Sick leave, self certification or doctors note

[realitybites]

Not sure how this all works. Have searched the site, can't seem to see it in the stickies. Could someone explain how the procedures work, is it self cert for 5 days or less, then any longer a doctors note.

[LouBarlow]

I believe it is 7 days.

[baldrick]

I believe it is 7 days.

Correct, you can self-certificate for up to 7 consecutive days (including Saturday & Sunday).
Most GPs won't give you a certificate for the first 7 days of an illness.
You do need a Doctor's Certificate for any period after the first 7 days.

[realitybites]

thanks

[borders]

beware-at our place for example, if you go sick on Friday and dont come back till tues, they count Sat and Sun as days sick even if you dont normally work them !!! so that one period would total 5 days off sick.

[Tman]

Not just your place, everyone's place.

If you're sick on the Friday and the following Monday, it's not unreasonable to believe you were sick on the Saturday and Sunday too. DSS regs, and have been for years.

[baldrick]

That applies to any days off during the week too.
So if your day off is Tuesday, for example, and you are off sick
from Monday- Thursday, and resume on Friday, it will count as
4 days Sickness Leave (including the Tuesday).

[TrueBlueTerrier]

That applies to any days off during the week too.
So if your day off is Tuesday, for example, and you are off sick
from Monday- Thursday, and resume on Friday, it will count as
4 days Sickness Leave (including the Tuesday).

If your day off is Thursday though and you ring in on the Thursday to say that you are fit for work but its your day off (thats of course dependant on you turning up Friday) then only 3 days will count (though they may try to count the Sunday as well)

[baldrick]

They can't count the Sunday if you rang in to tell them you were off sick from Monday.

[FellChair]

If you do get a sick note from your doctor though, remember that all DOM's and line managers are better medically qualified and will know exactly what's been wrong with you. Even if you have a sick note for 2 weeks they seem to think you can come to back after 1 week, regardless of professional medical advice.

[mrlovepantsuk]

If you do get a sick note from your doctor though, remember that all DOM's and line managers are better medically qualified and will know exactly what's been wrong with you. Even if you have a sick note for 2 weeks they seem to think you can come to back after 1 week, regardless of professional medical advice.

very true

[Midge]

If you do get a sick note from your doctor though, remember that all DOM's and line managers are better medically qualified and will know exactly what's been wrong with you. Even if you have a sick note for 2 weeks they seem to think you can come to back after 1 week, regardless of professional medical advice.

Surely all DOMs have that Medical Encyclopoedia for Dummies on their shelf to refer to?

Oh, and the fact that they have also had exactly what you've got, but it never stopped them hobbling in to work...

Or is that just my DOM...?

[FellChair]

Or is that just my DOM...?

One postman went off with stress and at his return to work was told by the DOM that "stress doesn't exist", this was after one of our line managers had just come back from 6 MONTHS of being 'stressed'. I've also seen it countless times where if a manager has a day off sick his/her day off will be shifted to cover him/her from receiving an absence. I asked for that once, was told it was against RM procedure!

[DGP1]

[TrueBlueTerrier]