Sickness and injury policy

 

Your Contract of Employment will detail your rights to Sick Pay (if any) during any period of sickness absence.  The purpose of this policy is to act as guidance in relation to those matters that you need to consider if you are unable to attend your place of work through sickness absence. In addition, it provides guidance in relation to those steps that may be taken by the Company should your absences become frequent or prolonged for any reason.

 

As soon as you know that you will be unable to attend work, and in any event by 9.00am, please notify your line manager directly using these methods in order of preference:

 

1) Telephone call

2) Microsoft Teams

3) Email

 

In your line manager's absence or in the event that you are unable to contact them please speak to their line manager or the People team (rachael.drouet@pcipal.com/07816 141310, or Tia Hurd tia.hurd@pcipal.com).  If neither parties are available please use the central number 0330 131 0330. In extreme circumstances where you personally are unable to make contact then you may request a friend, relative or neighbour make contact on your behalf.  It is your responsibility to ensure a message regarding your absence gets through to one of these parties.  In addition, you must also report your absence using BreatheHR (this can be done using your mobile phone, https://pcipal.breathehr.com).

 

You must give sufficient details on the telephone about the nature of your illness or injury, and an indication as to when you will be able to return to work. Should your absence be caused by any illness or injury of a highly personal nature, this may be discussed with your line manager.   You must continue to update your manager throughout your absence by telephone, on a daily basis unless this is physcially not possible or you have agreed a specific date for the next update.  We may conduct a back to work meeting if your absence is greater than 7 days.

 

When you are absent for more than seven calendar days, you must submit a doctor’s certificate to the People team. If your sickness absence is extended beyond the date on any medical paperwork, you should continue to submit regular medical certificates to cover your absence and keep the company informed as to your condition and likely date of return to work.

 

 

Please inform the People team as you are made awareness of any absence.  This is to ensure PCI Pal record all such instances, and are able to respond to any situations requiring further HR support.

 

To help you understand what might raise doubts or queries in the mind of your manager concerning any medical statements (or self-certificates), the company has drawn up some guidelines for employees concerning their conduct and activities during any periods of absence due to sickness or injury.

 

In all cases of sickness or injury, which necessitate taking time off work, it is expected that the employee will do his utmost to facilitate a speedy return to fitness and to work. In this regard, employees are trusted to act sensibly and honestly. The company would not in the normal case expect any employee who is absent from work due to sickness or injury to;

 

 

Any case involving a breach of this part of the policy will be looked at on a case-by-case basis but disciplinary action may be taken which could include summary dismissal.

 

The company reserves the right to visit you at home or in hospital - and notice of such visits will be given to you in advance. Only in the event of any failure to contact you or where serious abuse of the Scheme or company rules is suspected will the company reserve the right to make a visit to your home without an appointment.

 

You may be required to submit to a medical examination during or after any absence from work due to sickness or injury or at any time deemed necessary by the company during your employment. You will be required to give your consent to a report being sent to the company concerning your fitness or otherwise to work or on any other relevant matter. This medical report may be carried out by your own General Practitioner or medical practitioner appointed by the Company.

 

Should the doctor appointed by the company require details of your medical history, you will be required to give your written consent giving him permission to contact your doctor (your GP or your Consultant) for your medical records or for a medical report - subject to your rights under the Access to Medical Reports Act 1988 and Access to Health Records Act 1990.

 

You may also or in the alternative be required to submit to a medical examination by an independent consultant (whether medical or otherwise) at the company’s expense. You will be required to give your written consent to a report being sent in confidence to the company doctor who in turn will disclose to the company any relevant details regarding your fitness to work. No confidential medical details will be disclosed to the company neither will any diagnosis be given except in cases where any doctor regards this as paramount for your or other people’s health and/or safety. In any event your consent will be sought first before any such disclosure is made.

 

The doctor appointed by the company will be responsible for liaising with your own GP who will be kept fully informed about your case. It is expected that you will co-operate in this procedure and you will be required to give such consent as necessary in order to progress your claims for sick pay.

 

All medical information will be kept confidential but you may be required to give your consent to any medical reports or records kept by your GP being sent to the doctor appointed by the company for him/her to base a report on your fitness or otherwise, and that report may then be sent to a senior manager.

 

Until the company is satisfied with the outcome of those enquiries, the company reserves the right to withhold all or part of the company sick pay and, if the circumstances warrant it, statutory Sick Pay (SSP).

 

You should also report any contact with anyone suffering from an infectious or contagious disease and it will be up to the manager in charge of your department to determine whether you should come to work, work from home or stay home on full pay.

 

The company reserves the right to require an employee to undertake any reasonable duties having due regard to the nature of the illness or injury and this may mean that the employee will be able (after being signed off as fit for work by his doctor) to attend for work and undertake alternative or light duties or work shorter hours for a period of time. In such a case the company may, at its discretion maintain the employee’s normal earnings or may offer the rate of pay applicable to those alternative duties/shorter hours. This will in any event be fully discussed with the employee.

 

Upon your return to work you may in certain circumstances be required to present a certificate/report from your doctor confirming that you are fit for work. In any such case you will be contacted and asked to obtain such a certificate. You may also be required to submit to a medical examination by a doctor appointed by the company before being allowed back to work. The decision of the company will be final, following consultation with the doctor, as to whether you are fit to return to work. The company, at its entire discretion, reserves the right to refuse to permit any member of staff to return to work should the circumstances warrant it.

 

It is the Company’s policy to comply fully with the provisions of this Act. Adjustments to this Policy will be made whenever necessary to avoid any employees being prejudged if they have a disability or if they are a carer or have an association with a disabled person.  It is the company’s policy to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act Code of Practice for the elimination of discrimination in the field of employment against disabled persons or persons who have had a disability.

 

There is no entitlement to any company sick pay (this may include the withdrawal or non-payment of SSP in some cases) where in the opinion of the company;

 

 

Sickness or injury occurring during a period of planned holiday approved by the company should be reported as soon as is reasonably practicable and should be supported by appropriate medical evidence (e.g. doctors’ certificates/letters from hospitals). Where practicable you should comply with the company’s sickness reporting procedures for the time being in force.

 

In appropriate cases the company may, in its absolute discretion, allow you to take a further period of paid holiday between such dates as the company may specify. Equally, where you are prevented by sickness or injury from taking a period of planned holiday approved by the company, the company may allow you a further period of paid holiday between such dates as the company may specify. You should comply with the company’s sickness reporting procedures for the time being in force.

 

Where the company has agreed to treat a period of approved holiday or part of such a period as sickness absence, you are required to return to work as soon as you are fit to do so regardless of whether this date coincides with that on which you would otherwise have returned to work after the period of approved holiday.

 

If the holiday period is requested to be taken at a future date, any sick pay during the approved holiday period will only be settled at the Statutory Sick Pay levels and will not be taken as part of the non-contractual company sick pay allocation.

 

The company reserves the right to recover from you and to deduct from any sums due to you from the company an amount equal to the difference between sick pay for the relevant period (if any) and holiday pay.

 

Where holiday is requested but not approved by the company and you take the leave or purport to be ill during the relevant period you may be liable to disciplinary action under the company’s disciplinary procedure for unauthorised absence.

 

It is necessary for the efficient operation of the business that all employees attend for work regularly. If an employee is unable to achieve this for reasons of poor health, the company may not be able to continue his or her employment. An employee’s situation is regularly reviewed during any absence from work due to sickness, injury or other incapacity and the company reserves the right to terminate an employee’s employment in such circumstances.

 

The company reserves the right to terminate your employment at any time where you are absent from work due to sickness, injury or incapacity regardless of whether you remain entitled to SSP/contractual sick pay. The company also reserves the right to insist on an interview with an employee should they have been absence from work on at least 3 (three) occasions within a 12 (twelve) month period.