RMCtv : Grant 'I've got a sniffle' McPherson : Chief Operating Officer : Sick pay costing 250 Million pounds per year

[POSTMAN]

Grant Says

From the workplace live

Grant McPherson : Chief Operating Officer[/b]

I think we have to be actually frank that we do have a problem because our sick statistics are basically telling us that we are three times worse than the national average, and that's something that she's not sustainable. Actually spending something like two hundred fifty million pounds a year on sickness.

Now we do have a great workforce and seventy percent of those come to work and have less than one day's absence a year, which is fantastic, but it's also true that around the other third people have regular and patterned absences.

And we definitely don't want to punish anybody who is genuinely sick, but I think we also have to recognise that there are people who are abusing some of our very generous policies and procedures that we have and we don't want to lose those policies and procedures.

I think it's also fair to say that we have to look at ways with The CWU of how we modify those in the future to make it fair for everybody and not to lose the great performance we have with most of our people.

So with that journey, I think I'd like to say absence. it's got to change. we've got to save the two hundred and fifty million pounds and we don't want to disadvantage the people who do a great job for us who come to work every day.

Simon Says

Simon :
And I think that's right Grant I mean, just one thing to add as well Grant, you'll have seen this when you're out and about and I certainly see this when I'm out about is of course, if you are one of the team that's coming into work and then you're having to do somebody else's work. you know, it's not terribly fair either.

But the other thing I would say, Grant, come back to your point is we have to find the right balance here because we can't be penalising those that actually are genuinely sick, but it'll be you know be good to see where we get to on that particular policy.

I'll remind Si of this...
A letter from Simon Thompson : Clear your office-not just your frame

#We have the right amount of sick-just not in the right-office

[2yearpostie]

Ive just saved you some of that 250 million, Cut the board members by 25%.

[ted_e_bear]

"if you are one of the team that's coming into work and then you're having to do somebody else's work. you know, it's not terribly fair either."

Thanks for the concern but It's ok I'm only going to do my share of the work.

[RTP]

With all these statements after statements they are just digging a bigger hole.

[cockneyrebel]

Pehaps Mr McPherson should be aware of this I have been for sometime re a contact in the NHS Administration
We provide more Hospital operations than any other Industry in the UK re Employed Personnel
More than the Police/Railways/Army/ etc etc
in fact only the NHS itself has more people sick than we do !!
Comment please Mr McPherson
You earn a lot of money so a fact you should have been aware of before your comments

[tomtallis]

"we've got to save the two hundred and fifty million pounds,"

So you have to save the ENTIRE amount of sick money paid out? That doesn't sound likely without doing away with sick pay altogether now does it? Although i wouldn't put it past this lot. I'm sure that was just a slip up. Wasn't it?

[crimson king]

All I'm starting to actually read from Workplace posts like this is...

"We need to find those last remaining arteries, slice them open and bleed this thing dry once and for all."

Have to save this, have to save that, they have to do more, we need to change, we need more dividends, we will not rest until the workplace is a dystopian nightmare...do they have any idea how psychotic they actually sound?

[guardianangel]

That's because all posties are on their knees with what they have been delivering year on year,your just lucky there isn't massive amounts of claims going in as well with some walks going way over the health and safety allotted time with no risk assessment on 6hr deliveries.

[mjd24]

Thing is, i get where the guy is coming from, and Simon, to an extent. But its just so disingenuous to talk about our sickness levels without then reflecting on the fact that compared to most jobs out there ours (on delivery in particular) is surely way more physically demanding. Thats just a fact.

Ive just had a long weekend. Went away to the Wye Valley and on Saturday we did an extremely physical walk which lasted 3 hours and the people i was with were non stop talking about how exhausted they were, how their legs hadnt felt like that in a long time, as if it was some sort of massive achievement.

Later on that day i look at my iphone health/walking stats for that day and it showed 13’000 steps, 4.9 miles, 38 flights of stairs climbed.

I then look at last week in work- minimum 22’000 steps per day, minimum 9 miles per day. Flights of stairs varies a bit more as one of my float jobs is a lot flatter than the other 2, but Tuesday it was 72!

And i do that each week!!!!!!

So team, if we’re going to have a genuine discussion on sickness, lets take a look at what the main reasons of sickness are and im pretty sure a huge proportion will be related to the insane physicality of our job!

[POSTMAN]

LTB 268/22 – Royal Mail – Change Proposals

Absence – Changes to attendance and absence policies, with an aim to reduce absence but support those that need to use our absence policies. Currently a significant issue to the efficiency of our operation. We also propose changes to sick pay and leaving the business due to ill health.

There are 3 elements to this proposal:-

1. Sick pay: For colleagues with more than 12 months service, we propose a change to our
sick pay arrangements. This change would not affect the first absence in a 12-month period
but for every subsequent absence, colleagues would receive Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) for the
first week of absence.

2. Attendance standards: We propose to simplify how we manage attendance by moving
to a consistent standard of 3 absences or 12 days of absence over a 12-month period at
each stage of the attendance procedure. At Welcome Back Meetings, managers would
confirm whether the absence will/won’t count towards the attendance procedure (e.g.,
having considered the Equality Act) and once the standards have been breached, an
attendance review will be issued automatically.

3. Leaving the business through ill health – the current approach costs £30m pa in addition
to sick pay. We propose to taper down the 34-week compensation payment by 1 week for
every 1 week of contractual sick pay received. This would make it more affordable and
enable more people to benefit from the approach.

Reason for this proposal

Sick absence is a serious problem for Royal Mail. It is three times higher the national
average (ONS, 2022) and costs more than £250 million a year. This proposal will not affect
the vast majority of our people. It will only affect a small number of colleagues taking lots
of short-term absences where the issue is the impact on workmates.

To put this in context and setting Covid aside, two thirds of colleagues have just one
absence or no absence at all every year. However, 25% of colleagues take multiple, short
absences. This impacts on their workmates who cover for them and makes it difficult for us
to deliver great quality, and Trust on the doorstep.

The changes will have little or no effect on the majority of colleagues who have one or no
absence each year. However, it will achieve greater fairness in the way colleagues are
treated, including those who are required to cover the work of colleagues who are regularly
absent. We will continue to offer industry leading arrangements for managing sickness
absence.

[Pidleypoo]

If they truly want to solve lots of the issues where they think sickness isn’t genuine then they have to completely change the atrocious annual leave system and that requires much better staffing.

But no , let’s get them to turn on each other and we’ll laugh at them and take away their hard fought for t&c’s whilst they do.

How tf can you compare what we do to an office job ? Ours is way more physically demanding in all sorts of Weather that brings sickness as a result.

Clueless.

[2yearpostie]

Acceptable.

[sixfoottwo]

Acceptable.

Hi Grant!

[citypostie]

So if they bring this and you don't feel well for a couple of days you might as well make use of your 7 days proper sick pay because the next time your off it's ssp even if you only stayed off for 2 days for the first absence. No point letting those sick days go to waste

[2yearpostie]

Acceptable.

Hi Grant!

Pretty standard working practices outside of royal mail now.