Three of my “sick” staff members left us short-staffed

Dear Aunty B, 

I had three staff members take Friday off as a sick day, which made me extremely cross, as we are very short-staffed and have a lot of work to do.

It’s not fair to the people who booked a day off and not fair to the people who had to pick up their work. The GM had to fill in/take calls for two staff and didn’t get to leave on Friday night until 7pm!

Two of the staff however put in really long hours and are great workers and I don’t really begrudge them taking the day but they should have booked it like everyone else. I don’t want anyone to think they can take sickies either side of a holiday!

How should I handle people having sickies near public holidays? People are muttering about it and the GM has asked me to talk to the offenders about it.

Really, really cross about it,
Perth

Dear Really, really cross about it,

Simple. You’re sick? You have to show a doctor’s certificate. They are not sick enough to go to the doctor? Then maybe they are not sick enough to skip work.

Get the GM to send a note around to everyone reminding them that if they are sick they need a doctor’s certificate. It is company policy and is checked. Let him or her follow the three people up. You stay out of it. That way it becomes a procedural matter for the GM and you don’t blow it up into some issue where the staff feel hard done by and picked on.

Be smart,
Your Aunty B

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