Long term sick and returning to work.

[Kelv]

A bit of a random one, but I'm curious as to how others would view this and what they would feel was suitable!?

long story short, I've been off work a fair while, a few health issues and a lot of depression and extreme low's along the way, currently on a lot of pain relief and anti depressants, along with further physio etc.

7 weeks back, my GP said I should return to work, cleared me as fit to return and said it would do me good to get back into a busy environment and establish a regular routine again.
i contacted my line manager, who arranged a meeting with myself and our head of personel.
the following week the meeting took place, HR made it clear that for their insurance purposes they would need me to see the occupational health specialist before returning and asked if I could speak to my GP to provide another cert for the week previous and the one we were in, saying that the Ocupational health meeting would probably be later in the week.
my GP obliged, being aware that if I wasn't certified I wouldn't get paid.


anyhow, the occupational health meeting didn't take place for almost 3 weeks, which is now just over 2 weeks ago.
the assessment is still yet to land with my company to say I'm fit to return.
bearing in mind, these last weeks I have not been certified

payday is due tomorrow, so this morning I contacted my head of personel and asked what was going on.
he has informed me that unless I provide a certificate for the past few weeks then the company class me as AWOL and I won't receive any pay.
but my GP classes me as fit to return and wanted me to return many weeks back now, in my opinion I'm only holding off due to my company personal and occupational health to give me the clear, so surely this isn't up to me to provide certification for my absence!?

Does anyone work in the HR departments or anyone have an opinion on this.
i feel stumped, but certainly can't survive a month with zero income, especially when I've been trying to return

 

[Foxspeed]

just go back to your gp and explain the situation and ask for the sick notes...job done

sounds like your firm is making sure all is well before you return - they could have you come back on shorter hours until you are fully fit...

 

[Rotoryboy]

Yep I agree. You are 'Fit' to go back but your HR team will be dotting the I's and crossing the T's. Just explain to your GP the situation and he will be happy to do it for you. It's not your fault and you shouldn't be penalized for it :thumbup1:

 

[Kelv]

I fully agree that the company is covering all the angles, doting the I's and dashing the T's so to speak.
the size of our company and the nature of the business I wouldn't expect anything less.

the bit I was puzzled about is that work want me to get certified for the past few weeks, even tho the hold up is on there side of things, so surely that's not my responsibility.

i agree I could go back to my GP, but in my eyes work should be covering this.
getting a GP note at this stage for me will only give me SSP (as I have now exhausted my sick pay entitlement for a rolling 12 month period) where as if I'd returned I'd have got full pay, which is one heck of a considerable difference to what SSP will be.

 

[Stephen]

There's a guy in my office with what sounds similar issues as yours and he came back to work one Monday not so long ago but he had been signed off until the Wednesday so they sent him home, as said to cover their backs.

Do you know when the next meeting is going to be at your work?

 

[Kelv]

We are waiting on the report to land from Aviva/Capita, even tho the consultant is the same one I've seen over the past few years and he has said he considers me as fit to return to work, although now on a revised role from what ive been on for 20 yrs, which is the new office based role I'd already started covering.
He has said that I could now be covered under the disability act due to the nature of my health issues and the length of time it has continued for.
but I am off for depression reasons at present, but desperatly wish to get back into work, I'm not one to sit at home and be idle, and I certainly don't want to end up as a government leech claiming things just to survive when I know I can return to work.

 

[Stephen]

Yeah I guess its just the f***ed up system everything runs by now days. Rules and reg's for everything including ridiculous things.

Hope every things sorted soon mate..... or I'll get you and [MENTION=4920]Gam[/MENTION] to come and tidy my garage :rofl:

 

[Kelv]

Ha ha, I'll avoid the heavy items, I need to be careful of my fragile parts.

 

[Mentalpen]

This randomly popped up on tapatalk for some reason and I missed it.

Ok I've had this and you need a sick note for national insurance purposes I believe but that's not the point.

Our managers can authorise full pay over ssp although my case was the same as yours as in I was waiting on a OH specialist to ok after the nhs quack said I could go back I went on to half pay as opposed to full pay which kicks in after 6 months.

Despite me having to wait on them they wouldn't keep me on full pay but had the option to do so.

I'm guessing your in the same situation.

Hope they treat your right.

 

[Kelv]

It's in motion at present.
work have agreed to backdate my pay to the date I was signed to return from my GP.
ive had a couple of meetings with HR now and tomorrow I have another one about being pensioned off from the company.

 

[Stephen]

At east your getting the money your owed.

Pensioned off? This like redundancy?

 

[Kelv]

Not quite, redundancy is when they don't have a job for you anymore, but our company still has plenty of roles of what I was qualified to do but I can no longer fulfill due to ill health.

we have been in talks of them continuing my pension aswell as receiving a suitably comfortable lump sum to exit the company.
i can't do anything for them anymore, and I'm not suited to the roles I once fulfilled.
obviously they have a duty of care to look after me, and this seems a way forward for us both, it's just working through it all to come to an amicable agreement... Which is long winded, and then to get a solicitor to give the final proposal a once over to make sure in not being stitched up.
they are using their in house legal team anyhow, so I'd be mad not to have it looked over by a legal eye.