Here at the Citrus, we know that there’ll be times when you can’t come to work – whether because you’re ill or something else unexpected has happened. We want to support you and help you come back to work as soon as possible. But we’ll also need to review and manage your absence, to minimise the impact on our business
Just so it’s clear, in some cases the Disciplinary Policy may apply rather than, or as well as, the Absence Policy, such as:
- If you don’t follow the absence reporting procedure
- If we have reasonable grounds to believe that your sickness absence isn’t genuine
- If you give inaccurate or misleading information about your sickness absence
Unaccepted Absences / Unauthorised Absences
It is accept that it is your own responsibility to get yourself to work on time and without delay. most of the below issues will not be accepted by the company and are you would be told to attend your shift.
Broken down vehicles/ Public transport strikes/issues
We understand it can be a nightmare if you have travel issues. When it comes to your work shift we ask you to find an alternative. It can not be accept that you are unable to get to work because of vehicle issues or travel problems. You would be expected that you would try the following:
- Walk
- Ride a bike
- Hire a public scooter/bike
- Use a public transport (if strikes are in place look at an alternative like a bus)
- Ask for a lift from a co-worker on your site
- Ask for a family member or friend to take you
It is your responsibility to get to your shift and the above are some ideas you can use.
Medical appointments
Often we work out of hours, therefor saying you have a medical appointment at 7am in the morning can not be accepted. We plan your rotas 8 weeks in advance so please arrange medical appointments around your shift. We may also ask for medical letters as evidence
Relationship / personal issues
Although personal relationships can upset you we ask that you attend work as normal. This is a issue that should not affect your job.
Appointments arranged during your shift times.
Please rearrange them. As mentioned above you have a rota 8 weeks in advance. We will not accept this as a valid reason of absence
Alarm clock issues
it is your responsibility to set an alarm and get to work on time. If you use your mobile phone as an alarm you are expected to charge your phone before bed to ensure it wakes you up. This could be followed up with the disciplinary procedure if its a regular occurrence
Weather Conditions
You would be expected to go to work regardless of weather conditions. The only exception to this is if we contact you not to go in. We base this on how many customers close and if our mobile team are able to drive safely.
Home Deliveries
Waiting for amazon or a new sofa is not a reason for you not to be in work our average work shift is 2-4 hours and therefor we ask that someone else waits in for your delivery until you get home and can swap with them.
Workman appointments
Similar to the above. Average work shift is 2-4 hours and therefor we ask that someone else waits in for your workman until you get home and can swap with them. The alternative is to contact your workman to schedule a appointment around your shift.
Absence Reporting Procedure
If you can’t come to work for any reason, you need to let us know. You must call your manager or the Helpdesk. Some business areas need more notice than this for operational reasons, it is very difficult to cover employees so we always ask to go in and we will rearrange the next shift for you to have off.
Make sure you know who you need to call if you can’t come to work and have the phone numbers you need. We don’t accept texts, emails, messages on social media or messages from another person unless you really can’t call yourself – like if you’re in hospital. You must call 02393600003
If you’ve got more than one job at Citrus, you need to follow the absence reporting procedure for both roles.
When you call in you’ll need to tell us:
- Why you’re absent and how long you expect to be off work
- Your phone number so your manager can contact you
- Details of any urgent or outstanding work that needs picking up while you’re off
It’s really important that you follow the absence reporting procedure for every unplanned absence. If you don’t, this will be viewed as unauthorised absence which is a serious matter and could result in your pay being stopped and disciplinary action being taken against you, up to and including dismissal – see the Unauthorised Absence Policy for more information.
Keeping in contact
During the call you should agree with your manager how you’ll stay in touch during your absence. This should be daily in the first week, unless it wouldn’t be appropriate in the circumstances. But if your absence lasts for longer than this, you should agree with your manager when you need to call.
It’s important to stay in contact with the helpdesk in addition to providing Fit Notes and attending any absence review meetings. As a minimum, you should always call your manager the day before your Fit Note expires, to let them know whether or not you’ll be returning to work.
Keep us updated with any new information about your health and how you’re progressing towards recovery. And tell us if your doctor gives you any likely timescales for coming back to work. If you feel that the reasons for your absence are to do with your work, please talk to the ops team, or an alternative manager, about this as soon as possible and they’ll try to resolve things.
Also, just so you’re aware, while you’re absent from work your manager might call you from time to time if there’s anything they need to speak to you about, or just to keep in touch with you.
Sickness certification
If you’re off sick for over seven days and you live in England, Scotland or Wales, you need to get a Fit Note from one of the following approved Healthcare Professionals - doctor, nurse, occupational therapist, pharmacist or physiotherapist in order to cover your absence from the eighth day onwards. If you want to keep the original Fit Note that’s okay – your manager will take a copy.
We may ask you to get a Fit Note before the eighth day of your absence – but we’ll only do this in exceptional circumstances.
Remember, any period of sickness absence which isn’t covered by self-certification or Fit Note is classed as unauthorised absence – see the Unauthorised Absence Policy. So, if you’re absent from work for any length of time, it’s important to make sure that the documents you give us cover the whole time, with no gaps in between them.