etc.

Now the OPG has finally returned to work, they have received a letter which states the attendance review meeting will not be held nor stage issued due to their absence being covered by the equality act.

Obviously at no point has proper procedure been followed by local management. From their duty to help prevent avoidable absence, to helping to ensure a swift and successful return to work.

And now the OPG is being denied the opportunity to have important details surrounding their absence recorded, particularly where the manager's actions or more accurately lack of, has been a significant contributing factor.


So I guess the questions are
Is this a legitimate thing a manger can do out of "compassion" for the employee.

The understanding of policy has always been that the meeting has to be held to gather information, and based on the information the decision to issue a stage will be made
Do managers have the authority to decide drift away from policy like this?

Does this have the stinky whiff of an attempt by manager to cover their arse and not accept accountability?


Does the hive mind and experience of RMChat think that a call to HR to raise a grievance would achieve anything helpful and productive, or anything at all? Or would that just bring more unnecessary stress in to the situation.

Local rep a bit of a chocolate teapot here.
"Stage isn't being issued so what's the problem?"


To be clear
OPG's ultimate concern is not the review, or issuing of a stage 1.
It's the fact that management incompetence has forced them in to using up a huge chunk of sick pay which they may well need to rely on in the future due to their relatively new physical health issue likely requiring further
and ongoing tests with likely absences for medical/surgical intervention.

[aiden01]

100% sure attendance review must be held.would definitely contact hr for advice.