Originally Posted by flyblue
Cool 
Thanks for your reply 
To be honest, I think that a large part of the reason for the implementation of our more harsh sickness policy is the lack of medicals at the intake stage.
Of course, it's not unrealistic to think that some people won't actually declare illnesses that they suffer from. By introducing a policy on sickness that sees a minimal number of days off resulting in further action being taken, the company is able to weed out those who are either prone to illness OR perhaps weren't particularly honest on their declaration.
British Airways used to have a strict medical check prior to commencement of employment but I believe this was abolished back in 2001 when the last of the new recruits until late 2003 joined the company. In 2003 the airline needed a massive number of new staff and I think it just wasn't practical for them all to be given these medicals.