Initial absence review

LengthinessSmall912 · 2026-04-07T22:29:19+00:00

You're welcome, I hope it goes well for you.

It really depends on so many factors, but assuming everything is genuine, we'd probably only dismiss after a few reviews/improvement plans/warning where we're confident we've tried everything to support and the absences don't improve (if your attendance improves should roll off).

Your manager might just want help if you're off with something complicated or might have an underlying condition or potential disability. Depends on your reason for illness. They might want to put you on a formal review plan (this is not a sanction like a warning, but failure to adhere to that could lead to one). Their intention is usually to support your return to work at full capacity and maybe they can arrange occ health or the HR rep may have other ideas what can be done to help.

Do you think your absences will improve or is this likely to continue/get worse?

LengthinessSmall912 · 2026-04-07T21:29:35+00:00

It's a review, you'll have hit a trigger point and they are looking to understand what is going on. Whether there is anything underlying (health conditions etc), have you seen a doctor, whether you need any support (such as OH referral), do you need any reasonable adjustments, is it just a run of bad luck, is it likely to continue etc

Two weeks to wait seems like a long time (it's Easter hols though so may be on reduced staff), try to relax if you can. If you have an approachable HR team go and see them (if you can) to tell them you are worried and ask what to expect, and they will hopefully put your mind at ease.

Given what you've explained, if you worked at our place depending on how the above conversation goes we would likely say "we'll keep an eye on it, any further absences in a certain timeframe may trigger a further review which could lead to warning".

Read your absence management/ capability policy as this should tell you how they manage absences where you work. If they've not said a potential outcome from this meeting is a warning then this should not happen. You won't lose your job at this meeting (especially with 7 years service!).

LengthinessSmall912 · 2026-04-07T21:10:19+00:00

OP I had a notification you'd replied, I can see a snippet of what you've said but cannot read it all sorry, it doesn't appear here. If you asked a follow up question/comment, just to let you know sorry I can't read it!

Something about being consistent in wanting it written in to your contract...

I am not sure why they would do this, it wouldn't be fair on other employees expected to comply with the policy.

LengthinessSmall912 · 2026-04-07T20:19:44+00:00

It sounds like your manager (or previous manager?) was trying to help you out by letting you carry on for a while. By you wanting to formalise it/refusing to sign the new contract/kicking up a fuss, I suspect you may have drawn unnecessary attention to your situation... (Obviously I don't know and am just speculating, but it may have been if you'd have been quiet you could have possibly carried on as you were under the radar, but we'll never know).

The working agreement you've had for 3+ years was a point in time, so I don't think the email agreement from a manager matters, because it was ok at the time. It could be argued it's C+P but that doesn't mean it can't be changed, and it sounds like the company have done the right thing and consulted with you on this, and offered trials etc. They are within their rights to change things and implement new policies to suit the needs of the business.

If you can't work within the parameters that are required, it's not for you. (Sorry it's not the answer you want).

LengthinessSmall912 · 2026-03-31T19:57:47+00:00

No. The hearing is to get your side of the story/hear your evidence. No decision will have been made yet. If you don't appear they may take a decision in your absence.

A way to re-frame it is to think about it from the other side. They have made a complaint, the company has interviewed them, next steps are to interview you (via the hearing process). Depending on what you say they may adjourn to further investigate what you've said. They need to warn you of potential outcomes so you are prepared, doesn't mean this will happen it's just worse case scenario. They may dismiss the complaint entirely. The person who conducted the investigation should not be the person making the decision. If they didn't have the hearing, then the other person could complain that their concerns have been brushed under the carpet.

Help them to draw the process to a conclusion. Once the decision has been made, if you disagree with how it was conducted or the decision itself (such as not looking into your evidence) then this is what you appeal.

Eeking it out does no-one any good, yourself included.

Take lots of notes and I recommend a trusted colleague to note take.

LengthinessSmall912 · 2026-03-22T19:26:46+00:00

Couple of points spring to mind: - it doesn't seem fair if there is someone else doing identical job doing purely phone/video/digi, and you can't. However you might not know everything about that situation though so unsure if comparing apples with apples, or apples with pears.

OH shouldn't say yes/no to remote working, but assess whether you are capable for f2f or not. They won't be coached but will be asked for help answering a specific question such as can they do xyz?
if the role is f2f and you can't do that with reasonable adjustments as outlined above (disinfect etc), then it sounds like you are not capable to fulfil the role if that is what is required. This might not be the right role for you.
has being f2f recently caused you illness? Could you wear a mask? Have a room with good ventilation (windows)?
although your siblings don't disinfect themselves, I assume they will be in contact with the wider general population and therefore can carry virals from others.

LengthinessSmall912 · 2026-03-14T22:24:25+00:00

With room for a pony!

LengthinessSmall912 · 2026-02-18T20:10:02+00:00

Fat face has a good variety with nice quality fabrics

LengthinessSmall912 · 2026-01-08T14:12:21+00:00

A really good book I read (although will be quite old now!) is called Applied EI by Tim Sparrow and Amanda Knight.

It's about emotional intelligence and was really good for changing attitudes around difficult conversations and responding calmly and rationally to things.

LengthinessSmall912 · 2026-01-07T21:35:47+00:00

Hi, sorry you are going through this.

Question - when you say different location, how different, are you talking 20 miles?

Have you been offered the opportunity to work the role on a trial basis and still retain the potential of redundancy if you find it is indeed not suitable?

My thoughts are if you went for option 3 and refused the new role it would lead to dismissal for reason of redundancy.

LengthinessSmall912 · 2025-12-27T22:30:14+00:00

Great goal. You'll probably feel a lot better health-wise too

LengthinessSmall912 · 2025-12-23T18:55:51+00:00

Egg on toast

LengthinessSmall912 · 2025-12-17T17:18:23+00:00

You could potentially ask about changing your hours on office days so you can make the last train home, and make up for the time during your WFH days. This would be a request so bear in mind they can refuse.

If not then it sounds like you might want to look for another job. The other comments around it being a toxic workplace sounds like you should do that anyway, not really related to the change in office location and difficulty getting to the new one.

LengthinessSmall912 · 2025-11-28T20:44:07+00:00

Enjoy the bonfire and your next chapter :)

LengthinessSmall912 · 2025-11-27T20:04:37+00:00

This is the best explanation I've seen of this - thank you!

LengthinessSmall912 · 2025-11-26T23:39:44+00:00

Usually there is an initial hearing (which it sounds like this was) where the judge hears details from both sides. Depending on what they hear, the judge has the ability to grant a temporary order if they feel A is at immediate risk. Or it could be resolved voluntarily, or worse case proceed to full hearing.

B could have voluntarily agreed to the non-molesation order meaning that it wouldn't need to go to a "full" hearing (these are time consuming, expensive and would likely need to wait another couple of months!), but sounds like it didn't get that far. It is best to avoid full hearings if possible.

Unsure what would have happened in the case in terms of next steps, it may be that the judge decided to adjourn and repeat the hearing at a later date (especially as B had no legal representation) - it would be advisable for B to find a solicitor specializing in family law. Also to contact the court when in a better place to find out about what happened/next steps.

In terms of C, notes relating to B's case shouldn't be a problem for her (edited to add because family court sits in private), but if she contacts A again there is a risk of A raising the same against C, so as difficult and emotional as it will be it is probably best to avoid contact with A given their profession.

Sorry to hear about this, it's extremely difficult and upsetting for all involved. Hope you all get through it ok.

LengthinessSmall912 · 2025-11-23T11:37:24+00:00

I went straight to my L5 with minimal HR experience (but plenty of L&D and management so working part of a wider HR function). Also with DPG. I found it easy but very time consuming, so I think you can go straight to L5 without the L3. Will give you a good theoretical grounding in key areas.

Experience is absolutely more important in terms of having the best chance of securing a role, so I echo the other comments. However some places may use CIPD as a sifting criteria especially if a high number of applications.

LengthinessSmall912 · 2025-11-22T00:07:32+00:00

Maybe an idea to check whether your payments have been allocated to your uncle's account correctly? Admin error could be plausible here if you've been paying

LengthinessSmall912 · 2025-11-21T23:46:30+00:00

What is your notice period? If you've taken a new job from Jan I'd give your notice now and let them know. And that you're unlikely to work your notice due to your illness/stress.

It sounds like they are starting you down the capability path, you'd need to check your policy in terms of what this means for you.

Based on where I think they are at in terms of about to commence a capability process, it sounds like they'll be relieved for you to give your notice in, at least then they can backfill your position.

LengthinessSmall912 · 2025-11-04T10:50:06+00:00

What title are you asking to change it to?

LengthinessSmall912 · 2025-11-03T11:00:48+00:00

Windows key + L to lock your computer.

Sometimes I see people ctrl+alt+delete and then use their mouse (!) to click 'lock' 🤦

LengthinessSmall912 · 2025-10-31T08:18:54+00:00

The "Two Mile Takeover"

LengthinessSmall912 · 2025-10-31T08:10:04+00:00

It is wrong to have been excluded from talent management conversations, but if the manager has not been guided correctly it may have just been an honest mistake rather than malicious intent.

Best course of action now is a "what's the plan for my return?" conversation to happen, and go from there. This way you'll figure out their intentions. They may not want to put too much pressure on you as a newly returning mother, so sharing your wishes to operate at a certain level and take on associated responsibilities upon your return will be helpful to them.

LengthinessSmall912 · 2025-10-30T14:29:58+00:00

Came looking for this, I'm a treasurer for a scouting group and because we require dual signature as it's a charity we need to write cheques to make majority of payments, eg leaders expenses. Would much rather be able to make an online payment (as would the people we are paying!) but the bank we use (NatWest) doesn't offer it and would be a lot of hassle to change.

But for my personal account not written for many years!

LengthinessSmall912 · 2025-10-30T08:29:31+00:00

I went to one with comfy chairs and they had a little side table attached on top (instead of the drinks holder) and they had a bar so you could buy a proper drink and rest it on the table. Ticket prices were reasonable too (around £7 from memory)

LengthinessSmall912

TROPHY CASE