# Notice Period covered by sick note



## Upinthecloud (21 Apr 2005)

Need a bit of advice-

Have been working in the same job for a number of years now and have gotten really fed up with the situation here.
Lots of stuff has been happening to me personally, but not only that, whenever management make a mistake, they seem to very quickly blame our department, which is very very unfair.
Basically we are not getting any back-up from the people who should be looking after us.

Management neglected to tell about aa situaation aat the weekend and to cut a long story short..is trying to use me as a scape goat.

GGRRRR
i'm so fed up with this...

I was going to hand my notice in at the end of the month and I am still going to do that, but I couldn't be arsed with this cr@p

If i hand in a sick note to cover my notice period (due to stress)..can they give me a really 5h177y reference? Or mention the notice period in the reference?

I want to continue working in the same industry, but not in the same area-By doing this would I be shooting myself in the foot?

any advice would be appreciated
thank you


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## Red (21 Apr 2005)

"Basically we are not getting any back-up from the people who should be looking after us."

Why ?

What industry are you in ?

Red


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## Miner (21 Apr 2005)

AFAIK an employer is obliged to give you a reference and they cant say you were cr*p or else it may lead to a defamation suit, so you'll probably get a fairly basic one.  However, if a prospective employer calls them to confirm the reference, which most companies do, there's nothing to stop your current employer lambasting over the phone.  They could always deny saying it if it ever got out.


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## ClubMan (21 Apr 2005)

In all the years I've been working nobody has ever asked for references or contacted referees!


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## RainyDay (21 Apr 2005)

Miner said:
			
		

> AFAIK an employer is obliged to give you a reference


I'm pretty sure the employer is not obliged to give a reference. Many employers are now refusing to say anything in a written reference other than 'Mr Miner worked here as a coal miner from xxx to yyy'. 

Are you sure you really want to pack it in before you have something else sorted? Can you find away to let the stress roll off you with you taking it on-board?


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## Queenspawn (21 Apr 2005)

Clubman

"....(n)ever asked for references...."

That's interesting I get called all the time for references bet we're in different lines of business.  However for all that they're about as useful as a chocolate fireguard .  

I should actually do a correlation between really good references and poor workers I suspect it would be high. IMHO the only reference worth taking is a verbal one where you actually know noe the giver

Reference: Club Man worked here for 6 year (dates) he was diligent and punctual.  

Translation: he was not in prison.


As Frank McCourt might say "not worth a fiddlers fart"

   Upinthecloud, to address the original I understand your frustration but going on the sick is frankly dishonest.  Sorry for being so brutal it sounds like purgatory but I suggest you offer it up.  After all, asses as they may be, they are still paying you.  If you were prepared to simply walk that would be nobler than going sick.  Going sick is …well sick.


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## ClubMan (21 Apr 2005)

For what it's worth I'm a software engineer. Now that I think of it I reckon that in most, if not all, of the jobs that I've had I was hired on the basis of an initial personal recommendation so I suppose that these took the place of normal references to some extent?



> Going sick is …well sick.



Not if one is genuinely sick though? I'm not totally clear if the original poster is genuinely stressed/sick but is further worried about the impact of taking sick leave while on notice or if s/he is proposing to "pull a sickie" (presumably with the connivance of a GP who will issue a cert?) just to get out of the job sooner rather than later? Personally I would have no problem with the former (but don't know how it might impact any reference from the employer) but would consider the latter dishonest.


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## Red (22 Apr 2005)

Upinthecloud

Are you out there ?


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## Unregistered (2 May 2005)

If I were you I would walk out and claim constructive dismissal ie you had no alternative but to leave and then take them to the tribunal.  Is that allowed in Ireland?


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## Unregistered (3 May 2005)

The question of whether it's cumpulsory to give a reference is not clearcut.  A recent Employment Appeals case (don't have the ref though) found that an employer who himself inisted on references when hiring, could be reasonably expected to syupply  one in respect of employees moving elsewhere.

In terms of what they should include, they should always be honest and/or factual.  An employer saying (either in writing or verbally) that Mr X was, say incompetent, could find himself in trouble if it transpired that Mr X found out and could reasonably prove that this wasn't the case. 

Safety would suggest a fairly non-descript reference which could be substantiated subsequently if necessary.


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