Sick Leave Policy

The Bristol Cable is committed to creating a progressive, supportive workplace and we want our policies to reflect that. We’d like the way we work to actively challenge the power structures that reproduce inequality and injustice, and consciously choose to work in ways that are liberatory, or anti-oppressive.

Our policies have been written with these principles in mind and signed off by the entire staff team, who collectively run our Co-op.

1. Introduction

   1. The aim of this policy is to inform employees of their employment rights relating to sick leave and pay.

   2. The Bristol Cable recognises the importance of managing attendance at work and sickness-related absences effectively; and the importance of supporting employees through any periods of absence and their subsequent return to work. The Policy is designed to enable the management of sickness absence and pay and the identification of any issues affecting employee morale and other problems employees may be facing which affects their attendance at work.

   3. This policy aims to

      1. Strike a balance between the business requirements of the Bristol Cable and the needs of an employee at a time of illness, so that as far as possible staff have security of employment during periods of illness or injury subject to operational requirements;

      2. Expedite a prompt and thoughtful response to requests from employees in the interests of maintaining good working relationships and retaining staff;

      3. Set out the respective responsibilities of staff and the Bristol Cable.

   4. If you are ill, in the first instance you must contact a member of your home circle or the People Circle. Please see the procedure for requesting sick leave, below.

2. Remit and scope of policy

   1. Sick leave is distinct from Annual, Dependants, Compassionate, Domestic Emergency & Bereavement Leave Policy, Parental and Adoption Leave , and Flexible working and remote working, which are considered in other policies.

   2. If the absence relates to potentially contagious illness, the employee should refer to any updated government guidance on safer office working including isolation and symptoms reporting protocols.

   3. This policy applies to everyone employed at the Bristol Cable. The People Circle is responsible for maintaining this policy although it is the responsibility of all Coordinators to follow and implement the policy in practice.

3. Access to medical records and occupational health referrals

   1. The Bristol Cable retains the right to require an employee to supply details from medical practitioners. Refusal to allow access to a medical report, or to attend occupational health, may result in the Bristol Cable having to make decisions about the employee’s employment on the information available.

4. Entitlement

   1. Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)

An employee is entitled to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), which at the time of writing from (and including) their fourth day of illness if they are too ill to work. SSP can be paid for up to 28 weeks. The Bristol Cable is responsible for paying SSP direct to the employee.

1. 1. To qualify for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) an employee must:

      1. Be classed as an employee of the Bristol Cable;

      2. Have been ill for at least four days in a row (including non-working days);

      3. Earn a minimum amount of pay (which may vary from time to time and is set by law);

      4. Within 28 days of the beginning of sickness absence, provide the People Circle with a fit note issued by a GP or hospital doctor or, if you are self isolating and cannot work because of COVID-19, an isolation note from NHS 111.

   2. Additional Sick Pay

      1. Employees who have passed their probation will be paid full pay for up to 15 days (pro rata) of sick leave per year. Thereafter they will be paid Additional Sick Pay. This is an additional sum paid in addition to the SSP to augment it up to the level of the employee’s normal pay.

      2. Longer-term sick leave will be covered by SSP for as long as it is available.

      3. Employees will forfeit entitlement to Additional Sick Pay and any payments will be re-claimed if they:

         1. Fail to comply with the notification and recording procedure in this policy;

         2. Make or produce any misleading or untrue statement or document concerning their fitness to work.

2. Procedure for requesting Sick Leave, and subsequent responsibilities

   1. If the employee is unable to attend work for any medical reason, they should inform the People Circle of the absence and reasons by 10am on the first day of absence.

   2. The employee should indicate the reason for their absence, its likely duration and when the illness started.

   3. If the employee is too ill to notify the Bristol Cable themselves, someone with the relevant information may make the necessary contact on their behalf.

   4. In the event that the absence continues for a number of days or weeks, they must maintain regular contact with the Bristol Cable, via the appointed People Circle contact, to keep the team informed of the reasons for their ongoing absence and the date when they expect to return to work. In such cases, the employee may state a preference for how they would like to be contacted during their absence.

   5. In the event of repeated instances of absence through sickness, the employee may be required to meet with the People Circle lead to explain the reason for the absence and discuss what support, if any, they might need in order to return to work

   6. Recording sick leave

      1. All periods of absence through sickness must be recorded on the Bristol Cable Leave Log. It is the responsibility of employees to promptly log their own sick leave.

      2. For sickness absences of up to seven calendar days, the leave log should be completed by the employee on their return to work.

      3. For sickness absences of more than seven or more calendar days, the employee must also provide supporting medical evidence.

3. Contact during Sick Leave and return to work

   1. A member of the People Circle will contact the employee from time to time during the employee’s sickness absence in order to enquire supportively about their wellbeing, expected length of absence from work and any work that requires attention. Such contact will be kept to a reasonable minimum.

   2. During or following any absence owing to sickness, the People Circle will assess with the employee whether any actions are required to facilitate their return to work and to maintain their health.

4. Effects of specific circumstances on Sick Leave policy

   1. Disability related sickness

      1. We are committed to having a representative workforce and will take reasonable steps to support the attendance of Disabled employees, making reasonable adjustments as necessary to help Disabled employees to remain in the workplace.

      2. In the event of a Disabled employee taking absence as a result of impairment related sickness, the appointed People Circle contact should record this absence as sickness related to impairment. This will be taken into account in any absence-related disciplinary process.

   2. Sickness during annual leave

      1. If an employee is ill or injured during a period of pre-arranged annual leave, they may choose to treat the days as sickness absence instead of annual leave. The employee must inform the appointed People Circle contact of their incapacity and its likely duration as soon as possible, even if they are abroad. They will receive sick pay only if they are able to provide a medical certificate for the full period of incapacity.

Authorisation and revisions

Adopted May 2018

Revised by: Hannah Vickers, Julia Beasley Sep 2021

Authorised by Coordinators: Dec 2021

Authorised by Directors: Jan 2022

Revised by: Maya Kaufman, Jan 2024

Authorised by Coordinators: April 2024

Authorised by Directors: March 2024

Policies should be reviewed every 2 years, unless:

• We approve a proposal that changes the policy

• There’s a change to the organisation that will change the policy

• There’s a change in the law that affects the policy