I have employed a member of staff on a three month trial, she has had 9 days of sick in a month and a half?

WooAne

If she was genuinely sick it would be unfair to dismiss her on that alone. Did she produce a sick note from her GP? If she has one of those, then you cannot fire her on that alone.. we are all human and we all get sick from time to time.

If she was genuinely sick then you will have to look at her overall work performance and make a decision based on that.

If she has no sick note from her GP then i would question why she was off work. I know if i was on a trial basis and i was unfortunate to become ill, the first thing i would do is go to my GP to get my sickness diagnosed, logged and given a note to prove my illness. Thats what an honest person with nothing to hide would do.

Deirdre H

That's up to you.

But the question is ... was she really sick, and do you think this will change? If she was honestly sick, and you have reason to believe that she'll get better and be a good employee, keep her.

If you think she is a malingerer, then you have the right, depending on what contract may have been signed, to sack her.

Pauline

Apart from her illness(es) Is she worth keeping?

Occasionally there will be times when a 'run' of illness occurs and it doesn't mean that she is shirking.

Sack her, extend the trial period, It's up to you; only you know what her performance while at work is like.

Huge

If she was genuinely sick I think you should keep her until the end of her probation then let her go. If you have evidence she was not really sick let her go now.

Fishguy

Anytime you want.

taxed till i die,

Leave now.

cantcu

You can dismiss at any time during a trial period without cause.

However, before you look like a person with no empathy, why don't you ask her what is wrong?

Also. if it is because of one of her children, you might be violating federal law and could be sued by the federal government and her!.

You better get your ducks in a row before you do it.

squeakycheek

I am currently on a six month trial and had to have a day off coz my husband was very poorly. Luckily I also had a flexi day and spent it in bed with sickness and diahorrea. I think the question is flawed as it depends whether the days are one bulk one or loads of Fridays or something suspicious.
I think because you are asking the question you probably have already made up your mind..... if you haven't would'nt it be nice for a boss to actually sit down and talk to your employee and ask her about things.. you can always extend a trial period.

Jane

leave now, if its a trial surely you can terminate the contract at any time

JULIE A

before you sack her remember this,it is very common for new employers to become sick within 2 weeks of working in a new environment,usually tummy bugs or colds,the reason being people need to adapt to a new environment,there mixing with differant people etc.if after the 3 months she continues to be off sick a lot then get her to go to the doctor for a medical certificate,i know its annoying but dont be too hasty.

Val

Ask her to leave anytime you deem fit.

Natasha

if shes a good worker while she is there have a word and say your sick time is unacceptable are you fit enough to have this job and remind her she is on trial if shes sick again sorry got to go if she is ok put her on a further trial if she don't want to work she will quit cos possible she may be a dole lite an don't want to work

mischievous

You have two options, get her to produce a doctor's certificate so that you can judge whether this is an ongoing sickness, or just a one off such as an injury,severe cold or flu. Then you may consider whether to continue with her trial period which is now 50% complete.
The other option is to dismiss her now on the grounds of unsatisfactory attendance.
You will have difficulty in doing that once her trial period is finished.
She may well turn out to be a "barrack room lawyer" type who thinks she has the answers to everything and will push you to the limit.
Make your mind up very soon, the longer you leave it, the more difficult the situation will become.

Bardic

I believe you're in the UK. The whole purpose of a trial period is that either of you can decide that the job is not for her and terminate it immediately without complications. It's your decision. You may want to consider whether it is likely that her attendance will improve if you have a word with her.

floppity

Ask her to leave now, don't wait til the end of it because she'll only get more comfortable there.

Sula

It doesn't bode well for her. On average every 5 days she is taking a day off sick. Most people try to make an impression when first starting a job. I'd like a 4 day week with full pay too. There are so many people out of work at the moment and you would do well to choose someone else, someone who will give you the 100% you need for your business. If you do take her on and she still takes lots of sick leave you will have a bigger problem trying to get rid of her. Be ruthless it's your livelihood after all.

missbillows

depends on the stipulants you put in place when you took her on on a trial basis. Probably be able to do it straight away unless you said otherwise or signed a contract saying otherwise...

Claire

As she's on a 3 month trial you can tell her to leave now.

Andrew L

I have a member of staff who has worked in my department for 40 years with only two days off sick.

Your employee needs to learn that if she wants to get paid, she has to put in the hours. If you keep her on, she will just get the message that it's OK to throw a sicky whenever she fancies it.

I would get rid of her now.

STEVEN F

You can TELL her to leave at any time with or without a reason. Even after the 90 day trial, she does not acquire additional LEGAL protection. The difference is in company POLICY, not in law.

Note: My answer assumes US law. Your question did not indicate what country your question applies to.

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