1 Day Doctors note

LegacyUser

Can a company introduce a new HR policy without the agreement or consulation of employees? Namely, if you call in sick on Monday or Friday you must produce a medical cert..
It doesn't matter if you are only out for 1 day. Previously no cert was needed for up to 2 days sickness.

Eoin

I would imagine the only exception is if it specifically changed a clause in your contract. Companies would be run into the ground if they had to OK everything with the staff.

Nody

The company is not legally required to pay any sick days for reference but clearly they have seen a lot of Monday/Friday sickness and has decided to take steps to correct it. The policy is not that odd honestly (I've seen similar set ups where you was required for three days of sickness to have a cert and they would count weekend days etc.). I

n short though, yes, they can. It is a policy update, not a contract update which means they don't need your approval for it.

LegacyUser

Thanks for the replies.
This is being introduced soon where i work (over 200 staff).
A lot of people are unhappy about it as it does seem a little unfair that the honest everyday worker with minimal sick days should be expected to see a medical professional if he/she is absent for one day.

Does this go against any work laws as being an unreasonable policy change?

Darragh29

Fr.Dessie wrote: »

Thanks for the replies.
This is being introduced soon where i work (over 200 staff).
A lot of people are unhappy about it as it does seem a little unfair that the honest everyday worker with minimal sick days should be expected to see a medical professional if he/she is absent for one day.

Does this go against any work laws as being an unreasonable policy change?

I think it would require a change to your contract...

seamus

It only requires a consultation with an employee if it makes a change to your contract.

Darragh29

But does the employee not have to agree to the change???

Eoin

Darragh29 wrote: »

But does the employee not have to agree to the change???

No, not unless this clause was specifically mentioned in the contract, which I doubt. It's far more likely that the contract says that the employee has to adhere to the company's policies in this matter. Changing the policy does not change the contract.

Darragh29

Yeah true. But I remember two contracts I had mentioned the sick leave policy in the contract, just the bit about if you were ansent for more than 3 days, then you had to get a sick cert, but they also referred to compliance with the company policy which was liable to change at anytime...

Deadeyes

In my place of work, the contract states you must adhere to the company's policy document. The contract doesn't actually refer to the contents of the document, so I guess they can change it. They have a kind of similar policy, namely that Monday or Friday absences will be noted too many and you'll be required to produce certs even for a single day.

Pythia

My work has the normal 3 days-get a note policy. But, you have to produce a sick-note if you call in sick Friday and the following Monday, which, although only 2 days, would be 4 days of being sick if you really were.

I think this is much fairer.

Darragh29

Does this not just encourage people to take a Tuesday off as well if they are out on a Monday or a Thursday if they are out on a Friday???

I used to work somewhere that had a really weird attitude to sick leave, unless you had a cert. People who were not sick would just take the week off because they believed you'd get less hassle for a week or two off than you would for a day or two!