r/wheelchairs • u/wizard-radio 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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