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Why are sundays included in sickness?

Postal workers discussion forum. Discuss the day to day life in a Blue Shirt.
paulthepostie
EX ROYAL MAIL
Posts: 123
Joined: 06 Nov 2009, 18:43
Gender: Male

Why are sundays included in sickness?

Post by paulthepostie »

I was sick last Thursday and came back monday.Why have they included Sunday,which is our day off?
If i had rang up Saturday to say i will be back monday,would they have excluded it?.
In the 10 plus years I've been at royal mail,i can never find an answer.Any ideas guys?.
Muchas gracias!.
Last edited by paulthepostie on 13 Mar 2013, 20:49, edited 1 time in total.
paulthepostie
EX ROYAL MAIL
Posts: 123
Joined: 06 Nov 2009, 18:43
Gender: Male

Re: Why are sundays included in sisckness?

Post by paulthepostie »

True,unfortunately managers are never grateful.Thanks for the advice mate,it's greatly appreciated. :thumbup
Glenno
Posts: 1491
Joined: 05 Jun 2007, 13:12

Re: Why are sundays included in sickness?

Post by Glenno »

This all comes down too when you were allowed to self certificate for 1 week (7days) IIRC :wave :wave
UnhappyGremlin
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Joined: 18 May 2012, 20:49
Gender: Male
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Re: Why are sundays included in sickness?

Post by UnhappyGremlin »

On the rare :shhhhh occasions I'm on sick leave, I always ring to tell them I will be back the next day, it just covers you against lengthened sick records, which they will try to make out as long as they can in the hopes they can issue stages.
Sometimes, I wish I wasn't a Rep.
Senior Service
Posts: 185
Joined: 19 Aug 2007, 18:34

Re: Why are sundays included in sickness?

Post by Senior Service »

If you are off sick say today (Thursday) and Friday is your day off and if you know you will be back on Saturday you should ring up and say that you would be fit for work on your day off (you do not have to work!) otherwise it will also be counted as a sick abscence day. This is even more important if you are sick before a long weekend, if again you know you will be fit on Tuesday you must ring up and say you would be fit to work on Saturday otherwise Saturday Sunday and Monday will also be counted as sick days.
This advice may just help someone avoid triggering a stage warning for number of days.
One warning however if you are not fit to return when you say you will incurr another abscence.
thechemistshop
Posts: 8
Joined: 08 Feb 2013, 21:21
Gender: Male

Re: Why are sundays included in sickness?

Post by thechemistshop »

i had a smarmy manager inform me of this at a stage warning if i had phoned on the saturday (my day off that week) i wouldn't have incurred a stage warning ,i got this thrown out because he didn't phone me on that day to find out how i was ,, but he had phoned on the wed,thur,fri to enquire about my going back to work ,, he didn't bother on the sat because my duty was covered
coxie
EX ROYAL MAIL
Posts: 1336
Joined: 09 Oct 2009, 14:57
Gender: Male

Re: Why are sundays included in sickness?

Post by coxie »

Say you tried to phone in but nobody answered
Poorly
Posts: 46
Joined: 05 Nov 2012, 20:34
Gender: Female

Re: Why are sundays included in sickness?

Post by Poorly »

I've never understood this concept of phoning up the day before to say you'll be fit the next day, it kind of implies that you are fit now. If im throwing up in the morning, how can I possibly tell if I am going to be well the next day? I'll probably know just before I go to bed if I'll be fit but not in the morning.

I have questioned this before with HR and been told that your last day of absence is your last scheduled working day, NOT the day before you return.

I had a part day absence on the Friday and my next working day was the Monday and they tried to record the absence as Friday to Sunday, so it was 2 full days. I got that absence changed to a single part day.

More people should challenge this.
CORTINA
Posts: 210
Joined: 29 Jan 2009, 12:10
Gender: Male

Re: Why are sundays included in sickness?

Post by CORTINA »

If SUNDAY can be included as a sick day when it is not a WORKING DAY.....

Then somebody if not the union needs to get their act together..... and sort it out..... never have worked in a place with this crazy biased system before........ unlawfull comes to mind and just how long has this crazy system been going on that the union have have allowed it to do so..... its basic logic that it is not right .

Its amazing what people will put up with ....
fishtank
Posts: 19732
Joined: 28 Sep 2007, 17:22
Gender: Male

Re: Why are sundays included in sickness?

Post by fishtank »

Poorly wrote:I have questioned this before with HR and been told that your last day of absence is your last scheduled working day, NOT the day before you return..


Absence notification and maintaining contact
Guide for employees


absence.jpg
Poorly wrote:I've never understood this concept of phoning up the day before to say you'll be fit the next day, it kind of implies that you are fit now.
The employee should advise their manager of the reason for their absence, the likely duration and anticipated return date.

All you are doing is giving them a likely return date as required by the sick absence policy,it isn't written in stone and if you woke up the following morning feeling worse you would simply phone in and update your managers.
The reason for this,and i can see Royal Mail's point is that they may be bringing in resources to cover your illness.
In most cases people know when they are getting better and usually return to work when they feel able to cope with work,they do not usually wait until they are 100% fit.
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Poorly
Posts: 46
Joined: 05 Nov 2012, 20:34
Gender: Female

Re: Why are sundays included in sickness?

Post by Poorly »

fishtank wrote:
Poorly wrote:I've never understood this concept of phoning up the day before to say you'll be fit the next day, it kind of implies that you are fit now.
The employee should advise their manager of the reason for their absence, the likely duration and anticipated return date.

All you are doing is giving them a likely return date as required by the sick absence policy,it isn't written in stone and if you woke up the following morning feeling worse you would simply phone in and update your managers.
The reason for this,and i can see Royal Mail's point is that they may be bringing in resources to cover your illness.
In most cases people know when they are getting better and usually return to work when they feel able to cope with work,they do not usually wait until they are 100% fit.
I know what you are saying but if the next day is a non-working day they shouldn't need to bring in extra resource. Are saying that is correct that if I go home ill on a part day Friday (last day of my week) that it should be recorded as 1 part day and 2 full days? Even Royal Mail didn't agree with that!

The paragraph you have quoted is from the new Attendance Procedure not the old one. As far as I am concerned *I* will declare when my last day of sickness is not my manager. She can go down the route of Unauthorised Absence if she wants to record the Saturday and Sunday too, and we'll see where that ends up.
curly1975
Posts: 91
Joined: 21 Jun 2007, 21:51

Re: Why are sundays included in sickness?

Post by curly1975 »

The answer to your question:

It is because we have a union that negotiates then tells us to agree to national agreements that have not been properly thought out, are full of loop holes and grey areas what enable Royal Mail management to twist and manipulate them. :arrrghhh
Lateagainpostie
Posts: 393
Joined: 23 Oct 2010, 18:17
Gender: Male

Re: Why are sundays included in sickness?

Post by Lateagainpostie »

I have recently been off sick, my manager phoned me on the Friday to say he was expecting me in on the Monday, I told him I had another Doctors appointment on the Monday at 14:40, he said my sick note ran out on the Sunday night at Midnight as the Doctor hadn't stated a time on the sick note.

When I went to the Doctor she said I wasn't ready for light duties, unless I was sat sown, with minimum walking.

My light duties are in callers office with only one chair, which the manager or PHG occupy, I am stood up for 90% of the day, and walking back and forth on a knee that I am waiting to have further diagnosis on.

My manager has told me me that If I go sick again it will be classed as a new period. I have just been to a stage 3 disciplinary through taking time off with stress and depression.

I'm in a no win.

RM's sickness policy is a joke, is Victorian in purpose, and infringes on your human rights.
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Glenno
Posts: 1491
Joined: 05 Jun 2007, 13:12

Re: Why are sundays included in sickness?

Post by Glenno »

When I went to the Doctor she said I wasn't ready for light duties, unless I was sat sown, with minimum walking.

My light duties are in callers office with only one chair, which the manager or PHG occupy, I am stood up for 90% of the day, and walking back and forth on a knee that I am waiting to have further diagnosis on.

My manager has told me me that If I go sick again it will be classed as a new period. I have just been to a stage 3 disciplinary through taking time off with stress and depression.

I'm in a no win.

RM's sickness policy is a joke, is Victorian in purpose, and infringes on your human rights.
Seems to me that your DOM is overiding all and sundry, get ATOS to access your GPs advice, stage 3 was the rep involved?
crazyshrew
Posts: 584
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Re: Why are sundays included in sickness?

Post by crazyshrew »

Dr's can back date sick/fit notes to ensure continuity in absence records.

so if you've a couple of days when you couldn't contact your GP to get it renewed (bank holidays and the like) you will still be covered.

If your dom treats a few hours between sick notes as separate absences he/she is an arse