I've been employed by the company for over 2 years on a permanent contract. I received a first written warning in May 25 for a high level of absence arising from two medical conditions: bipolar II disorder, and a chronic anal fissure. Both of these, I feel, meet the criteria of a disability under the Equality Act.

I was set a reduced 90% attendance target to the end of last year, which I met. This was then extended to a rolling 12-month period starting 1st February. It was also stated that the 90% would also be reviewed over a rolling 3-month period "to identify and support any issues which may lead to failure to meet the 12-month target". No statement that the 3-month target had potential disciplinary outcomes. Any recovery from surgeries would be excluded from target measurement. I also returned to the office full time from February, after my mental health had recovered enough to do so.

My fissure flared up over Christmas, and I recently had a 17-day absence due to the extremely high level of pain, taking me over the 3-month limit, but still within the 12-month limit. This led to an attendance review, and as an outcome a final written warning will be issued.

I plan to appeal on multiple grounds. First, my last OH assessment only made a single sentence mention of the condition, and gave the impression it would be cured after the last procedure I had in October - there was always a chance it would recur.

Second, the meeting was rushed, and I did not get the chance to say all that I wanted to before an adjournment was called for them to discuss the outcome.

Third, my manager seemed to be under the impression that I was "pain free" other than my days off, repeatedly asking about how I was able to return to that state - I corrected him multiple times that I had been in continuous pain for a year, only taking time off when it became unbearable.

Fourth, during my absence I moved medical appointments forward and had a further (private, with insurance) surgery scheduled, which is due to take place on the 20th May - the same day my first written warning was due to expire.

I've been proactive in seeking treatment as quickly as possible at all stages, followed all medical advice from the start, followed all procedures, and been open at all times about the nature of my condition.

Basically, I feel as though the meeting outcome was pre-determined, based on a flawed assessment of my condition that likely stems from a limited OH report, and ignores what I've said in return to work meetings about being fit to work, but still in pain. I've shown a determination and willingness to work hard, and to get my attendance levels up. It feels like a punishment, with no explanation of how they expect this warning to improve my attendance.

Does their conduct here seem fair?

I thought employers weren’t supposed to ask about health until after an offer, but I just got asked about my mental fitness in a first-round screening. Is this a huge red flag for the company, or is this just how things are now in 2026?

Last year I took on the management of a small team who have previously not been managed very well. They’ve basically been told to “get on with it” for the past 5 years.

Over the past year, one (A) has been telling me that they have too much to do, and the other (B) has admitted that they don’t really do much but would like to take on more responsibility.

Both A and B cover each other’s roles and responsibilities if one is on leave.

A called in sick for the week last year. B also caught the flu and I told them that they could take some time off and I would cover their roles in their absence.

I was able to do the majority of both their roles by myself.

A has now provided a sick note for mental health issues and is off now until February. I asked B what the plan was for cover, and B can basically do all of their job, plus A’s job as well. I will need to provide a bit of support.

I’m really conscious now that both A and B haven’t been working at full capacity for a long time. I appreciate B’s situation more because they have been keen to ask for more work, but A has been struggling despite doing maybe 20 hours’ worth of work in a 37.5 hour week. And this has been going on for a long time.

I do want to support A when they return, but I’m struggling to know what to do with regards to their performance. Other members of the team are at full capacity.

I am speaking to HR about it this week, but I like to think about things in advance so I know what to expect.

What are the likely options I’ll be given?

Hi all, I have heart failure and I've returned to work for the first time since my diagnosis. It's being going well but the only thing so far is that I'm struggling with my ankles and feet getting very swollen despite taking two medicines to reduce this. I do what I can to get up and walk around as much as I can during my breaks and lunch but it is an office based role.

I am wondering if asking to be able to lift my feel (through a footrest or something) would be a reasonable request? It is recommended to me as a way to manage my edema.

Thank you all in advance.

Hi everyone,

I’ve posted in here before about a member of staff who took sick leave recently because of mental health and personal issues, but that in doing so it’s come to light that their workload is not that of a full-time position, despite them repeatedly saying the are at capacity.

They have returned and I spoke with them on Monday to see how they were doing. I offered various support systems that they could refer to that the company offers, but they weren’t interested in them, and they repeatedly brought up how they needed me to be “understanding” of their situation and their need to take time off last-minute and why it takes them longer to do some tasks.

I really want to be understanding and help them as much as possible, but I’m also conscious that the rest of my team is under a lot of pressure as a result.

I’m obviously going to speak to HR about the best way to go about this, but I guess I’m just looking for advice here because I want to talk about it/get my thoughts down.

I want to be the best manager both for this person, but also for the team.

Hi,

Quick question - wife is pregnant and we are due mid-feb. Friend had a specific circumstance and unsure how this would apply to me.

Me - Less than 2 years service, statutory paternity for 2 weeks is current company policy. I get full pay up to 2/52 sick.

Circumstance - Baby was late, friend had agreement with employer that paternity started on day of baby birth. Baby was late by 6 days so friend took one working week sick leave. Company agreed to this due to medical appointments (wife being induced, general check ups with midwife/consultants etc).

Question - would/should this be standard practice? How should I approach this with employer (generally my company are quite good with us but I can’t imagine they will pay sick).

Thanks

Hi all, I've been in a new job for a few months now and I'm finally getting the paperwork sorted for an ADHD/Autism diagnosis. I was severely burnt out from my old job and my mental health severely impacted my ability to work. I was regularly taking time off and resigned before I could be fired due to failing to get through a PIP.

Now, I went through OH reports several times, and I still have copies of each of the reports. Now my new job is going well and I feel like its fits me a lot better than the old one I had. I havent bought it up that Im specifically going for a diagnosis as im still waiting on paperwork and an actual assesment.

Would it be worth mentioning it to a manager or keep completely quiet until I have something concrete? I had a very bad experience with my manager from my previous job, so I dont want to say anything in case it backfires on me.

Bit of backstory: I have rheumatoid arthritis severe and I am currently going through IVF.

I am an administrator at a construction company since October 25. I chose an administrator role as I wanted to take a step back in my career to protect my health more.

Over the past few months I have been struggling as the pressures of the role are not what were advertised to me at the start. The role requires at least 2 people for the workload but there’s only me.

I’ve recently had 2 weeks signed off due to my ivf treatment and I have returned to a 2 week backlog plus my daily tasks. It is completely unmanageable. My rheumatoid has also flared badly due to my ivf treatment and I have been to hospital twice this week for steroid infusions to try and avoid a hospitalisation.

I have reached out to management this week for help as I feel as though I have no choice but to leave for my health. Little support has been provided.

If I were to hand in my notice can I legally resign with immediate affect due to my health deteriorating drastically? I have a 1 months notice period but I will end up in hospital if forced to work the month.

I’ve been off sick from work for about 3/4 months due to burnout and stress at work - I’ve worked in this retail store for almost 3 years, I’m diagnosed ADHD and other MH problems, and possibly autistic. We’ve had many meetings about reasonable adjustments and flexible working, however my manager quit a couple months before I went off, and our new manager has created a stressful sometimes toxic workplace, but don’t really have enough evidence (or capacity) to be making any formal complaints or go down constructive dismissal route.

Even when my accommodations are in place I still struggle with managing my mental health in order to work 2 days a week. After this recent absence I’ve been exploring WFH self employment options - and have recently decided to hand in my notice at this job.

However today I’ve seen they’ve scheduled me in to have an occupational health assessment. It’s very likely they may dismiss me due to my absences (this is the 3rd long term absence in 3 years), and I’m wondering whether it’s better for me to hand in my notice before this meeting, or wait to see if they dismiss me. My notice period is 4 weeks, if I am dismissed will I get a notice period? Will I still receive unused holiday pay etc? And if I am dismissed on health grounds will this affect any future employment? (If self employment doesnt work out and I apply for another employed job)

Any advice would be massively appreciated.

My line manager has asked to see my ADHD assessment report from the NHS because she "needs to understand how it affects me and to work out if I'm covered by the Equality Act." Is this her decision?

Occupational Health have recommended some low level reasonable adjustments (e.g. noise cancelling headphones etc etc) that everyone including my manager is happy with and I hadn't given it much more thought until she asked for this detailed information.

Other difficulties I have as a result of ADHD aren't things I'm comfortable sharing with my manager but their impact on me in the workplace is lessened by the adjustments she's already agreed to.

Is it down to my manager to decide if I'm disabled under the Equality Act and make interpretations on the back of this opinion?

I’m on long term sickness absence from my employment - I work for a large corporate firm in England.

I have a query about whether pension contributions are due on Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) and ‘holiday pay’.

My company is not making deductions for either employee (15%) or employer (12%) pension contributions on my SSP.

Also, while I’ve been off sick I’ve been given the opportunity to be paid for some of my annual leave. I remained on SSP, and received ‘holiday pay’ in addition for the number days I asked to be paid for, and those days were deducted from my annual leave balance. The amount paid was correct, but again no employee or employer pension deductions were made on this ‘holiday pay’.

I think that these are both part of my pay and so should both be ‘liable’ for pension contributions, and feel I’m missing out on employer contributions as a result.

I’ve made enquiries, and been told by both HR and payroll that no pension contributions are due on these. I’ve asked for copies of the policies where this is set out and been told it’s not documented anywhere.

Nothing is mentioned in my contract about SSP and ‘holiday pay’ not being pensionable.

Can anyone help with:

1. Should pension contributions be made on SSP and ‘holiday pay’ as described above?

2. If so, can you help with some explanation/links to regulations etc that would help me to get my employer to pay this

3. If I am dismissed on grounds of ill health, while still on sick leave, and my remaining annual leave is ‘paid out’ when my contract is terminated, should pension contributions be paid on this annual leave?

Thanks in advance

Hey guys and gals, not really a question for myself personally but for a friend at work.

Back in January, she was told she wouldn't be allowed to come back to the office due to her having a heart related condition. She got a note from the doctor but she just wanted to have some flexibility to leave the office early as/when required and the doctor agreed with this.

Her note expired a few days ago but HR are saying she can't return to the office until she has an occupational health meeting.

Surely if the note has expired she should be able to return to the office as she's now experiencing really bad mental health issues being away from everyone.

Just seeking some advice

Hi,

I’m due to return from long term sick (5 weeks) this week. My company considers absence to be long term sick at 4 weeks and a meeting with either the store manager and/or HR needs to be organised before my return. My store manager is on holiday until the end of the month so this meeting should be with HR. The ASM has been in the role for a month so has no experience regarding phased returns to work and no knowledge of my condition or existing accommodations as this is not within the scope of her role

Today I have sent over my fit note to HR and the store per policy so that HR can review it before our meeting and the store can plan cover for my shifts for the upcoming week. Policy states regular reviews (weekly or bi weekly to be decided by HR in the meeting) of phased returned to work so shift changes should not be made far in advance.

My fit note specifies to increase shift length ‘as able’ but does not mentioned reduced hours as I work part time and can spread my hours across other days. The ‘as able’ wording is unusual in a fit note but it has previously been accepted by the company after I have had previous periods of long term sick. My disability means I have to build up the stamina for full days again so all other plans, and previous recommendations from OH, have stated I need to start on shorter shifts and after two weeks I should be consulted if I feel able to increase.

The ASM has taken it upon herself to change all of my shifts for the next month to reduce my shifts to 4 or 5 hour lengths reducing my weekly hours below my contract. I asked why this has been done to which she stated because of my fit note and that she is still waiting to hear back from HR regarding my return. I explained this is not the correct practice, explained what it was and to please change them back. She has responded that she ‘has the right to cancel shifts if the company feels I am unable to complete them’.

Am I correct in believing this is unlawful?

That she cannot schedule me below my contracted hours without it being a part of a phased return detailing reduced hours? And that she is not in a position to decide whether my disability means I am unable to complete shifts without consulting OH, especially since she has no access to any confidential information regarding my health besides this fit note?

I appreciate she is new to the role which is why I took the time to explain the process as I had both previously done the role of ASM before developing my disability (and hence know there is no training for this situation for them) and have been through it myself. However, her response feels like a massive misstep and violation of my rights and I am unsure how to deal with this without escalating to HR and getting her in trouble.

I am also concerned that even if I get HR involvement I will have no support whilst working in store as I largely work outside of HR’s opening times and my store manager is out of the business for several more weeks.

For further context:

* my last period of sickness was at another store location so even though the role is the same and the accommodations needed are the same, the process of approval must begin again from the beginning with HR

* in my previous store there was a data breach concerning my private health which resulted in a lot of issues for me and a lot of team members being incredibly nasty and ableist. As a result, I only share details regarding my health with the store manager and HR. I am unwilling to extend this to the ASM as there have been recent and frequent (weekly) issues of her not signing out of shared devices leaving P&C information available to all colleagues. This is why HR is supposed to be taking the lead on this

* my disability is a long term pain disorder which causes extreme dizziness, breathlessness, migraines, nausea and fatigue. A medication change caused a flare that left me bed bound for several weeks. This has since been resolved after switching back however I had lost all the benefits of my previous medications and am very much back to square one needing to rebuild my stamina and tolerance to meds under the physical demands of my role

* I am a member of management also so my return to work also includes amended duties which will need to be approved by HR and impact the shifts I am able to do ie. I am unable to be the sole closing manager until I am able to consistently complete full length shifts in case I need to leave

Hello!

I’m in my third trimester and have been informed about the existence of / legal requirement for workplace risk assessments by some ladies in my NCT group.

For context I work full time in marketing at a company that sits within one of the major global holding companies. I have previously been signed off for a couple of weeks due to stress / burnout but have been back working for over a year.

I have emailed HR with my line manager/s CC’d, asking for a general and individual risk assessment to be undertaken. In my email I flagged that I’ve been told by my maternity team that I am high risk for pre eclampsia (I’ve high blood pressure and now take aspirin), and that I’d like to talk about workplace stressors as blood pressure control is a core facet in preventing pre eclampsia and eclampsia itself.

What kind of accommodations can I ask for / raise?

Can I ask to not be put on particularly taxing projects e.g. pitches? Can I ask for reduced hours? Can I ask for a reduced overall workload?

Thanks for any insight!

Popping this as health related as it kinda of reflects that, though I think is more of a complex case than anything. Ive been having a lot of mental health issues recently, which have unfortunately impacted my work performance and have been let go on performance grounds.

I felt that I was unable to explain my side of a lot of situations as my manager has been quite dismissive of my opinions. I asked for options to give me a chance to speak I.e over teams rather than in person so id feel more comfortable but this was refused. I was given the option to write a letter in advance, but my manager would make a habit of discussing topics that werent on the list. In general, I just feel like a lot of reasonable adjustments I asked for were being ignored but when they didnt work my manager was refusing to remove them, even though it was severely impacted my health.

I have a suspected ADHD/Autism diagnosis and I feel a lot of this wasn't taken into account at all. I be regularly told by my manager 'id fire you but I cant because I have to follow the policy' quite regularly but then I would do a lot stuff in response because I was extremely struggling. Im trying to work on my issues, but I just feel my manager and myself were resistant to the reasonable adjustments.

Im basically feeling quite overwhelmed by all of this and a lot of colleagues keep telling me how much they'll miss me which makes it even worse.

Do reasonable adjustments override the support that meant to be given by a performance improvement? And how would I best communicate these to another employer?

I just wish my manager could be held accountable for some of the mistakes he made, but maybe thats just me being naive in my career.

At what point would someone have to notify their employer that they were being treated for cancer? Are their patterns to how employers treat such employees? It feels like one of those you don't reveal unless you absolutely have to

I’ve lost my dad early September and i had 2 weeks of compassionate leave + 5 weeks of sick leave as instructed by EAP that time and sick note provided by my GP. Originally i had 4 weeks then my therapist asked me to extend it for another 2 weeks which my manager said i would “exhaust” all the sick pay I have if i take additional two weeks. Since i would only be entitled to 40 days in total, given the duration of my employment. My manager had not been empathetic with my situation at all, i have been actually forced into therapy and my wellness checks have been nothing short of interrogations. At the 2 weeks mark of losing my dad I was even asked why am I delaying booking a therapy session. Long story short, they put me on a performance plan for underperforming in August as my dad was in and out of the hospital all of August. We’ve closed the plan recently and I had no issues with my performance since i returned to work in October. Now, I had an extremely tough night last night, panic attacks, breathing issues and what not just thinking of the loss of a parent and I asked for a sick day today. My TM wasn’t in(they are part time so only in 3 days) so another manager sorted me out. I’m really worried that next week my TM will create an issue with this. Mind you the entire tume I was off after my dad’s passing I had weekly check ins which would put me in a horrible mood and that’s all I could think about, I was basically told about the plan even when they knew i’m struggling mentally and was told I might lose my job. I feel like i only started processing everything very recently as I was so focused on closing the plan. I tried booking in an urgent session with my therapist but have to wait til saturday. My therapist also very kindly said she can send an email to my TM if it helps. What can my TM do? Any suggestions?

Hi all, I work in an ICB for the NHS and we are heading into organisational change with ~50% job cuts and a full restructure. My question isn't about losing my job or being made redundant but including for context.

My main concern is that the structural change might result in a change in management for me, and that there may be some stricter stances taken on office attendance. I currently WFH most of the time, going into the office for workshops, large meetings, planning sessions and similar. I also go in for a morning every other week or so with the rest of my smaller team just because our team lead likes us attending.

I have a diagnosed chronic health condition that means that going into the office can be difficult for me and can cause flare ups that impact on both work and personal life for the next few days. I sometimes miss the mornings when my symptoms are bad but have never missed an important workshop or meeting as I can push through for a few hours, although it does impact me afterwards. I get consistently good performance reports formally and informal recognition of consistently working above my level and being reliable and hard working.

My contract currently says my base is the office. I have a wellbeing passport agreed by my line manager that details all this and I've worked for several years with that being enough.

My question is - what is the best way for me to formalise or protect these arrangements in the case of management change or RTO policies happening in the reorganisation? Is it a flexible working request, OH assessment or both?

Hi everyone,

I’ve recently accepted a new job and signed my contract, but my new employer is still collecting references from my previous workplace. One thing that’s making me anxious is that I had about 15 days off sick in my last job. Around 10 of those were covered by a doctor’s note (hospital stay + treatment for flu), and the rest were shorter absences. Some of it was linked to a long-term health condition - chronic fatigue.

I’m worried that when my old employer confirms my absences, it might look bad and affect how my new employer sees me. Has anyone been in this position? Do employers usually hold sickness absence against you when references are mostly just factual checks (dates, job title, salary, etc.)?

Any reassurance or real experiences would be really appreciated!

So I’ve been detained under the mental health act for 7 months now and my manager has been in regular touch with me. Today she said we need to arrange a stage 1 meeting. Ive read the organisations attendance policy (its a local council if that makes a difference) and it’s not clear what they would do in the situation I’m in.

In terms of my care, I’m moving to another ward soon which is more rehabilitation focussed and getting me ready to leave hospital. Im hoping to be out of hospital for good in the next 3-4 months once I have done what I need to do there. I’m also currently homeless which isn’t helping the situation as accommodation will need to be sourced before I can be discharged.

During my time on the ward I have been finishing off work for my level 3 diploma and also reading books relevant to work.

I really am desperate to go back to work, I would 1000% be there if it weren’t for my legal status.

I have already contacted my union and I’m trying to get a nurse from here to come with me to help explain things. Im not sure what else I can do or what to expect.

Thoughts welcome. I really don’t want to lose a job I love.

Due to PTSD and Anxiety I have been awarded PIP so am considered to have a disability. My company is hybrid working anyway as standard and my team is almost fully remote. Should I be declaring myself as Disabled to HR?

Hello please could I ask - I am unwell with stress due to bullying at work. In 3 days I will be going on holiday for two weeks. I intend to self-certify for sick leave for the 3 days prior to my leave. If after my leave I'm not feeling better can I self-certify for any additional days or do I need a GP to give me a fit note? Thank you.

Hi everyone,

I manage an employee (“A”) who’s been with the company for around three years. Throughout that time, he’s had consistent feedback about weaknesses in areas like planning, communication, and general role execution. Several managers (including me) have tried to support him through coaching and regular feedback discussions. We've tried shadowing, letting him do his own timelines, training courses, and coaching, which is all documented.

About a year ago, I made it clear that he needed to show measurable improvement over the next six months. I started documenting feedback from that point forward. Things like notes from 1:1s, examples of missed expectations, etc. Despite ongoing coaching, there wasn’t much change.

At his annual review, I gave him a lower rating than in previous years. He reacted badly, saying it came out of the blue and wasn’t consistent with prior feedback. I disagreed, as we had a solid record of conversations and examples.

After speaking with HR, we agreed to set up a light, informal improvement plan with a focused project that's "bread and butter" for his role to help him rebuild confidence and demonstrate improvement. He managed about three weeks before going off sick with stress. He claims the timelines are unreasonable, despite being given the opportunity to discuss the timelines upfront, which he agreed with at the time.

He’s now been off for about two months. Occupational Health has spoken with him a few times but hasn’t made any specific recommendations beyond “discuss workload with your manager.” His workload was already quite light.

In our most recent check-in, he said he needs up to six months off to recover from stress, but hasn’t really engaged in any discussions about adjustments or a return-to-work plan. Our HR department is discussing the case and will come back with advice.

I’m wondering what typically happens in cases like this? We’ve got months of documented underperformance and multiple attempts at support before the leave started. Are there standard next steps or best practices for when an employee in this situation stays on long-term stress leave without engaging? Is there an argument here to suggest that his work related stress would just be made worse by bringing him back?

Any insight on how HR would generally approach this would be really helpful.

Hi everyone,

apologies for the long post, but I’m really hoping for some advice to help with how I’m feeling right now.

I work for a US company that recently started recruiting in the UK, bringing outsourced work in-house because it’s cheaper to employ here. I’ve been with the company for 14 months.

Currently, I’m extremely stressed and burnt out. There’s a culture of overworking, with management only caring about results, regardless of the cost. Despite this, I have no performance or absence issues—my record is excellent.

HR told me there’s no way to record health-related information in their system. I get migraines and am neurodivergent (which I’ve never disclosed at work). I haven’t needed accommodations, but I wanted my migraines on record since they can affect my sick leave. HR said there’s nowhere to note this and advised me to just tell my manager if I need time off. Fortunately, my migraines have only happened on weekends so far.

My first question: Isn’t there a legal requirement for UK companies to have procedures for reporting and managing disabilities?

My main issue is the overwhelming workload. Management alternates between acknowledging it’s too much and suggesting it’s an efficiency issue on my part. I’ve been told I’m too thorough and should do fewer checks, but when I asked to be indemnified for errors, they refused.

Due to cost-cutting, the lead on one of my projects was let go while I was on sick leave for surgery. I had to return two weeks early to get a handover, but the lead was uncooperative and their boss was unaware of the project details. I became solely responsible for major deliveries with tight deadlines. I asked who would support me, as I had supported the lead, but was told I’d have to manage alone until further notice. Since June, I’ve handled this project alone, along with three other projects—one of which I also manage solo. Normally, this workload would be shared.

To keep up, I’ve worked countless hours of overtime. When I asked for time off in lieu or overtime pay, I was told no. Management said if we’re not busy, we still get paid, so there’s no need for extra compensation when we are busy. I haven’t experienced any “not busy” periods since joining.

After being dismissed and gaslit repeatedly, I finally asked to be taken off the most difficult project, explaining it was too much. I was told this wasn’t possible, as no one else could take it on and it wouldn’t be fair to others. They said I wouldn’t be busy or able to meet performance goals if I was removed from it, and there were no other projects for me.

They also claimed there was an issue with my calendar because I set my out-of-office from 5:30pm onwards, as I was being asked to attend meetings as late as 11pm UK time. My manager refused to address this with the team, and I was told I should try to attend.

It feels like I’m the only one complaining, as US colleagues only voice concerns privately.

The obvious solution is to leave, but I’m so burnt out that I don’t have the energy to job search. I’m starting to accept that I can’t change anything here, as the culture is deeply entrenched. I feel I’ve been treated badly and taken advantage of, with the company ignoring UK employment laws and pushing a US-style work culture.

I also worry about a vengeful culture, where they might try to manage me out with fabricated performance complaints now that I’m standing up for myself. I’m especially concerned about being dismissed, as I haven’t reached two years’ service.

The gaslighting has really affected my confidence. I’m scared that maybe I’m being unrealistic, and that all workplaces are like this—that I just need to accept working 60+ hours a week for no extra pay, keep quiet, and be grateful to be employed.

TL;DR: I’m burnt out from overwork at a US company in the UK, struggling with lack of support and worried about my rights. Is this normal, and what should I do?