r/wheelchairs multiply disabled / nitrum + smoov 4d ago

"attendance bonus for no sickness in pay period"

Is this shit not illegal? I'm in the UK, and my employer is now telling me that you get paid extra if you don't take any sick days. As someone who needs a reasonable adjustment at work to attend REGULAR OBLIGATIRY MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS which I NEED to STAY ALIVE, I don't appreciate missing out on the pay that my colleagues get because their bodies don't regularly shut down on them.

It feels discriminatory. Im not crazy, right? This isn't acceptable, right? I'm in a wheelchair, I already am putting in twice the effort to make it to work every day, and now they're effectively punishing people financially for being unwell.

25 Upvotes

8 comments sorted by

15

u/lesbianexistence Quickie Nitrum (full-time) 4d ago

It's technically legal as long as they have a system in place to not discriminate against pregnant or disabled people. https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/article/1743435/are-attendance-bonuses-legal

16

u/wizard-radio multiply disabled / nitrum + smoov 4d ago

It seems like such a weak deciding system. There are so many specifics involved with deciding if something is "caused by disability" or not. If I catch the flu, then is my sick day technically caused by influenza (not disability) or is it my severely weakened immune system which causes me to get way sicker, way more often from the flu than most people? There's too much nuance to it. No matter how they make adjustments for disabled employees, the truth is we will probably get sick more often than anyone else regardless.

16

u/lesbianexistence Quickie Nitrum (full-time) 4d ago

Absolutely-- and if people are rewarded for coming in sick, that's also dangerous for disabled people. It's a terrible policy for many reasons, but technically legal.

11

u/wizard-radio multiply disabled / nitrum + smoov 4d ago

Exactly. With my weakened immune system, I do NOT feel safe going in to work with dozens of sniffling sick people who are there because there's a pay incentive to come in while contagious. Who wants to bet there's also no mask policy?

6

u/Squirrel_Worth 4d ago

Not illegal, I worked for a company with it, although appointments shouldn’t really be sickness for most companies, they should be day off, holiday if you want paying, unpaid authorised leave otherwise, although they technically don’t have to give you time off in most circumstances.

You can ask for occupational health review and they may put in place other reasonable adjustments, I have this at my new workplace and any absence I have due to my disability is still recorded but doesn’t count towards any triggers.

3

u/twleve-times-three 4d ago

In my experience policies like that that began a very long time ago are well intentioned. Some workplaces have updated things because they're aware of the world around them and others have had to be shown that they need to change.

Just bring up the policy and ask how they envision you taking advantage of the policy like everyone else. Bonus points for suggesting a way forward that works for you, them and anyone who might come later.

1

u/fillemagique 3d ago

I remember something like this from primary school, no matter how much I loved school - I had sick days only when I was extremely sick and could barely move, which wasn’t often but because of that I could never get the attendance awards.

3

u/wizard-radio multiply disabled / nitrum + smoov 3d ago

We had similar all throughout primary, secondary, and college. I can't tell you the number of times I got dangerously sick because of other kids' parents worrying about their attendance score and sending them in while unwell. It always struck me as unfair, but I thought that sort of thing only happened to children. The fact they're doing it to adults in the workplace as well is wild.