Being off sick!

[Virginia]

At my airline, if you call in sick twice in 6 months or have over 10 days of sickness at once you get called in for a 'well-being chat.'

I can appreciate the need to weed out skivers but take me for example. Last week I rang in sick due to a stomach upset. I was graphic in my description for the self certificate just to prove my point that I wasn't actually fit to fly! I couldn't spend the whole flights (four flights that day, 11 hour of duty time) running to the loo.

This week I have rung in sick with a severe cold. Blocked ears, constantly sneezing, coughing and blowing my nose. I don't consider myself fit to fly and the lack of sleep has made me woozy. I also don't want to spend the whole flight sneezing into pax coffee and tea.

It's not like an office job and you can't drag yourself to work with a bad cold/ear infections/broken limbs yet the managment still interrogate you!

Virginia-preparing for the interrogation of a 'well-being chat.' :E

[GalleyChick]

lol i know exactly what you mean.

At our airline we get called in if we've called sick a few times.

But, does your airline's management actually ring you the day you've called in sick to "See how you are, you poor thing. Is there anything I can get you?" That's what our managers do without fail and those are the exact words we get. You can call their bluff and say "actually yes, could you run to the pharmacy and pick up some meds?" Then they have an excuse waiting.

[cabingal]

I know what you mean - they would run a mile. I was off with food poisoning so bad I nearly ended up in hospital on a drip as I couldnt even keep water down - when I went back to work my manager asked me if I knew the effects my sickness had on the rest of the workforce - I wanted to tell her to f off!!! I couldn't even stand up! I wouldn't mind if I was one of those people who was off every Sunday morning but I am never off!!! Rant over!

[Juud]

Same in my airline. Continuous insincere phone-harassment and post-recovery wellness :rolleyes: interviews. Even if our sickness rate is below the national average.

I believe there is a good reason for it (good in management´s eyes anyway) Ticketprices have plummeted. To still make a profit for the Holy Cow Shareholder, costs have to be cut to the bone. To get costs as low as possible, managers operate on a bonus-system. Cut costs according to the goal, get a bonus.
So for the sake of their own wallets they will stoop as low as the law and we the employees allow them.

So be vigilant, know the law and make sure you are represented by a good, intelligent union. Who will assist you when management harasses you and who will keep track of management actions.
To keep track of the way management handles things, they need YOU to write down things. They need you to report matters to the union so they can build a file.

(also, keeping a careful record of your own sickdays and your contacts, when and who, with management, this will help you whenever management tries to put the squeeze on you)

Good luck.

[sosmix]

I used to work as cabin crew for an airline - treatment over sickness was shocking.
In other jobs things are also bad. I now work in a call centre :{ :yuk: and you are in trouble if you have more than than 2 occassions of sickness in 12 months - so nearly the whole company are on a 'disciplinary'!!
But just recently a 'team manager' was sacked because one of their team members ,who was off sick, recorded a 'concern' phone call made to them by the manager. With a tape recording infront of them the company couldn't pretend it hadn't happened (not sure what was said, but obviously unlawful) and had to sack the manager.

[Little Blue]

I work in Ops/crewing, so that makes me one of the "enemy", but don't spit on me just yet !!
For every genuine sick call, there's usually at least one call where you just know that the crew member is taking the p*ss, but what can you do?
Hard to prove it from down the other end of the phone, which means that a lot of airlines will now tar all "sickies" with the same brush !
The policy within our dept is for crew who are off sick to ring us again ONLY if they are unable to make their following duty so the onus is on the crew member.
Now, whether or not higher management decide to take it further is out of our hands. We're just the messenger.
Our sickness levels have improved greatly in the last few months ( with a few exceptions.....I reckon there's a dose of bubonic plague going around CWL at the mo !), but once the sun's out again, then you know the sickies will go up.
It's the few that spoil it for the rest of ya !
Sorry !