Question: We have hourly employees who submit a request for days off and, when the days are not approved, they call in sick. Does anyone have a policy in place that would help with this problem? -- Wendy
To read the rest of this article you must first register with your email address.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I think the problem here is the way employers are dealing with the sick days.
When the employee calls in sick, DON’T get riled or start berating the employee over the phone. That makes things worse and they are likely to take more sick days if indeed they are faking. Deal with it likes this.
Employee: I can’t come in, i’m sick (for whatever reason)!.
You: Oh i’m sorry to hear that (name!), I hope it isn’t anything too serious. Is there anything I can do in the meantime?
Employee: No thanks – I just need to get better!
You: Okay well if you need anything, give me a call and i’ll see you when you get back.
This way you are not accusing, you are showing empathy. You’re not insinuating that you need them or anything for an important event (even if you do, don’t mention it).
When they come back have a 1-2-1, say:
You: I hope you’re feeling better.
Employee: Yes.
You: Good i’m glad to hear it, is there anything I need to know or do to make things comfortable for you?
Employee: No thanks.
You: Well if you need anything, you know where I am. Don’t hesitate to contact me. If you need a breather for five minutes let me know and i’ll arrange for you to go off the floor/outside!
Employee: Thank you!
You: You’re welcome! I want to support you and I don’t want you to be stressed or anything, just take your time, relax and as I say i’m here to offer as much supprt as I can.
If you show empathy, flexibility to the employee in terms of if they need time for a breather, it will limit their likelyhood of going off sick. They can’t say they don’t have support or employer understanding and reducing the likelyhood of going off sick in this way will ultimately benefit your company, workforce and working productivity.
What about employees who always phone in sick on important days? For example, a legal assistant who phones in sick when a court filing is due or a maintenance engineer who phones in sick when there is some moving around of furniture that has to be done for an upcoming event.
my husband was denied sick day to go to the doctor..how is this legal…im in las vegas and he works for a large company.0
employees are given sick time and personal to use when they want without permission of management. Try to bring write them up or suspend and you could been the one who takes the heat
Flip side of the story here – I am an employeer with 21 employees whom each have 10 personal days per year that they can take, no questions asked. Great, right? Here’s my problem, there is roughly 23 work days per month, 21 employees times 10 days each equals to 21 times per month for roughly 10 months that I have an employee out. Quite frankley, employees are getting sick and tired of having to stay late or come in early to cover for each other. I am in the education business so not only am I counting on my employees to be there, the children in the classroom and the parents who pay weekly are also counting on the employees being present. Am I a bad employer if I lower the days available or is there a better way to measure time off work? I need good advice!
Leave a Comment
17 Team Building IdeasTeamwork At Its Best: Training handouts to build a thriving team at workOvertime Labor Law: 6 FLSA compliance tips10 Time Management Tips: A how-to guide12 Ways to Optimize Your Employee Benefits ProgramWorkplace Violence Prevention ToolkitBest-Practices Leadership:Team Management tips10 Secrets to an Effective Performance Review: Examples and tipsPerformance Review DocumentsHow to Write Meeting MinutesStandard Operating Procedure: An example manualMinute Taking Template and Sample Meeting MinutesThe Office Organizer: 10 tipsOffice Organization Documents: 5 essential formsRecord Retention Schedule: Guidelines for every office documentMaternity Leave Laws: 7 guidelinesEmployment Background Check GuidelinesFMLA Intermittent Leave: 5 guidelinesFMLA Sample PolicyHow to Fire an Employee the Legal Way: 6 Termination GuidelinesThe Essential Employee Handbook14 Tips on Business EtiquetteOffice Communication Toolkit: 10 tips for managersWorkplace Conflict Resolution: 10 ways to manageSalary Negotiating 101: 7 secretsMicrosoft Excel Help: Excel Tips for Every Skill Level
Microsoft Email Outlook: Tips and Training
Tip Card: Microsoft Office Keyboard Shortcuts
Tip Card: Business Management Daily's Favorite Keyboard ShortcutsThe Bully Boss Strikes Again!Small Business Tax Deduction Strategies
I would save their request for time-off and then note on the sheet that it was denied. If and when they call in sick on that particular date, you have legitimate grounds to write them up or suspend them without pay.
Posted by: Ferial Hassan | November 17, 2006 at 12:15 PM
Require a doctor's note when this situation occurs.
Posted by: | November 17, 2006 at 12:24 PM
We do not have a written policy on this, but when we think someone is faking it, we will sometimes call them at home to verify they are there. However, with call forwarding, a person can easily get around this....(register to read more)