grief for being off sick.
Discussion
Just need a bit if advice on this. I have a friend who works for a college. She had worked there for three years, but it's given a years contact at a time. This runs from September to July.
She has depression which she is on medication for. The college have been aware of this since she started working for them.
She's now getting grief because she has had 9 days of sick since September. 3 of those were taken at once for a sickness / diarrhea bug. The test have been depression related.
The college had suggested they send her to a councillor - which she agreed to a while back but nothing else had happened,.even though she had chased it up.
Today she had a meeting with her new line manager who, from what I understand, pretty much have her a half hour b
king for her absences.
Any advice?
She has depression which she is on medication for. The college have been aware of this since she started working for them.
She's now getting grief because she has had 9 days of sick since September. 3 of those were taken at once for a sickness / diarrhea bug. The test have been depression related.
The college had suggested they send her to a councillor - which she agreed to a while back but nothing else had happened,.even though she had chased it up.
Today she had a meeting with her new line manager who, from what I understand, pretty much have her a half hour b
king for her absences.Any advice?
First I should say I am no expert here, but I understand it may all come down to whether the employer knew she suffered from depression prior to employing your friend and the employment contract she signed.
Depression is sometimes viewed by employers as an easy excuse for some time off work as the symptoms are hard to see.
However, if it was a reoccurring 'bad knee' and the employee was taking repeated time off then I suspect the employer (depending on the contract of employment) may have the right to terminate the contract.
It's unlikely (and somewhat unfair) to assume the employer must keep her in a job regardless of the illness and the time she is taking off sick, after all their is a job to done.
That said if they handle the situation wrong then she could make a claim for unfair dismissal.
Depression is sometimes viewed by employers as an easy excuse for some time off work as the symptoms are hard to see.
However, if it was a reoccurring 'bad knee' and the employee was taking repeated time off then I suspect the employer (depending on the contract of employment) may have the right to terminate the contract.
It's unlikely (and somewhat unfair) to assume the employer must keep her in a job regardless of the illness and the time she is taking off sick, after all their is a job to done.
That said if they handle the situation wrong then she could make a claim for unfair dismissal.
3 of the 9 days were one absence, so the other 6 were individual days, 1 at a time? The college probably has a policy that says a number of absences above X (i.e. 5) in a 12 month period is deemed inappropriate, hence the meetings. But they should be engaging with her with more tact by the sounds of it. Giving a depressed employee grief about her absence is only going to make things worse.
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