We operate a discretionary occupational sick pay scheme.
Following successful completion of your probation period, we will pay your normal salary (inclusive of Statutory Sick Pay (if you meet the eligibility criteria) during sickness absences up to a total of 28 weeks’ absence in any 12 month period, providing there is a reasonable prospect of you returning to work. Once this has been exhausted you may be eligible to claim government benefits.
During your probation period, we will only pay Statutory Sick Pay (and only if you meet the eligibility criteria)
Any payment is conditional on you complying with our sickness absence procedures shown below. Failure to follow these could result in sick pay being withheld.
Sickness Absence Procedures
- You must notify your line manager if you are unable to attend work. Notification should be as soon as possible but no later than one hour after your normal start time. You should be prepared to inform us of the reason for your absence and how long you think the absence will last.
- When you return to work you will need to meet with your line manager to discuss the absence and the reason for it. One of the purposes of this meeting is to establish if there is any support we can put in place to help reduce further absences.
- You must complete and submit a self-certification form on return to work for all periods of sickness absence of seven calendar days or less.
- You must provide a doctor's certificate or "fit note" for a period of sickness absence of more than seven calendar days.
- You should record your sickness absence on the E-days system. This system will automatically generate a self-certification form for completion upon return to work. This form will be authorised by the Line Manager, recorded on the system. HR will check the recording of this absence for monitoring purposes.
- You must agree on request to be interviewed and/or examined by an occupational doctor of our choosing and to authorise the release of any medical report from the doctor. We will meet all costs associated with any such examination and/or medical report.
- Subject to the Access to Medical Reports Act 1988, we reserve the right to obtain a medical report from your GP or other medical practitioner.
- You should cooperate with recommendations made by medical practitioners, notwithstanding the fact that the advice on a "fit note" is not binding on the employer.
Notes
The sick pay year, for calculation purposes, starts from the first period of absence in any 52-week period.
All payments will be made up from any Statutory Sick Pay entitlement (or any state sickness benefits if you’re not eligible for Statutory Sick Pay). It is not permissible to receive Statutory Sick Pay or any other sickness benefit on top of full salary. If you receive sickness benefits in excess of full pay, the excess is to be refunded to us.
If you are absent due to injury/accident, you must notify us of any claim made against a third party. We reserve the right to expect repayment of any occupational sick pay (or part thereof) which is the subject of a payment received from such a claim. This will not affect payments of SSP. The repayment should be made either as a lump sum or by deduction from your salary by agreement.
If, after an extended period of sickness leave and indication from a medical practitioner that there is not a reasonable prospect to return to your role including with any reasonable adjustments that may be considered, we reserve the right to use the capability process which may result in the termination of your employment.
If the reason for your absence is of a highly confidential nature and you do not wish to disclose this to your line manager, you may contact HR instead.
Sickness or injury while on holiday
If you become sick or are injured while on holiday, we will allow you to transfer to sick leave and take replacement holiday at a later time. This is subject to the following strict conditions:
- The total period of incapacity must be fully certificated by a qualified medical practitioner.
- You must contact your line manager as soon as possible after you know that there will be a period of incapacity during a holiday.
- You must submit a written request no later than 5 working days after returning to work setting out how much of the holiday period was affected by sickness and the amount of leave that you wish to take at another time.
- If you are overseas when you become ill or are injured, a medical certificate must be produced as evidence of your illness.
If you fulfil all of the above conditions, we will grant you the same number of days' replacement holiday leave as the number of holiday days lost due to sickness or injury.
Sickness or injury shortly before a period of planned holiday
If you are ill or injured before the start of a period of planned holiday, and consequently unable to take the holiday, we may, at our discretion, agree to you postponing the holiday dates to another mutually agreed time. Any period of sickness absence will then be treated in accordance with our normal policy on sickness absence.
You must submit a written request to postpone the planned holiday, along with any documentation required under our sickness absence policy.
Replacement holiday dates
Where it is agreed that you can take replacement holiday leave at a later time, you should request replacement holiday dates as soon as possible, with the dates being subject to the agreement of your line manager in the usual way.
You should aim to take any replacement holiday within the same holiday year as the days lost as a result of sickness or injury. In the event that part or all of the holiday is lost due to incapacity towards the end of our holiday year and there is insufficient time left during that year for the replacement holiday leave to be taken, you will be permitted to carry over the replacement holiday to the next holiday year. However, this leave should be taken as early in the new holiday year as possible.