Whirl the World - Company Sick Pay
It is the Company’s policy that employees should neither suffer loss of basic income nor increase their income during personal illness. Employees who are unable to work because of personal illness will normally be granted paid sick leave within time limits related to length of service.
Unless agreed otherwise, qualifying days will be the employee's normal working days - Monday to Friday for the majority of employees.
Policy and scale of benefits
Entitlement
For permanent employees, paid sick leave entitlement within any one continuous period of sickness absence, or in any one Company Sick Pay year, will be as follows, based on the start period of the sickness:
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Less than 1 year continuous service = 4 weeks paid leave max.
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1 to 5 years continuous service = 13 weeks paid leave max.
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More than 5 years continuous service = 26 weeks paid leave max.
Payment of benefit
Pay for the above periods will be paid automatically by the Company for any single or linked periods of incapacity.
After expiry of the Company Sick Pay period, it is the responsibility of employees to have appropriate insurance in place.
Company sick pay year
The Company Sick Pay Year is from 1st January to 31st December. Where one continuous period of sickness absence runs into a second Sick Pay year, the total amount of Company Sick Pay payable in that continuous period of absence will not exceed the balance of the entitlement of the sick pay year in which the absence started.
Days per year
All days of sickness absence in any one year for which Company sick pay is paid, whether continuous or discontinuous, will count towards the maximum entitlement of paid sick leave in that year.
Frequent absence
In the event of frequent absences, or absences for long periods, the Company may call for confirmatory medical evidence and reserves the right to treat such cases as outside the scope of this Policy. The employee may also be asked to agree to an examination by a general practitioner or specialist nominated by the Company.
Sickness preventing holiday being taken and sickness on holiday.
If an employee's sickness prevents him/her taking a pre-authorized holiday, it will be treated as a period of sickness and not count against holiday entitlement provided the sickness is properly certified. Sickness while on holiday will however count as holiday entitlement.
Self-certification
Self-certification must be completed on the company intranet for every absence even if for half a day.
Procedure for eligibility - Company Sick Pay
Notification
Should you be too ill to come to work, you should telephone your manager as soon as possible after the start of the working day and explain:
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Why you are unable to come to work
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How long you think the sickness absence might last
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What action you are taking to mitigate the effects of the illness - for example, visiting the doctor
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Where you can be contacted during the day should the company need to get in touch with you.
If you are not able to talk to your manager, then you should contact the HR Department. If your incapacity lasts for more than one day, unless you have submitted a doctor’s certificate, you should telephone every other day to keep the organization abreast of progress, unless agreed otherwise.
On your return to work
When you return to work, you should report to your line manager before you begin work. Your manager will ask you about your illness and how well you have recovered. Your manager will also ask you to complete a self-certificate for the first seven days of illness.
Please note: the seven days includes those days on which you do not normally work, such as weekends and public holidays.
If you have been absent for more than seven days (including weekends and public holidays), you should bring with you a certificate from your doctor. This should explain the nature of your illness and confirm that you are fit to return to work.
If the organization has cause to be concerned about your health - for example, you have had a number of periods of sickness for the same reason in a short period - then your line manager may suggest that you visit your doctor for a check-up. In certain circumstances, especially if your long-term employment is in doubt because of your sickness record, then the organization may ask you to see a medical practitioner of its choice.
Your sickness absence will be marked on your personnel record.
Abuse and unacceptable levels of absence
The Company may, at its discretion, discontinue sick pay for failure to adhere to the above procedures or if there is doubt about the integrity of a sick pay claim.
Contacting Human Resources
Human Resources can be contacted at the following locations:
First Avenue, Anytown, U.S.A.