When you ‘self certify’ you don’t actually get given a certificate, you don’t even need to see your doctor. It allows for people to take time off for illnesses (sickness & diaorea, flu etc) where you wouldn’t usually see a doctor, but would need to be off. Legally you don’t need an actual sick note certificate until the period of absence extends to over 7 days. Many doctors won’t give sick notes for the first 7 days as they are legally unnecessary, and so a waste of money. Whilst the system is beneficial, (can you imagine how much harder it would be to get a drs appointment if everytime somebody need a few days off work for a tummy bug they had to see a doctor!) it is also open to abuse.
I’m very much in touch with reality oldmeg I was also very much in touch with reality when I was forced to discipline an employee for bullying, because the member of staff whom she was telling people was ‘skiving’ was actually on compassionate leave following news that her nephew was terminally ill.
I made very clear in my post that I understood the ops frustration, and in her position would feel similar. However I also know first hand that these things aren’t always as they seem.