These may be varied by local agreement and other days substituted for them. You will also be paid for any other days declared as public holidays.
5. ILLNESS AND INJURY You must notify by telephone your Department Manager of your absence at least 30 minutes prior to your normal start time on the first day of illness. You will be required to state the reason for your absence and your expected return date. The call will be logged and the reason for absence noted. If you are not well enough to return to work on the date stated, then you should telephone again to advise your Department Manager of this. Messages left on ‘answer phone’ will not be accepted as proper notification. If your Department Manager is unavailable then you may notify another Line Manager on site. In no circumstances is a text message acceptable. Failure to do so may result in any sick pay being withheld. After one week, a Doctor’s Certificate is required from you. On your return to work you will be required to attend a return-to-work interview with your Department Manager and asked to complete a Company Self-Certification Certificate, and if your absence is longer than one week provide a Medical Certificate confirming your fitness to return to work. Your Department Manager will see all completed certificates and the document will be used to decide whether or not Company Sick Pay should be paid and/or Statutory Sick Pay is due. Medical Certificates are usually required every week, but once a month is acceptable in cases of serious illness. Failure to complete a Self-Certificate or providing false or inaccurate information on the certificate will be treated as a serious disciplinary offence. However, the Company may require a medical statement to cover any absence from work prior to Company sick pay being paid. Statutory Sick Pay will be paid directly to you by the Company for certified sickness through the normal pay arrangements, if you qualify, for up to a total of 28 weeks in a year. The Company has no contractual obligation to make any payment for periods of sickness. However, at the discretion of the Company, an allowance may be paid, equal to full basic pay, depending on the duration of your absence and for periods of sickness or injury absence that exceeds three working days. Company Sick Pay is only payable strictly at the Company’s discretion and the receipt of such a payment on any occasion shall not provide an entitlement to future payments. Sick Pay will be assessed on your basic salary and is calculated as a pro rata amount, taking into consideration the number of hours absent as a proportion of contracted weekly hours of work. Income tax, National Insurance, Pension Scheme contributions and all other agreed repayments are deductible from Company and Statutory Sick Pay. Where absence from work results from an accident/incident involving a third party, any payment of Company Sick Pay will need to be repaid to the Company in the event of a successful claim against the third party. The Company reserves the right to: •
Withhold payment of Sickness Pay should any employee behave in a manner likely to retard recovery, attempt to abuse the scheme in any way, or where it is evident that the illness or injury was the direct result of the employee’s own negligence or misconduct
•
To visit employees at home
•
Ask an employee drawing sick pay to attend a medical examination with a doctor or an occupational health practitioner nominated by the Company where additional medical evidence is felt necessary. The Company reserve the right to withhold the payment of sick pay until findings of the medical examination are available. The Company will be responsible for the costs relating to
Arbury Employee Handbook
9
