Public and Commercial Services Union

Notifying Sickness Absence

DWP has introduced a “work focused” approach for sickness absence from 6 April 2010. This includes the introduction of two new questions in the Checklist used by your manager when you notify sick leave.

You should contact your manager yourself if possible. Your manager will complete the “First Call Checklist” which lists up 13 questions including two which are “work focused” but should only be used “if appropriate”.

Your manager should only carry out an informal “work focused discussion” when appropriate to do so (Policy 6 & 15). It would be “clearly inappropriate” when you have pain or drowsiness (Procedures 3.1). If you feel too unwell to have a discussion simply say so.

The 13 First Call Checklist questions are:

• Name/relationship of caller (if not the employee)
• What is the first working date the employee was ill?
• What is the nature of the illness?
• Have they sought medical advice (doctor, dentist or hospital) and what advice has been offered?
• If it is appropriate to do so, can you agree anything to enable the employee to travel to work?
• If appropriate, can you agree any temporary workplace adaptations to enable the employee to undertake some work?
• When do they expect to return to work?
• Do they have an occupation outside DWP? If so has permission been granted for this to continue while the employee is on sick leave?
• If they improve today, will they be in the office later?
• Are there any work issues someone else can attend to? E.g. Appointments to be kept/rearranged, priority work items, other issues.
• If the absence is due to a mental health condition or musculoskeletal disorder – refer to OHS on day one (consent is required)
• Date of next contact (if appropriate)
• Current emergency contact number? E.g. next of kin.

The Checklist is a standard DWP procedure and no additional questions should be used.

Work Focused Approach

Under DWP Policy (15) a work focused approach is one that:

• Respects your right to take sick leave, within the scope of the Sick Leave Policy, when you are unable to work due to illness or injury.
• Recognises that work is generally good for physical and mental health and wellbeing.
• Allows your manager to make temporary workplace adaptations so that you can work rather than take sick leave.
• DWP Policy (16) explains that “this approach is not about trying to get you back to work before you are ready but about working with your manager to remove the challenges to you returning.”

Temporary Workplace Adaptations

Temporary workplace adaptations may be implemented, with your consent, to help you return to work sooner than otherwise These may include altering your working pattern or allowing a later start and/or allowing more breaks or providing assistance with travel costs to get to and from work in cases where it is travel, and not the work, that is the barrier or amending your work duties to relieve pressure/stress.

Keeping in Touch

There is a Desk Aid for Keeping in Touch which can be found under paragraph 6.2 of the Sick Leave Procedures. An agreed Keeping in Touch arrangement is appropriate in all absences. Keeping in touch is a contractual obligation which means that you have the right to agree the frequency of contact and location of meetings/visits. Contact once a month or once a week is reasonable in most cases. You are under no obligation to agree daily contact when this is unwelcome.

Alternative Manager

If you do not wish to discuss your absence with a particular manager, because your absence is of a personal or distressing nature, you should simply tell the manager you are ill and ask for an alternative acceptable manager to be provided. (Sick Leave Advice Q&A 3).

Sick Leave Procedures

The same sick leave procedures apply to all DWP employees. However, this does not mean that the same managerial arrangements apply. For example, Jobcentre Plus has decided that higher grade managers may now complete the First Call Checklist and normally conduct the Welcome Back Discussion.

The DWP Sick Leave Policy, Procedures and Advice can be found under Time Off in the Human Resources (HR) policies, published on the DWP Intranet, and include:

• Discretion for extension of paid sick leave when normal full and half sick pay has expired (Procedures 6.9)
• Pregnancy related illness including miscarriage (Procedures 6.13)
• Injury Leave ( Procedures 6.17)
• Assault while on Duty (Procedures 6.32)
• Personal Injury Claim (Crown) (Procedures 6.42)
• Third Party Claim (Procedures 6.47)
• Part time attendance on medical grounds (Procedures 7.2)

Always contact your local PCS Representative for advice, support and representation if you have a problem with sick leave.