sic sickness

[north]

See the bit in bold?

 

That's your problem. A ridiculous idea.

 

The private sector tend not have 'sick days' to 'take'. Dump them.

 

I'll lay good odds on attendance improving after you do it.

 

Sorry, I don't understand your comments.

 

This a private sector company that provides sick days to their employees, as well as short and long term disability (and a lot of other things).

 

We have had an active absenteeism reduction programme for 5 years. I can pull up a graphic image of all sick days for any employee and overlay them, or review each one. The same programme displays a monthly, quarterly and annual report. Since we started running this, our unspecified absenteeism rate dropped around 75%.

 

The programme runs on every employee in the company, from the President down. We pride ourselves in being a good employer with attractive benefits for all employees, but it doesn't mean that they can be taken advantage of.

[Marooned in Maywick]

From what I hear ...

 

That's where I stopped giving any credence to your opinion.

[shetlandpeat]

Kavi does seem to hear much.

[Infiltrator]

See the bit in bold?

 

That's your problem. A ridiculous idea.

 

The private sector tend not have 'sick days' to 'take'. Dump them.

 

I'll lay good odds on attendance improving after you do it.

 

Sorry, I don't understand your comments.

 

Your original reply suggested employees have an annual allowance of sick days

[Shoogler]

^^^

Agree - how can you have an allowance for 'sick days'? Pretty sure that's not what applies in local government.

[shetlandpeat]

Imagine the costs to the benefit system. If you are paid sick pay you wil not have to claim housing benefits, council tax benefits, top ups to provide a minumum income to feed the little ones, free school meals and any other benefit. Which I would guess, going by some of the comments displayed in past threads that it would be more than the wage.

There is not an allowance of sick pay though there are trigger points. If your condition is that serious you will get a maximum of 6 months full and 6 months half pay, then nothing. Also, there is a back to work interview. 10 consecutive days off or 3 seperate bouts is the 1st trig point, then the monitoring starts. That is for public servants.

[oxna]

It is entirely to be expected that the average number of sick days in the Council for non-teacher staff is approaching 3 weeks (approximately double the figure for teachers - I would suggest that this figure is quite high in itself) and I would expect similar figures for any other organisation that has an optional attentance policy, albeit an unwritten one. This totally unsatisfactory situation clearly needs to be monitored to weed out those (and with average figures as high as this there's a lot of them around) who are taking advantage of this unwritten policy. I've witnessed these people first hand where I stay and one doesn't need to look far to see the extent of the problem - every town and village in Shetland has its fair share of these parasites who chose to extend their annual leave in such a manner and think nothing of it. So the Councillors really need to get to grips with this sorry situation quickly and once they've done that, they have to keep on top of it!

[unlinkedstudent]

Imagine the costs to the benefit system. If you are paid sick pay you wil not have to claim housing benefits, council tax benefits, top ups to provide a minumum income to feed the little ones, free school meals and any other benefit. Which I would guess, going by some of the comments displayed in past threads that it would be more than the wage.

There is not an allowance of sick pay though there are trigger points. If your condition is that serious you will get a maximum of 6 months full and 6 months half pay, then nothing. Also, there is a back to work interview. 10 consecutive days off or 3 seperate bouts is the 1st trig point, then the monitoring starts. That is for public servants.

 

Imagine the cost to us mere Council Tax payers, those of us who pay the Inland Revenue tax and NI to fund the benefits you mention above, SP - what about us? (And yes, I do realise that Council workers pay tax/NI). Before anyone jumps on me, I have no qualms whatsoever with those genuinely ill and there are many within the Council who do NOT take the pee wee out of the system - as ever, it is those who do take advantage of the system that spoils it for the rest.

 

The fact is, SP, if someone is off sick then someone has to cover their workload (Or not, as it would appear from first-hand experience of dealing with some SIC Departments). North has raised valid points - sick leave needs to be monitored. For decades it has been the case that Local Authorities have a plethora of paperwork requiring completion when people are off sick and if it isn't being analysed adequately and the necessary steps taken then what the hell is the point?

 

It isn't those whom work in catering/healthcare re the 48hrs that are necessarily pushing up the figures because wouldn't this rule apply to other LAs throughout the UK? How do SIC figures compare with other LAs? If our sick leave is higher then it needs addressing in a more robust manner. Occupational Health usually get called upon to advise Managers and the person who has been off sick repeatedly so that all can work together as a team, say a return to work on p/t hours, reasonable adjustments - is this done within the SIC?

 

But for those who have a habit of always having Mondays off - throw the bloody book at 'em!

[Kavi Ugl]

From what I hear ...

 

That's where I stopped giving any credence to your opinion.

 

Well, on this basis you can stop giving credence to 99% of what happens in Shetland.......

[shetlandpeat]

Sick leave is monitored. The problem that arises from an "abuse" of sick leave can be many fold. Not just pulling a fast one.

Again, of course you would be OK with folk who are sick, as you already assume that it is being abused and you want revenge if it is, sadly, this then affects all.

I can only assume with your many roles in public employment you too should be subject to the punishment of being sick, you could have a sick monitor, one who decides on sick pay, then though, how much will the discrimination actions against the council cost.

[unlinkedstudent]

Sick leave is monitored. The problem that arises from an "abuse" of sick leave can be many fold. Not just pulling a fast one.

Again, of course you would be OK with folk who are sick, as you already assume that it is being abused and you want revenge if it is, sadly, this then affects all.

I can only assume with your many roles in public employment you too should be subject to the punishment of being sick, you could have a sick monitor, one who decides on sick pay, then though, how much will the discrimination actions against the council cost.

 

Trust you to twist my words.

 

Whenever I worked within the public sector, such employment was on long term temporary contracts so I got no sick pay but did get holiday pay and could work flexible hours. I've worked for three separate LAs ... I couldn't have been that bad because they always requested me back when assignments finished.

 

At one LA, I had to complete the monitoring forms for A/L, TIL and S/L. They were conveniently filed away and no one ever looked at them in the whole year I was there. At a neighbouring LA, I did the same task but the Manager actively monitored them every quarter. It all depends on the attitude of the Manager and how much attention to policies the CEO/Councillors decide to exercise.

 

Have you ever worked at the SIC, SP? How do you know how well the Managers in each Department monitor S/L? As for me being a temp off sick and being "subject to the punishment of being sick", tis simple - you don't get paid as a temp and sometimes they would hold the post open and sometimes they didn't which was perfectly understandable, given that a Council is under an obligation to provide Best Value to its Council Tax Payers and by employing the services of a temp, there was obviously a job that had to be done.

 

I sure as hell do not want, as you put it, 'revenge' but a fair playing field for those working within the public sector who do see some of their colleagues abusing the system.

[Spinner72]

It isn't those whom work in catering/healthcare re the 48hrs that are necessarily pushing up the figures because wouldn't this rule apply to other LAs throughout the UK?

 

I understand this covers teachers and carers among others, and as we are seeing those are the two biggest departments by far, so it could well be that this has an impact on SIC figures when compared to other LA's.

[muggins]

ach well , at least its 3 million no squandered on wars or tax breaks for yuppies and the like , at least somebody somewhere is getting decent conditions somewhere in fascist britain

[shetlandpeat]

Yup, temping has been another misuse of labour, it makes them cheap as they can be changed/got rid of no questions asked, it is only recently that these abuses of folk have been curbed.

 

I wonder, as you put it, have you ever worked for SIC, funny, I have.

School holidays, I assisted the grounds man at Gilbertson Park.

 

There does seem to be a trend forming, where the sick are an easy subject. Again, I wonder why?

 

Tell us, how many folk who claim sick are actually sick. The bloke next door is off sick yet I know he is OK, he cut his grass. Similar accusations. Why does the public think they have a right to delve so deep into folks personal problems to justify a wanton lust for someone to blame other than themselves. How will not paying an employee sick pay increase productivity and moral?

 

You will be unable to justify the cost of the indepth monitoring of sickness, the worry is, it could be the job and the way folk are managed.

 

You have not mentioned about what the office would be like with someone who has a contagious infection who comes to work for fear of loosing pay, or having it marked against them for future job cutting.

 

These threads have picked on some of the vulnerable in the past, single mothers, benefit claimants (most who claim benefits WORK), disabled, the sick and the unemployed. Saddening really.

[mucklejo]

Well if shetland became independant we could set our own standards.