Type 2 (Metformin and Gliclazide) absence disciplinary

[owensy10]

Hi,
I am type 2 and take 4x500mg of slow release Metformin and 40mg and 80 mg of Glick. I have been at my new employer since November 2016 and I have been absent on 3 separate occasions. 1 was for a stomach upset, 2 was for abdominal pains and blood through my gentlemens part (sorry for TMI) which I had to have an MRI and a camera and more recently I had an eye infection which started off as a black area in the corner of my right eye and only went after five days.
I have now been pulled in on an official disciplinary which may lead to a verbal warning.
I am currently under a consultant at the hosptial for bleeding in the back of my eyes, but all is ok and I have to go every six months.
Is there anything that I can do when I have my meeting in work that may help me?
I have been type 2 for over 10 years.

Thanks,

Paul

 

[Deleted member 308541]

Is there anything that I can do when I have my meeting in work that may help me?

Take a witness, or your union rep with you to record the meeting.

 

[badcat]

Have a look at what occupational health provision your employer has

 

[owensy10]

Thank you

 

[Daibell]

Hi. Sounds like you have been very unlucky health-wise although I can understand your employer's actions as he has to manage any work overload on remaining staff. Hopefully you can demonstrate that these have all been genuine illnesses and in fact probably nothing to do with the diabetes and if it was me I wouldn't make a big thing of the T2 itself.

 

[luceeloo]

Hi. Sounds like you have been very unlucky health-wise although I can understand your employer's actions as he has to manage any work overload on remaining staff. Hopefully you can demonstrate that these have all been genuine illnesses and in fact probably nothing to do with the diabetes and if it was me I wouldn't make a big thing of the T2 itself.

Totally agreed. Some employers can think that diabetes makes us vulnerable to illness. (I was in the running for a promotion and my "health issues" was used in one interview as a reason for me not to get the promotion. I took it to the highest level, and it still got swept under the rug... and despite being best qualified, I didn't get the job either).
Although as diabetics, we are protected under the disability discrimination act, it's a grey area... because I have known at least one person who has been performance managed out, as his periods of sickness were caused by him not keeping control over his diabetes.
If you had GP or hospital appointments due to your illnesses, you may be able to use these as evidence if it comes to it.

 

[Tony337]

Talk to your GP surgery.
I am lucky enough to have a really good one.
They may be able to write a letter confirming what has been wrong as the problem people have is they see one specialist for one thing and another for another.
A GP can bring these things together in one letter which may or may not help?
A union rep or witness as suggested above is a minimum.

Wishing you the best of luck

Tony

 

[Salvia]

Agree with the above advice. Take a trade union rep (preferably a full time TU officer) with you to any meeting. If that's not possible, take a friend or more experienced colleague who can help and support you.

A few things for you to think about:
- are you sure it's a disciplinary meeting? What did the letter say? It might be simply an absence review.
- do they know that you are diabetic? and/or that you will need to go for review on your eyes every 6 months? Is that review diabetes related, or something separate? Will you need time off to atend those reviews? Take any GP or Consultant appt. letters with you to the meeting.
- did you explain the reasons for your absences each time? Were the absences diabetes-related or not?
- for how long were you absent on each occasion?
- is it a large or a small company? How many other staff are there? Are they able to cover your absence if it is at short notice? How much disruption is caused when you (or anyone else) are absent?
- do you have a copy of the company sickness absence policy? Occupational Health? Any other employment policies? Were you given these when you joined them last November? Re-read your employment contract; what does it say about attendance and/or absence?
- keep calm and explain what happened to cause your sickness, (if you know) as simply as you can, and what you did about it; try not to be defensive,or aggressive. Write it down, if you need to, to help keep your mind clear and focussed. It's ok to go into any meeting with your own notes.
- talk it through with your trade union rep, so that you fully understand what the meeting is about, what the format will be, what is likely to happen, and what happens afterwards.

 

[Buttons11]

I used to work for a large supermarket and one of their rules was that if you were off sick 3 occasions in a (rolling) year, you would get a verbal warning. After I was off sick the third time I was called into a meeting and my line manager looked at my record and realised that the second time I had been signed off was due to the sudden death of my mother. She seemed quite uncomfortable and said she wouldn't give me the warning "this time". I left soon after!
It seems fair enough policy to stop people are taking odd days off here there and everywhere for the slightest reason, but sometimes people are genuinely ill.
I wish you luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[owensy10]

Hi, thank you for the advice. I have had my meeting and I have been given a verbal warning that stays on my record for 6 months and was offered an occupational health review. I felt 2 out of the 3 instances could be diabetes related, but they say that I have been supported.