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I called in sick to go to a job interview and my boss found out

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  • 02-03-2015 10:05pm
    #1
    LegacyUser
    Registered Users Posts: 166,026 ✭✭✭✭


    I called in sick, because i wanted to try myself at an another job. And my boss figured it out. What can he do now?


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    #2
    Tzardine
    Registered Users Posts: 3,884 ✭✭✭Tzardine


    Help please!!!!! wrote: »
    I called in sick, because i wanted to try myself at an another job. And my boss figured it out. What can he do now?

    You could be in some trouble. If you called in sick and he saw you out and obout and in particular working in another job then it is abuse of the sick leave policy. Especially worrying if you are not certified for the day.

    Hopefully you are not on probation, but either way I think you can expect some form of disciplinary action.


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    #3
    MadDog76
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,162 ✭✭✭MadDog76


    Help please!!!!! wrote: »
    I called in sick, because i wanted to try myself at an another job. And my boss figured it out. What can he do now?

    Let's hope you get that other job!!!


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    #4
    _Brian
    Registered Users Posts: 18,571 ✭✭✭✭_Brian


    Depends on the company HR policy and how organised they are.

    If a big organised company you could get a formal warning and probably a fair bit of cold shoulder. Possible lay managed out the door if they're really pissed.

    Small unofficial companies might just let you go, but it would be a stretch to make it a dismissal offence if you've had a clean record up to now.

    If they're not saying much then just keep your head down and any ****ty mood will blow over.

    I'm general taking a sickie like that needs to be bullet proof. Most managers (including myself) hate to be lied to.


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    #5
    threebagsfull
    Registered Users Posts: 100 ✭✭threebagsfull


    What's the appropriate thing to do in that situation though? You can't realistically tell your employer every time you go for an interview, especially if it takes you a while to get a job.

    I hope it blows over, OP.


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    #6
    _Brian
    Registered Users Posts: 18,571 ✭✭✭✭_Brian


    threebagsfull wrote: »
    What's the appropriate thing to do in that situation though? You can't realistically tell your employer every time you go for an interview, especially if it takes you a while to get a job.

    I hope it blows over, OP.

    Annual leave, swap shifts.
    Anything but lies about sick days is rarely tolerated.

    I know if I caught an employee at this they'd be right down the que for any AL requests for quite some time.


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    #7
    MadDog76
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,162 ✭✭✭MadDog76


    threebagsfull wrote: »
    What's the appropriate thing to do in that situation though? You can't realistically tell your employer every time you go for an interview, especially if it takes you a while to get a job.

    I hope it blows over, OP.

    You could be honest with your employer and tell him/her you're looking for another job and why .......... the why could work to your advantage, ie. if it's money reasons then the employer could offer a raise ........ if a wage increase is not possible then the employer could hardly resent the Op for looking elsewhere, afterall that's most people's priority when going to work.


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    #8
    skallywag
    Registered Users Posts: 3,000 ✭✭✭skallywag


    A very dim view tends to be taken of sick leave abuse, and I would normally say rightly so.

    OP, was taking a day of leave not an option? Or perhaps letting your new potential employer know of your situation and then trying to arrange an interview during a time which would suit you, etc.

    Best you can do now is keep your head down and hope it blows over.


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    #9
    threebagsfull
    Registered Users Posts: 100 ✭✭threebagsfull


    _Brian wrote: »
    Annual leave, swap shifts.
    Anything but lies about sick days is rarely tolerated.

    I know if I caught an employee at this they'd be right down the que for any AL requests for quite some time.
    Most interviews I've had have been for 1 day in advance, so if you say you've organised an appointment for tomorrow and you're only giving them one day notice to take leave it's generally not appreciated, and they can refuse you. If you call in sick then anyway, it's even more obvious.

    Not everyone works shifts also, but that's still v short notice to be able to sort it out.

    The OP also said they called in sick, but we don't know whether they were entitled to sick pay. I have a permanent contract but I don't get sick pay, at least not for the first few days. So the employer may not be out of pocket, just inconvenienced. I'm not trying to say it's no big deal, but it's an awkward situation which is difficult to avoid when you're job searching and at the mercy of recruiters.


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    #10
    seamus
    Registered Users Posts: 68,317 ✭✭✭✭seamus


    threebagsfull wrote: »
    Most interviews I've had have been for 1 day in advance
    Remember that an interview is not about you going in on your knees and begging them for a job.

    If a company schedules an interview with one days' notice and won't give you any better date, then you should consider if they're an employer you want to work for.
    That is, if they're being unreasonable with potential candidates, what kind of deadlines will you be given once you're in?

    One thing I've found is that children are the best excuse for taking last-minute breaks. "Oh crap, our babysitter's sick and my wife has a really important meeting tomorrow, I need to take a half day tomorrow to pick up the kids, I'll take it out of my annual leave". 9 times out of ten an employer won't refuse that.


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    #11
    threebagsfull
    Registered Users Posts: 100 ✭✭threebagsfull


    MadDog76 wrote: »
    You could be honest with your employer and tell him/her you're looking for another job and why .......... the why could work to your advantage, ie. if it's money reasons then the employer could offer a raise ........ if a wage increase is not possible then the employer could hardly resent the Op for looking elsewhere, afterall that's most people's priority when going to work.

    In an ideal world people people would only be leaving for more money or some simple misunderstanding or incompatibility, and an employer wouldn't resent them for looking elsewhere.
    But realistically many managers are not always so understanding and the fact that they may not see eye to eye with the employee might be the very reason they're leaving.
    If it takes 3 months to find a job, it could be a very long uncomfortable 3 months.

    At least they're leaving - an employee calling in sick and planning to stay should be of real concern.


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    #12
    threebagsfull
    Registered Users Posts: 100 ✭✭threebagsfull


    seamus wrote: »
    Remember that an interview is not about you going in on your knees and begging them for a job.

    If a company schedules an interview with one days' notice and won't give you any better date, then you should consider if they're an employer you want to work for.
    That is, if they're being unreasonable with potential candidates, what kind of deadlines will you be given once you're in?

    I take your point, but in my case it's mostly done through recruitment agencies, so I can't really blame the company if the agency does this. In this market people are just grateful to be called to interview, and if you're seen to be difficult the agency might not bother to call you next time, because they seriously have so many people on their books right now. In a few years maybe that won't be the case.
    seamus wrote: »
    One thing I've found is that children are the best excuse for taking last-minute breaks. "Oh crap, our babysitter's sick and my wife has a really important meeting tomorrow, I need to take a half day tomorrow to pick up the kids, I'll take it out of my annual leave". 9 times out of ten an employer won't refuse that.
    They'll refuse it more often when you don't have kids.


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    #13
    daheff
    Registered Users Posts: 5,866 ✭✭✭daheff


    Help please!!!!! wrote: »
    I called in sick, because i wanted to try myself at an another job. And my boss figured it out. What can he do now?

    how did he figure it out? did you confirm it?

    Unless you saw him seeing you going into the building brazen it out. Deny & say you were going to the doctor/dentist etc


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    #14
    ted1
    Registered Users Posts: 23,536 ✭✭✭✭ted1


    threebagsfull wrote: »
    What's the appropriate thing to do in that situation though? You can't realistically tell your employer every time you go for an interview, especially if it takes you a while to get a job.

    I hope it blows over, OP.

    Taking a paid sick day when not sick, might be considered theft


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    #15
    percy212
    Registered Users Posts: 1,077 ✭✭✭percy212


    If you are worth keeping, they won't care. Should be a kick in the hole for them to be honest.


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    #16
    P_Fitz
    Registered Users Posts: 112 ✭✭P_Fitz


    seamus wrote: »

    One thing I've found is that children are the best excuse for taking last-minute breaks. "Oh crap, our babysitter's sick and my wife has a really important meeting tomorrow, I need to take a half day tomorrow to pick up the kids, I'll take it out of my annual leave". 9 times out of ten an employer won't refuse that.

    The employer can't refuse it. The employee can just take force majeure and not use up their annual leave


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    #17
    therecklessone
    Registered Users Posts: 17,213 ✭✭✭✭therecklessone


    P_Fitz wrote: »
    The employer can't refuse it. The employee can just take force majeure and not use up their annual leave

    In the circumstance described that you replied to there is no entitlement to force majeure:

    http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1998/en/act/pub/0030/print.html#sec13
    13.—(1) An employee shall be entitled to leave with pay from his or her employment, to be known and referred to in this Act as “force majeure leave”, where, for urgent family reasons, owing to an injury to or the illness of a person specified in subsection (2), the immediate presence of the employee at the place where the person is, whether at his or her home or elsewhere, is indispensable.

    (2) The persons referred to in subsection (1) are—

    (a) a person of whom the employee is the parent or adoptive parent,

    (b) the spouse of the employee or a person with whom the employee is living as husband or wife,

    (c) a person to whom the employee is in loco parentis,

    (d) a brother or sister of the employee,

    (e) a parent or grandparent of the employee, and

    (f) persons of such other (if any) class or classes as may be prescribed.

    An understanding employer may approve force majeure anyway in such a case as was described, but then such an understanding employer may not take too kindly to finding out that the application was based on a lie should they find out.


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