Sick / Interview

[ilovemarkb]

Legally can a person go for a job interview whilst off on sick?

[237SJ]

Even my own employer is not allowed to ask what is wrong with me when I go sick - they can only ask if it is through Illness or Accident.

[237SJ]

I don`t think they can disclose the number of sick days either as that would be classed as discrimination.

[Zacs-Master]

If I was interviewing someone (and I have done, many times) and they admitted to being off sick from their current interview, they wouldn't have received a job offer.

[Zacs-Master]

Employer. Not interview.

[factor-fiction]

>Even my own employer is not allowed to ask what is wrong with me when I go sick - they can only ask if it is through Illness or Accident.

Who says they are 'not allowed', 237js?

[Svejk]

Meanwhile, in the real world;
"I'm actually off with mental health problems at the moment"
"Ah, lovely, could you start Monday"

[Prudie]

I think what you would you do as a small private employer or business owner is entirely different to what is done by a big company. I agree with 237, sick days etc etc would not be disclosed - all my lot would tell is length of employment and job role.

[sunny-dave]

Hmmm - apologies - it seems you are right 237SJ - unless the employee gives specific permission. The law has changed since I did this stuff for real.

That is bonkers - I understand about data protection and about not discriminating against people with long-term medical conditions, but how is a new employer supposed to know if a prospective employee is a habitual 'monday sickie' taker?

[Zacs-Master]

Exactly Svejk.

[Crypticblond]

Yes you can go for an interview whilst off sick and really surprised that a good employer would not offer a job to someone who was off sick you could have any number of reasons for being off sick but would not mean you would not make a good employee I broke my leg attended interview and spent seven years with the employer. sick days can be disclosed as they are factual and a frequent indicator of previous employment attendance.

[Prudie]

That's the problem sd, they won't know

[237SJ]

I`m presuming EU law Factor. I remember the days long ago when one would phone in sick and the person on the end of the line would ask "May I ask what`s wrong"? That is simply not allowed now. Illness or Accident (which would lead onto whether it was an accident at work) is the only info that can be disclosed. Follow on meeting with managers can take place but they are still not allowed to ask what is wrong as they are not medicaly qualified. Well, they can ask but I don`t have to tell them. We have a medical department and I presume with long term sick, they would have the right to know but only the medical department would deal with the details and history.

[Sqad]

Svejlk.........LOL......was it a NHS interview appointing a Consultant Neurosurgeon?

[Zacs-Master]

Or a Cabinet Ministers post.

[boxtops]

ILB, if it's likely that you'll leave your current job due to the pressures, then yes, I'd go.

My last references given in the NHS did ask for numbers of sick days lost, and would I re-eploy - it's up to the new employer if they want you to take an occupational health check before offering you a substantive contract. Our job offers have been (lately) "subject to satisfactory references and OH check".

[237SJ]

Last week I was off sick. I am simply asked if I need "support" and told to phone in fit when well. The next day a manager phoned me to check up (hastle?) me. He tentetively asked me what was wrong and I could hear that he was expecting a "I`m not going to tell you" response. I decided to give him the full works about how I had just been on holiday and was surprised to catch a bug 2 days later and all of the details from the first scratchy throat, through the tiredness and headache, to the sniffels, blocked ears, sneezes, cough and drugs I was buying from the chemist. Needless to say, he got off the phone as fast as possible.

[Retrochic]

The Op has stated 'first time off sick and 'only for one day'. This would suggest that the OP is taking a day off, pretending to be sick, to go to the Interview. I don't think there is a Law against that so the answer would be yes you can go.

[Svejk]

isn't that fraud, retro?

[boxtops]

If I were going to do what retro suggests, I'd take a day's annual leave.

[Prudie]

yes, 'pulling a sickie' is fraud although that's not what I think OP is doing (although only 1 day off with mental issues and it's the exact day you have an interview does look fishy)