off sick and being harassed. Advice please

cuz50 · Post by **cuz50** » 15 Nov 2016, 18:54

Hi I have been off work sick since last wed 9/11/2016 I have been contacted daily by me manager
I was in bed ill only to hear my phone going was my manager on the day I called in sick asking
if I would be in on the next day even though I had told him I would call him fri let him know how I was doing
he has called every day .He asked me to go in to office on the fri I called him and told him I was not well
enough to travel to office on that day and that I had a doctors appointment on Monday 14th and
would come in and see him after that if I could . I went in to see him on the Monday 14th with a sick line for this week
and you've guessed it he contacted me today to see if I can come in to work from thur onward. I feel I am being harassed
and bullied into going back before I'm ready. The constant calls and text is making me ill again is this the norm and can the
union do something about it

Sir Henry · Post by **Sir Henry** » 15 Nov 2016, 21:35

Get onto your rep or area rep pdq. Frequency of contact is supposed to be AGREED between you. Just unplug the phone and take a few extra days off to teach them a lesson (joke obviously)

Post by **Lounge Lizard** » 16 Nov 2016, 01:18

Get a 'phone that displays the caller's number, then you don't answer if it's the DOM.

rehabron · Post by **rehabron** » 16 Nov 2016, 06:16

Keep a diary of the times and dates of calls and dialogue if any. Copy this and attach to a 2nd stage grievance form and forward to the Employee Relation Team Sheffield. They will appoint a manager at a higher level of authority to your DOM to investigate your complaint. If not satisfied with the findings progress to a 3rd stage.

LouBarlow · Post by **LouBarlow** » 16 Nov 2016, 09:24

I contacted the head honchos of Royal Mail when it happened to me, and they said that managers can ask you to attend face to face interviews, when off sick, and maintain contact every day, so I don't think a grievance will do much good. Just give them a date when you expect to return, then don't answer the phone. Our weak arse union will just agree with Royal Mail doing it too, as I found out.

rehabron · Post by **rehabron** » 16 Nov 2016, 10:57

LouBarlow wrote:I contacted the head honchos of Royal Mail when it happened to me, and they said that managers can ask you to attend face to face interviews, when off sick, and maintain contact every day, so I don't think a grievance will do much good. Just give them a date when you expect to return, then don't answer the phone. Our weak arse union will just agree with Royal Mail doing it too, as I found out.

Your post in my opinion is partly correct in accordance with the attendance agreement in relation to maintaining contact and the requirement to attend for interview if requested dependant on the medical condition that has had the employee to be absent. In "cuz 50" post he was subjected to consistent phone calls on a daily basis although he had informed his manager that he would be in contact on the Friday and on that day informed manager that he was still unwell but had an appointment with his doctor on the Monday and on that day produced a medical certificate to cover that week. The agreement was drawn up to stop managers continuing on their incessant practice of annoying sick employees and the practice of arriving at the employees home in an attempt to establish if their absence was in fact genuine therefore the mutual agreement of establishing contact times was introduced expecting management to enter into the spirit of the agreement. However going by "CUZ50" post this has been exceeded and therefore my advice on lodging a grievance still stands. You are probably right that " Cuz50" will get nowhere with his grievance but if EVERY employee who is subjected to this type of treatment lodged a stage 2 grievance on EVERY occasion and tie them up in paperwork and interview meetings then maybe some notice may be taken.