SICKNESS/INJURY ABSENCE PAYMENTS AND CONDITIONS

STATUTORY SICK PAY

We are responsible for the payment of Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) to all eligible employees during authorised absence due to sickness/injury. There are specific qualifying regulations for the payment of SSP (laid down by Government regulation). Provided you qualify we will pay you SSP when you are absent through sickness/injury for 4 or more consecutive days. Such payment will be made through your normal pay procedure and will be subject to the normal statutory deductions (N.I. and Income Tax).

SSP is only payable on 'qualifying days' which are days you would normally be at work. However, the first 3 qualifying days of sickness/injury absence do not attract SSP and these are called 'waiting days'. Where there are linked periods of sickness/injury absence of 4 days or more (i.e. more than one such period of absence within a 56 day period) then only one period of waiting days is served.

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COMPANY SICK PAY

* There is no contractual Company Sick Pay Scheme beyond qualification for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP).

* Whilst there is no contractual sickness/injury payments scheme beyond qualification for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), we may make discretionary additional payments to you.

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NOTIFICATION OF ABSENCE

You must notify your line Manager by telephone, at the earliest opportunity on the first day of your sickness absence. Normally this should be done before 10.30 a.m. on the first day of absence. During your absence your Manager should be kept informed. If these timescales are not complied with, an explanation will be required.

Notification should be made in person or when you are not able to by a relative, friend or neighbour.

It is essential that you comply with the above so that we can make arrangements to cover your duties and responsibilities thus minimising the disruption to our business and maintaining a reasonable workload for your colleagues.

You will be required to provide the following information when you notify us of your absence:-

  • The reason for your absence

  • How long you expect to be absent from work

You must notify your line Manager, by telephone at the latest by midday on the day before the day on which you intend to return to work. This is to allow us to stand down the temporary arrangements made to cover your absence and to plan for you to resume your duties and responsibilities.

N.B. Failure to observe and comply with these procedures may result in your absence being considered to be unauthorised and payments being withheld and the appropriate disciplinary action taken.
Should you fail to notify the Company of your intended return to work, following sickness/injury absence and simply turn up unannounced and the Company have made alternative arrangements to cover your duties, you may be sent home for the day without pay.

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RETURN TO WORK INTERVIEW

On your return to work following absence for sickness/injury, you may be required to attend an interview with your line Manager the purpose of which will be to discuss the reason for your absence, your compliance with notification procedures, your fitness to return to work and resume your duties and your attendance record in general.

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SELF CERTIFICATION

Unless you have submitted a Self Certification form during your initial absence you will be required to complete the Self Certification Form on your return to work and this should be done in the presence of your line Manager.

You may only self certificate for up to seven consecutive days (including Saturdays and Sundays).

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DOCTORS CERTIFICATE

If you are absent from work for longer than seven days you must forward a Doctors Medical Certificate to us. After the submission of this first certificate you are required to keep us notified of your continued sickness at appropriate intervals and to keep us supplied with consecutive medical certificates to justify your absence. We reserve the right in certain circumstances to require a Doctors Certificate from you for periods of absence less than seven days.

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INDEPENDENT MEDICAL EXAMINATION

Where it is considered necessary we reserve the right to ask you to undergo an independent medical examination.

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SUBMITTING MEDICAL CERTIFICATE(S)

Within this section we have referred to the need to supply either Self Certification Forms or Doctors' Certificates to justify your absence from work through sickness. We would however point out that repeated or continued absence although certificated, may lead us to an overall review of that absence. Whilst sympathising with genuine periods of sickness absence we need to focus on the needs of the business and inevitably, we are unable to operate efficiently with an unacceptably high level of absenteeism.

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INFECTIOUS/CONTAGIOUS ILLNESS

If you are suffering from such a condition you must not report for work without your doctor's clearance. If in any doubt please notify us and consult your doctor.

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