RAVENSBOURNE COLLEGE OF DESIGN AND COMMUNICATION

SICKNESS AND ABSENCE POLICY AND PROCEDURE

1. It is an important term of your employment that you comply in full with the
College’s sickness absence rules and procedures from time to time in force.
Failure to do so may result in the College withholding statutory sick pay / any
College sick pay, and can also render you liable to disciplinary action. These
rules and procedures contain important rights and obligations and you should
read them carefully. All of these rules and procedures (as amended from time to
time) are incorporated into your contract of employment.

2. If you are prevented by sickness or injury from carrying out any of the work you
are employed to do, you must contact Human Resources as soon as possible on
the first day of absence from work and in any event by 10.00am. You must then
keep the College informed on a regular basis of your progress and when you
expect to return to work. A relative or friend should telephone if you are unable to
do so.

3. If you are absent from work through sickness or injury for any period of less than
7 calendar days (including sickness absences of short duration, for example, of
half a day or one day’s duration) you must complete a self-certification form. A
copy of this form can be obtained from Human Resources and must be returned,
duly completed, and countersigned by your line manager before handing it to
Human Resources. No sick pay may in any event, be paid unless and until
Human Resources has received a duly completed self-certification form.

4. If you are absent from work through sickness or injury for more than 7 calendar
days, you must submit a doctor’s certificate to Human Resources. You must
submit regular medical certificates to cover prolonged absence and keep the
College informed of your condition, progress, and likely date of return to work.

5. It is your responsibility to inform Human Resources of your return to work after

any sickness absence, so that your sickness record is accurately maintained.
Failure to do so may result in loss of pay.

6. The College may require you to undergo a medical examination by its nominated
medical advisor from time to time, or provide such evidence of your medical
condition as it may reasonably require, the cost of which will be met by the
College. You may for example, be asked to authorise your doctor to discuss your
medical condition or history with the College medical advisor or a doctor
nominated by it, or to provide a formal report for the College.

7. The College reserves the right to contact you at home during a period of sickness
absence. At a time reasonably convenient to you a member of Human Resources
may arrange to call to see you or, arrange for you to come into College or,
arrange to meet with you at a mutually acceptable venue.

8. The qualifying days for statutory sick pay are Monday to Friday (inclusive).
The first three days of sickness absence are normally waiting days in respect
of which no SSP is payable.

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Personnel/HR Policies and Procedures/8.24 Sickness and Absence Policy and Procedure
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SICKNESS AND ABSENCE POLICY AND PROCEDURE

9. Abuse of, or non-compliance with the College’s rules and sickness absence
procedures, is a disciplinary offence and can in appropriate cases lead to
dismissal (see disciplinary procedures). In particular the College regards
unauthorised absence from work (including conduct incompatible with an alleged
sickness or injury or other abuse of these rules and procedures) as gross
misconduct.

10. Without prejudice to its other rights in these circumstances, abuse of, or non
compliance with the College’s sickness absence rules (including unauthorised
absence from work) may result in the College withholding SSP / any College sick
pay. Any payment made to you may be recovered from you.

11. It is necessary for the efficient operation of the College that all employees attend
for work regularly. If an employee is unable to achieve this, the College may not
be able to continue his / her employment. An employee’s situation is regularly
reviewed during any absence from work through sickness or injury and any
decision to dismiss will only be taken after due consideration of all information
relating to the employee’s, regardless of whether or not the employee remains
entitled to statutory sick pay.

12 It is your responsibility to claim direct through the DSS any benefit for which
you may from time to time be eligible and to inform Payroll of any such
payment. Any College sick pay will then be adjusted accordingly to take
account of any DSS benefit you are in receipt of.

13. Without prejudice to its other rights in such circumstances, where you are absent
from work through sickness or injury for one month or more, contractual paid
holiday entitlement shall cease to accrue until your return to work. If you have
been unable to take all of your contractual entitlement to annual leave by the end
of the leave year due to illness, any unused leave will be forfeited and your
annual leave entitlement will begin to accrue with the commencement of the new
leave year. You will however continue to accrue any statutory holiday leave to
which you may be entitled during any such period of sickness absence. If you
have any queries in relation to any such entitlement please contact Human
Resources.

14. Normally, if an employee is absent through sickness in excess of one month s/he
may not take paid annual holiday entitlement until the expiration of one month
after the date of returning to work. The College will however, consider each case
on its merits.

15. Extra-statutory / discretionary holidays awarded by the College as part of the

Christmas closure week or a Bank Holiday or other statutory holiday in England
can only be taken at those times. If an employee is ill on any those days s/he will
be unable to request that the day(s) be taken at a later date.

16. If you are prevented by sickness or injury from performing any of the work you
are employed to do, and provided you fully comply with the College’s sickness
absence rules and procedures from time to time in force, the College will pay any

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Personnel/HR Policies and Procedures/8.24 Sickness and Absence Policy and Procedure
RAVENSBOURNE COLLEGE OF DESIGN AND COMMUNICATION

SICKNESS AND ABSENCE POLICY AND PROCEDURE

SSP to which you are entitled. Continued salary payment (at whatever rate)
during any such sickness absence is at the sole and absolute discretion of the
College. Any payment of College sick pay that is made will include any SSP to
which you may be entitled, and any social security benefit for which you are
eligible (regardless of whether you are claiming it). No payment of sick pay
(whether SSP or otherwise) will, in any event be made if you fail fully to comply
with the College’s sickness absence rules and procedures, or abuse them.

17. Without prejudice to the College’s right to terminate an employee’s employment at

any time during a sickness absence, nor to the College’s overriding discretion with
regard to whether to continue salary payments during such an absence, and if so
for what period and at what rate, College sick pay will normally be paid as follows
(although, this does not imply any entitlement to any such payment): -

Sickness Payment Table - Applicable to Academic staff employed as at 31

December 1999

Period of continuous Maximum potential

employment with the payment period and
College maximum potential College
sick pay
1 month full pay (and after
during the first year of service completing 4 calendar
months’ service) 2 months
half pay
less the aggregate of
during the second year of 3 months full pay
all
service 3 months half pay
period(s) of sickness
absence during the
immediately preceding
period of 12 months
less the aggregate of
during the third year of 4 months full pay all
service 4 months half pay period(s) of sickness
absence during the
immediately preceding
period of 12 months
less the aggregate of
during the fourth and 6 months full pay all
successive years 6 months half pay period(s) of sickness
absence during the
immediately preceding
period of 12 months
Sickness Payment Table - Applicable to Support staff employed as at 31
December 1999

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Personnel/HR Policies and Procedures/8.24 Sickness and Absence Policy and Procedure
RAVENSBOURNE COLLEGE OF DESIGN AND COMMUNICATION

SICKNESS AND ABSENCE POLICY AND PROCEDURE

Period of continuous Maximum potential

employment with the payment period and
College maximum potential College
sick pay
1 month full pay (and after
During the first year of completing 4 months service)
service 2 months’ half pay
less the aggregate of
during the second year of 2 months’ full pay all
service 2 months’ half pay period(s) of sickness
absence during the
immediately preceding
period of 12 months
less the aggregate of
during the third year of 4 months full pay all
service 4 months’ half pay period(s) of sickness
absence during the
immediately preceding
period of 12 months
less the aggregate of
during the fourth & fifth years’ 5 months’ full pay all
of service 5 months’ half pay period(s) of sickness
absence during the
immediately preceding
period of 12 months
less the aggregate of
after 5 years’ service 6 months’ full pay all
6 months half pay period(s) of sickness
absence during the
immediately preceding
period of 12 months

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Personnel/HR Policies and Procedures/8.24 Sickness and Absence Policy and Procedure
RAVENSBOURNE COLLEGE OF DESIGN AND COMMUNICATION

SICKNESS AND ABSENCE POLICY AND PROCEDURE

Sickness Payment Table applicable to all staff employed from 1st January 2000

Period of continuous Maximum potential payment

employment with the College period and maximum potential
College sick pay

6 months or less nil

less the aggregate of all

more than 6 months but less 1 month (at full basic salary) period(s) of sickness
than 2 years absence during the
immediately preceding
period of 12 months

less the aggregate of all

2 years or more but less than 3 3 months (2 months at full basic
years pay followed by 1 month at half
pay)
3 years or more 6 months (3 months at full basic
pay followed by 3 months at half
pay)
period(s) of sickness
absence during the
immediately preceding
period of 12 months
less the aggregate of all
period(s) of sickness
absence during the
immediately preceding
period of 12 months

Sick Pay will not normally be paid where your period of continuous service with the College is
6 months or less.

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Personnel/HR Policies and Procedures/8.24 Sickness and Absence Policy and Procedure
RAVENSBOURNE COLLEGE OF DESIGN AND COMMUNICATION

SICKNESS AND ABSENCE POLICY AND PROCEDURE

SELF-CERTIFICATION SICKNESS FORM

1. This form must be completed in full, countersigned by your line manager, and returned to the
Human Resources Officer for all periods of sickness up to and including 7 calendar days. No
payment in respect of such an absence may, in any event, be made unless the Human Resources
Officer has received the completed form in respect of your sickness absence. This form should be
returned Human Resources on the first day of return to work.

2. A medical certificate must be submitted to the Human Resources Officer for any sickness absence
exceeding 7 calendar days duration.

3. Name: ……………………………… Area of work: …………………………….….

Job title: ……………………………… Payroll Number:………………………….…….

4. Date and time illness began

(the date(s) you give should be the actual day(s), even though any such day may not be your
normal working day(s) - i.e. Sunday or a Public Holiday).

From: ……………………………….. am / pm Date: ………………..……………….

To: ……………….………….…… am / pm Date: ……………………………

5. When did you notify Human Resources? Date: ……………Time: …………

6. Details relating to the illness

Please give details of the sickness or injury which has prevented you from attending work; please
be specific, descriptions such as ‘sickness’ and ‘feeling ill’, or other vague wording is not sufficient.

If you consider that the nature of your illness is confidential please state ‘confidential’ in the space
provided below and complete the next page of the self-certification form. Both pages of the self-
certification form should then be sent to Human Resources. If the reason is not confidential,
please use the space provided to state the reason(s).

……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

7. Did you see your GP? YES / NO (please delete as appropriate)

Did you attend hospital? YES / NO

8. Line manager’s comments:

Line manager’s signature: ………………………….. Date: ………………………

9. Absence record to date / compliance with procedures: …………Human Resources Officer

FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THE COLLEGE’S SICKNESS AND ABSENCE POLICY AND
PROCEDURES (INCLUDING PROPER COMPLETION OF THIS FORM) MAY RESULT IN ONE OF
THE FOLLOWING:
• THE COLLEGE WITHOLDING STATUTORY SICK PAY
• THE COLLEGE USING ITS DISCRETION IN RELATION TO SICK PAY,
• THE COLLEGE TAKING DISCIPLINARY ACTION AGAINST YOU.

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Personnel/HR Policies and Procedures/8.24 Sickness and Absence Policy and Procedure
RAVENSBOURNE COLLEGE OF DESIGN AND COMMUNICATION

SICKNESS AND ABSENCE POLICY AND PROCEDURE

SELF-CERTIFICATION SICKNESS FORM

Please only complete this section of the self-certification sickness form if there is any
information that you consider to be confidential and do not wish your line manager to know

Confidential (to be passed to Human Resources only)

Name: ……………………………… Area of work: …………………………….….

Job title: ……………………………… Payroll Number:………………………….…….

Details relating to the illness:

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Please detach this from the rest of the form and pass direct to Human Resources. The first part
of this form must be completed and forwarded to your line manager for signature before it is
forwarded to Human Resources.

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Personnel/HR Policies and Procedures/8.24 Sickness and Absence Policy and Procedure