Do managers contact you when off sick to disturb you?

Do you think that a reason employers call you when you are off sick is to deliberately disturb you, if not consciously then on a sun conscious level.

For example 2 nights ago I was up all night with bowel cramping and so had to ring in sick. I followed the protocol which is to contact the sickness team as soon as possible (available 24/7) so that they can reallocate clients. Then to follow it up with an email to the manager.

I did this as soon as possible at 5am. Finally I got to sleep and was woken up by my phone ringing/it rang 3 times and was one of the managers asking how I was and telling me to repeat the same procedure if I couldn’t make it in the next day. They apologised for disturbing me but I wonder what was the real purpose of the call.

Reply 1

leah.swallow

2

Original post by Anonymous

Do you think that a reason employers call you when you are off sick is to deliberately disturb you, if not consciously then on a sun conscious level.

For example 2 nights ago I was up all night with bowel cramping and so had to ring in sick. I followed the protocol which is to contact the sickness team as soon as possible (available 24/7) so that they can reallocate clients. Then to follow it up with an email to the manager.

I did this as soon as possible at 5am. Finally I got to sleep and was woken up by my phone ringing/it rang 3 times and was one of the managers asking how I was and telling me to repeat the same procedure if I couldn’t make it in the next day. They apologised for disturbing me but I wonder what was the real purpose of the call.

Where I work, they ring to check how you are and see if you need any support / check when you're going to be back in.
I don't think they do it purposely to disturb you as they won't be able to tell when you're asleep etc haha

Reply 2

Anonymous #1

OP

Original post by leah.swallow

I don't think they do it purposely to disturb you

I’m not so sure

Reply 3

Zarek

21

It pretty standard absence management to promote line manager engagement with employees who are off sick. Officially to show concern and offer support, but also it’s to assess likely length of absence, show you’re still on the radar and seek to combat short term malingering

Reply 4

Emma:-)

Entertainment Forum Helper

19

Original post by leah.swallow

Where I work, they ring to check how you are and see if you need any support / check when you're going to be back in.
I don't think they do it purposely to disturb you as they won't be able to tell when you're asleep etc haha

I agree.
Its similar where i work.
They do it for a variety of reasons- from showing concern, offering support, assessing how long you are likely to be off (e.g. a couple of days or a couple of weeks). And also it might put off the odd ones who are pulling sickies, playing the system etc.

Reply 5

-Eirlys-

Debate & Current Affairs Helper

21

Original post by Anonymous

Do you think that a reason employers call you when you are off sick is to deliberately disturb you, if not consciously then on a sun conscious level.

For example 2 nights ago I was up all night with bowel cramping and so had to ring in sick. I followed the protocol which is to contact the sickness team as soon as possible (available 24/7) so that they can reallocate clients. Then to follow it up with an email to the manager.

I did this as soon as possible at 5am. Finally I got to sleep and was woken up by my phone ringing/it rang 3 times and was one of the managers asking how I was and telling me to repeat the same procedure if I couldn’t make it in the next day. They apologised for disturbing me but I wonder what was the real purpose of the call.

No, I believe they have the right to contact you to check up on how you're doing. Ideally, employees should keep their employers up to date on their condition and when you expect to return to work. My work require us to ring up every single morning at 7.30am. It sounds like your manager was simply doing their job, asking how you are and deciphering when they can expect you back in work, whilst reminding you of the sickness protocol and what they expect of you.

If, however, you're off sick due to a disability or chronic health condition, the laws slightly change on that.

Also, my phone is always on DND or silent when I'm trying to sleep. :wink:

I've moved your thread to a more appropriate place in the forums. In future, please double check to see if your thread would be better suited in another area. Thank-you!

Do managers contact you when off sick to disturb you?

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