Result of a Freedom of Information Act Request

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/7 ... 1.pdf.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

02 September 2011




S. McNaught
Information Rights Team

(Freedom of Information Act)
By Email: [FOI #78529 email]
Company Secretary’s Office


4th Floor

Royal Mail Sheffield

Pond Street

SHEFFIELD
S98 6HR

[Royal Mail Group request email]
http://www.royalmail.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Dear Sir/Madam,

Re: Freedom of Information Act Request (Our Reference: KFEN-8KRK42)

I am writing in response to your recent request for information received 13 August 2011
which has been considered under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. You
requested the following information which followed on to your request for the attendance
policy and procedure which we responded to on 12 July 2011:

“My query however was aimed to establish how front line managers in delivery and
processing within Royal Mail letters actually manage sickness and absence in respect of
procedure in aiding employee with recovery.

I would therefore be grateful if you could provide the procedure management are required
to follow in respect of the following:
1. Keeping in contact with employee
2. Management interview requests and established guidelines for these interviews;
3. How management should approach an employee who has been diagnosed with a
mental health condition
4. If management have any authority to any time disregard medical opinion of
employee's GP or occupational health adviser
5. Who within Royal Mail is responsible for ensuring all procedures and guidelines in
respect of the above are adhered to?”

In response to points one and two of your request, Royal Mail Group has a contact strategy
with employees who are absent due to illness. On the first day of absence the employee
must contact the manager. A discussion should take place regarding the absence and what
support can be offered to the employee. If the absence is likely to be more than one day
an agreement should be made regarding the amount and nature of the contact during the
first week of absence. If the absence continues for more than seven days regular contact
should be maintained between the employee and manager.

If the employee is absent for longer than two weeks, the manager and employee have the
opportunity to request a meeting. The purpose of this meeting would be to discuss the
return to work plan, identify any ongoing issues or barriers to the return to work and
options available to the employee.

In response to the third point of your request, a line manager should refer the employee to
our occupational health service as soon as possible if a mental health condition is identified.
Royal Mail Group also offers a confidential independent advisory service to all employees to
discuss any issues they are experiencing.

In response to point four of your request, the line manager is responsible for the
workplace, his team and their health and safety. Advice from GP’s and Occupational Health
is highly important when making decisions regarding sick absence cases. Their advice
always informs the final decisions which are made by our management team.

Finally in point five of your request you asked who within Royal Mail is responsible for
ensuring all procedures and guidelines are adhered to. I can advise the line management
team manage the Royal Mail Group absence and attendance procedures. Where an
individual feels that their direct line manager is treating them unfairly, they can raise the
issue either informal y, or formal y as a grievance, with their second line manager. The
second line manager has an obligation to investigate the issues raised and, where
appropriate, take corrective action.

I hope the information provided is useful to you. If for any reason you are not satisfied
with this response, you do have the right to request a review. If you wish to do so please
set out in writing your grounds of appeal and send to the Head of Information Compliance,
Royal Mail Group, Company Secretary's Office, 100 Victoria Embankment, LONDON, EC4Y
0HQ. An internal panel will then review the request, and you will be advised of the outcome

If, having requested an internal review by Royal Mail, you are still not satisfied with our
response you also have a right of appeal to the Information Commissioner at:

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
WILMSLOW
SK9 5AF

Royal Mail Group Ltd is registered in England and Wales. Registered number 4138203. Registered office: 100 Victoria Embankment, London, EC4Y 0HQ.


http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Yours faithfully,

[MinisterofCucumber]

On the first day of absence the employee must contact the manager. A discussion should take place regarding the absence and what support can be offered to the employee. If the absence is likely to be more than one day an agreement should be made regarding the amount and nature of the contact during the first week of absence.

My advice was good then. If you are too sick to phone in, get your partner to do it. Follow this up immediately with an email:

'"Dear Manager,

I regret I will not be coming to work today because I feel ill. I think I will be off for the next few days/until the end of the week. I would be very grateful if you would respect my privacy by not phoning me or visiting my home. If it is necessary for you to contact me, please email me. I will email you to inform you of my progress.

Kind regards,

Postie."

http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... =1&t=38465" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

In case anyone hasn't noticed, the Union took the 'last Beemer out of Saigon' long ago and are frantically trying to recruit members outside of RMG. We are on our own and we need to organise our own defence.

[POSTMAN]

The purpose of this meeting would be to discuss the
return to work plan, identify any ongoing issues or barriers to the return to work and
options available to the employee.

BOLLOX!!!

Is this before ATOS then,yea rite,the whole answers contradicts itself.
Meeting to discuss ATOS report,no probs.

I am writing in response to your email on the 15/02/2011. We have considered your request under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. In your email you requested the following:

“….could you please provide the number of frontline managers in delivery and processing within Royal Mail Letters who have had medical training to a level that they can ascertain the health of an employee and give advice as to what work the employee can safely do within the business group as apposed to a doctors certificate.”

I can confirm that we do not hold information of the description specified in your request. Employee health services are managed by an external provider on behalf of Royal Mail.

I'm sorry that we can not be more helpful but the information you have requested is not held.

[fishtank]

Are you off work on the sick?

Have you had a letter or phone call from your manager asking you when you are going to return, or to attend an interview about your absence?

Do you feel harassed, under pressure, or bullied by your manager about returning to work?

There are National Agreements that specify how your manager should deal with:

Rehabilitation after a period of absence,
Returning to work on modified duties,
Medical Retirement or Medical Severance if you cannot return to work,
Issuing warnings under the Attendance Procedure.
Royal Mail is obliged to follow the procedures laid down in these agreements. But the only sure-fire way to make sure your manager sticks to these procedures is to make sure that you get CWU representation.

Recently, managers locally have been implementing their own peculiar procedures, which may or may not be in line with the existing National Agreements. That is why the CWU is advising members to get in touch with their local representative immediately after receiving any communication from Royal Mail regarding an absence. This particularly applies if you are contacted regarding one of the following:

Any interview with a manager, whether your line manager or the Delivery Office Manager (DOM), or the Delivery Sector Manager (DSM) regarding your absence, or a proposed return to work. (Whether at your own office, at another office, or even at your own home, you are entitled to CWU representation at these interviews.)

An appointment or invitation to go to see the Employee Health Service (EHS) doctor or nurse. (The EHS service has now been sold off to a private firm, but it is Royal Mail that employs the EHS. As such, its purpose is to provide a service to Royal Mail. It is not independent. You can take a CWU Representative along to that as well)

A proposed Rehabilitation Programme / Duty, aiming to allow your return to work on temporarily modified duties.
Proposals to arrange for either Medical Retirement, or Medical Severance, of employment. (Particularly where an employee is unable to return to work, at least for the foreseeable future, Royal Mail might pursue retirement or dismissal on medical grounds.)

Proposals offering transfer to another duty in a different office.

All too often, people feel that they are being put under pressure to return to work before they are fully fit. This can lead to anxiety and stress. When people do return to work too soon, they can aggravate their condition or find that they cannot perform their duties, and so have to go sick again. This causes additional problems under the Attendance Procedure.

However, if you need or wish to return to work on Rehabilitation, or temporarily adjusted duties, then you should be able to do so. The CWU recommends that any Rehabilitation arrangements are formally drawn up in writing and agreed with Royal Mail. Then there can be no confusion later over what exactly has been agreed. Again, you are advised to seek representation from the CWU before agreeing to any Rehabilitation arrangements.

In addition, there are laws covering how employers should deal with people who suffer from conditions that may be classed as disabilities under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. Many people are not aware that the condition that they suffer from is classed as a disability. However, this law might well give some added protection for a person who is on a long-term sick absence due to a disability.

Also, under the nationally agreed Attendance Procedure, any absence resulting from an accident at work should not be counted towards the issuing of any Stage One, Two or Three warnings. If your absence is the result of an accident on duty, then you should record it in the Accident Book as soon as possible. Then you should also contact the Department of Work and Pensions to get your accident recorded as an Industrial Injury (DWP Industrial Injuries: 0845 758 5433). This will help in any future Stage Warning interviews under the Attendance Procedure, as absences due to accidents on duty should normally be discounted from the procedure.

For all the above reasons, the CWU strongly advises you to arrange representation at any interviews relating to your sick absence or return to work.

[MinisterofCucumber]

If the employee is absent for longer than two weeks, the manager and employee have the
opportunity to request a meeting. The purpose of this meeting would be to discuss the
return to work plan, identify any ongoing issues or barriers to the return to work and
options available to the employee.

They have worded this cagily, "the manager and employee have the opportunity to request a meeting". This is only a request, it's not mandatory but refusal to comply could be used to make you look bad in an Employment Tribunal. It's better to get in first and ask your manager for a meeting but say you will only be able to schedule it when your GP thinks you are fit enough to attend and when you have collected enough relevant information e.g. Atos report. Remember not to give permission for RMG to share information with Atos or vice versa as is your absolute right.

[MinisterofCucumber]

For all the above reasons, the CWU strongly advises you to arrange representation at any interviews relating to your sick absence or return to work.

This is good advice if you have a good rep. What about the members who have no confidence in or can't trust their rep, Area rep etc.?

It's not like there's a step by step guide on the CWU website. What does the Union do for members who don't have access to a decent rep?

Surely, more information would mean more activists. Or does the Union, like management, prefer workers to be obedient like children?

[fishtank]

This is good advice if you have a good rep. What about the members who have no confidence in or can't trust their rep, Area rep etc.?

I totally agree with you.
The Union operates as if the default position is good representation.
I'm afraid that is hopeful at best and at worst naive and irresponsible.
I've had this argument on here and elsewhere before and until their is real accountability at local and Branch level the advice of always having a rep with you will be hollow and pointless for a frighteningly large proportion of the membership.

[Stormproof]

In response to point four of your request, the line manager is responsible for the
workplace, his team and their health and safety. Advice from GP’s and Occupational Health
is highly important when making decisions regarding sick absence cases. Their advice
always informs the final decisions which are made by our management team.

Absoulte bollocks .......time and time again management say 'ATOS recommendations are only advice and don't have to be adhered to'. My GP has signed me off in the past knowing that RM management won't take any notice of a Fit Note.

[brothermagrew]

Which is why I would urge those who have not already done so to read in it's entirety this thread.

http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... 28&t=38643" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;