10/ Sickness

ABSENCE PROCEDURE

Wherever possible, we want to provide support for our employees when they are unable to work due to sickness. We recognise a need for a consistent approach for managing absence across the company so that we can ensure we fulfil our duty of care to our employees and deal with any issues that arise in a fair way.

REPORTING ABSENCE

In the event that you are unable to attend work through sickness, or any other reason, it is your personal responsibility to report your absence from work.  

Absence Procedure

• You are required to personally telephone your Line Manager or the Contracts Manager on the first day of sickness absence, by telephone (not text message). Your Manager will talk to you about your absence, when you expect to return to work and if there is anything to pick up in your absence.

• In the event that your manager is unavailable, you must personally telephone another manager within the business. 

• Sending a text message or an email are not acceptable methods of reporting absence.

• You must make contact yourself unless you are incapacitated and unable to do so, in which case a call from a relative is acceptable

• You need to phone in each day of your absence unless you have received a medical certificate. Failure to follow these guidelines may result in your absence being treated as unauthorised, with potential deductions of pay and / or disciplinary action.

• You must provide the appropriate documents at the relevant times and complete any absence recording documentation as required on your return to work.

 CERTIFICATION OF ABSENCE   

In cases of short-term incapacity (up to and including 7 calendar days) you must sign a self-certification absence form on your return to work. If your sickness absence from work is for more than 7 calendar days, you must provide a medical certificate to cover your absence.

If you receive a medical certificate, please call your Line Manager and let them know when it runs until and then send it in to the PA to the Directors as soon as possible (within 48hrs of receipt).

If any subsequent certificates are required, these should be sent to the PA to the Directors no later than 24 hours after the expiry of the previous certificate.

DOCUMENTING PERIODS OF ABSENCE

You should produce the following written evidence of absence and ensure that appropriate documents are provided for the whole of your absence.

Self-Certificate

• for absence of up to and including 7 calendar days

Statement of Fitness for Work

For absence of...

• more than 7 calendar days, or

• when requested, where more than 3 periods of self-certificated absence occur in any 12-month period (this may have to be obtained at your own expense), or

• for absence before or following an annual or Bank/public holiday... 

you should forward the relevant documents and any correspondence to the PA to the Directors as soon as possible.  Failure to do so may result in sick pay being delayed or withheld, and action under the disciplinary procedure being taken.

Where your GP/Medical adviser has issued a Statement of Fitness for Work indicating you may be fit for some work, you must notify your Line Manager at the earliest opportunity so that a return to work may be considered.

Reprotec UK reserves the right to require you to undertake a medical examination by a medical practitioner and/or specialist of Reprotec UK’s choice, and/or to seek a report from your doctor.

Where Reprotec UK wishes to seek a report from your doctor, you have rights under legislation. A summary of these rights is included later in this Handbook (under 'Access to Medical Reports').

STATUTORY SICK PAY

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) will be paid when you are absent from work due to sickness, provided that you have complied with the requirements and conditions attached to its payment.

ABSENCE MANAGEMENT POLICY

There will be some occasions when an employee’s sickness absence is at an unacceptable level which the Company is not able to support.  In those cases, it may be necessary to deal with the situation through the absence management triggers outlined below. 

In all cases, the employee will be given the chance to give their explanations of the situation and any mitigating circumstances will be taken into account before a decision is made. 

For employees who have completed their probationary period, the following 7 step-system will apply: 

Absence level (in rolling 12 months) Action

1st absence Return to work interview

2nd absence Return to work, attendance review meeting and mini action plan. (on attendance review document)

3rd absence Return to work interview, Investigation meeting, Action plan – no more absence in subsequent 6 months or potential disciplinary – Letter of Concern issued.

4th absence Investigation meeting – refer to disciplinary hearing – potential verbal warning

5th absence Investigation meeting – refer to disciplinary hearing – potential written warning

6th absence Investigation meeting – refer to disciplinary hearing – potential final written warning

7th absence Investigation meeting – refer to disciplinary hearing – potential dismissal

Reprotec UK reserves the right to issue the next level of warning if an employee is already in receipt of a warning for conduct, i.e. if an employee has a current verbal warning for lateness and then hits the trigger for 4 sickness absences, this may result in a written warning being issued. 

We retain discretion in respect of the above procedures to take account of your length of service and to vary the procedures accordingly.

Please note that additional information on the Company’s absence procedures is available in the Employee Handbook.

If you have any queries regarding the content of this procedure, please contact your line Manager in the first instance.

RETURN TO WORK INTERVIEW

When you return from a period of unplanned absence, you will have a return to work interview.  This is to ensure:

• You are fit to be at work

• You are updated with any changes that have occurred in your absence

• You have an understanding of the impact of your absence and understand the expectations of your attendance going forward

• You have the opportunity to discuss any underlying issues or concerns you may have

• You have the opportunity to let us know if there is any support you need from Reprotec UK.

PHASED RETURN TO WORK

Should a phased return be recommended by a medical professional, or if the Company deems it to be appropriate to help the employee settle back into work, this will be discussed with the employee. A plan will be put in place as to how the return will be managed, and review dates will be set with a view to building the employee back to their full duties and hours.

LONG TERM ABSENCE / UNDERLYING HEALTH CONDITIONS

If you have been absent for a continuous period of four weeks or longer, or upon investigation it is determined that you have an underlying health condition which is affecting your ability to attend work regularly, your Manager may request your consent to a medical report to determine what help, support or reasonable adjustments may be necessary to aid your attendance at work.

A meeting will be arranged with you and your Manager to discuss the report and ascertain if and when you may be fit to return to work and if so what, if any, reasonable adjustments may be necessary to facilitate this return.

It may be necessary to hold regular meetings over a period of time to consider how your illness or condition is progressing.

Whilst it is the Company’s aim to offer support and help to enable you to return to work, if no solution can be found to facilitate a return to work within an acceptable timescale, the Company may have to consider termination of employment on the grounds of incapacity.

IMPORTANT

If you have been absent due to sickness and are found not to have been genuinely ill, you may be subject to action under the disciplinary procedure, which could include dismissal.

In addition, we will take a serious view if you are found to be undertaking any activity during sickness absence which we reasonably believe is inconsistent with being incapable of work at that time despite the presence of an illness, injury or medical condition. Disciplinary action may be taken in this instance.