Age 67 and have to attend informal attendance support meeting

Read your employer's HR policies relating to sickness absence before the meeting as return to work interviews are common place in terms of absent management. There is no need to discuss your retirement plans or your financial situation unless you wish to. Best to keep the conversation on point relating to the policy issues and not be side tracked into saying something to your relatively inexperienced manager you might end up regretting.

I’m not a worrier but have sympathy with those who are.
I had a 21 yr old suddenly my superior, ( Daddy had bought the business for her )
Grief wasn’t she a nasty little bit of work. Even picked on a woman who had a stoma saying she could only go to cleaning jobs , not ones needing nursing care incase her stoma bag started to stink. When she told me off for staying with a client who had died during my shift with him, staying until the undertakers arrived. Telling me that she hoped I didn’t expect overtime payment for staying on after my shift ended, well that was the end for me and I walked away.
Having a widow’s pension meant that I didn’t fully rely on my job to live, so if I didn’t like a job I could always take my time before finding another. I truly don’t know how I’d have acted if I actually needed the job.

I’m quite shocked that you are 67 with a disability and feel you cannot afford to retire. I think your energies would be better spent in looking at how to increase your income. Please make an appointment with the Citizens Advise Bureau or Age UK. You may qualify for disability benefits and Pension Credit. Which would make your retirement much more achievable. If you try to do this as soon as possible, you will have a better idea if you actually need to work yourself into the ground when you have your work meeting. Hope you let us know how you get on !

To give the employers the benefit of the doubt here, they do have a duty to make “reasonable adjustments” in relation to any disability you may have and assist your safe return to work.

Bea, do not go into your interview with the attitude that the 23 year old knows nothing and has only been appointed because of nepotism; he is just as likely to be sympathetic and in awe of your experience. After an illness it is standard practice to have a one- to -one meeting to assess that you are fully fit to return to work, and how you wish to continue your employment: shorter hours etc. This happens to women returning to work after childbirth as standard.
You have to remember that you are past retirement age, and you had sick leave because of a fall, (did this happen when you were working?. )Your employers have to be reassured that you are fit and able .to take on the work without damage to yourself and are not being expected to take on too much.

It sounds as though some of Bea’s anxiety relates to the quantity of work, which she says sometimes overwhelms her. That is a separate issue to the long absence following an injury, but I can see how it looms large whilst at home doing things at your own pace, but contemplating a return to the office. I think she must ask herself honestly, before the meeting, whether the job is now too much for her. Is it possible to work from home or do fewer hours? This is something that needs careful handling because hinting that the workload is overwhelming could easily lead to a suggestion that she should retire. She should think very carefully about whether to address this issue at the meeting, and if so how without appearing to be ‘past it’.

My youngest daughter is in a managerial role with significantly older people under her supervision.

Not everyone is lacking empathy... I know she would be keen to make your return a success as she values the people she works with.

Thinking of you.
I hope it goes well.

M0nica

Well, immediately join your work union and you will have help, assistance and support

As a ex-union rep. I endorse this. It’s not like the vet where you can’t claim if your dog/cat/rabbit/budgie has a pre-existing issue!

Bea65

Have rec’d letter which states… discussing current reasons for absence/making suggestions about managing return to work and, exploring other adjustments that could be made.
Thank you all GNs for your replies- do appreciate the support..and yes, am a worrier and have suffered with anxiety for many years.. will write down my thoughts on the workload - which overwhelms me at times

That's normal practice.
Fully understand the situation about the 23 Yr old but your more experience in life than they are, probably more anxious than you in case they screw up the process.
Check ACAS on line for how this should play out.
I don't think you have anything to worry about, you will be OK.
I did loads of returns to work, some times it was nice to have a catch up.
Try not to over stress.. GN'ers have your back!

I’m sorry you are between a rock and a hard place. Very unsettling. First of all a 23 yr old supervisor is a problem when you are 67. Or even 50, or 35!!

What does he have in the wisdom of workplace experience, maturity, perspective or overall intelligence (questionable). He has no respect from company staff. I’m sure he goes home every night knowing he’s in over his head.

Now I’m getting off on the 23 yr old 😖 when I should be thinking about what I could pass along in the way of help.

Can you jump over his head and go to someone in Human Resources for some answers to your questions? That’s what they are there for.
Good luck!

There is no problem at the moment except in the mind of Bea65. Join the union before the zoom meeting. Pay your dues, mine were taken from my wage by direct payment. As others have said this is a normal meeting for return to work. You have not got a problem. You just need to know how to reply so that you don't make a problem for yourself. You have not gone off sick because you were in capable. You feel whilst at work. Maybe they are worried you will sue them, or maybe they are concerned, as you are disabled, that they have made appropriate adjustments to your work place as they are required to do by an Act of Parliament. Your union rep will know what this meeting is about and will advise you how to conduct yourself, and how to correspond with your work place so that you do not trip yourself up.

This is what ACAS says
www.acas.org.uk/returning-to-work-after-absence

What a return to work meeting is for
It's not a legal requirement to have a return to work meeting. But a chat as soon as possible after an employee has returned is a good opportunity to:

make sure the employee is ready to return to work
talk about any work updates that happened while they were off
see if they need any support
agree on a plan for returning to work, if appropriate, for example a phased return to work
talk about what they would like other employees to know about their absence and what they would like to keep confidential
If the employee has been off sick, their employer might also:

look at any recommendations from the employee's doctor
consider a referral to a medical service such as occupational health
If the employee is disabled, their employer should discuss whether there are any reasonable adjustments they can make to support the return to work.

An employer should also look out for signs of underlying problems causing an employee's absence. For example:

work-related stress
a disability
The employer should be sensitive and understanding if they're talking to someone about this. An employee does not have to tell them anything. But talking openly can help the employer put the right support in place.

Have rec’d letter which states… discussing current reasons for absence/making suggestions about managing return to work and, exploring other adjustments that could be made.
Thank you all GNs for your replies- do appreciate the support..and yes, am a worrier and have suffered with anxiety for many years.. will write down my thoughts on the workload - which overwhelms me at times

Lots of good advice here; Doodledog, you give very good advice.
I have to say that as a union rep, I did represent workers immediately they joined, sometimes in very difficult situations; but that was many years ago, and I'm not surprised that things have changed.
I do hope it goes well.

This sounds like a standard 'Return to work' meeting. The link is to the ACAS site which explains all about these meetings. It's toaje sure you are fit to return, you know about any relevant developments since you've been absent etc.
www.acas.org.uk/returning-to-work-after-absence

Well obviously I can't speak for all unions, but at least some (including mine) have rules that would not allow that. It's fair enough, really. When we had recruitment drives I was always surprised at the number of people who said they would join if they needed us, but wouldn't pay the subs until then.

Bea you sound as if you are panicking.
Doodledog has given good, practical advice.
There is no need to be afraid, be prepared instead.

Doodledog When I was a union member, one of my staff was the shop steward. She recruited people who came to her when they ran into problems and then helped them - and made sure they stayed members afterwards. No one to my knowledge joined, got help and left. She did refuse to advise someone who came to her for information and advice, but wasn't prepared to sign up.

Good advice from Doodledog. I would add: try to sound and look upbeat, positive and capable, regardless of your supervisor's reactions and comments. Don't give him the impression - or the satisfaction of thinking - that you're not up to the job. It might not make a difference to the result but at least you'll know that you've acquitted yourself well.

Try not to panic. I know it's difficult, and the situation sounds very unfair, but if you can stay calm during the meeting it will be much better for the outcome.

In your shoes, I would ask your supervisor what the meeting is about (in advance) make notes about how you want it to go, and take them into the meeting with you. So for example, if it is a return to work meeting, think about what you are now able to do, and what might prove difficult. How long is it likely to take before you are back up to speed - that sort of thing. The outcome should be that you and the supervisor agree on a plan that is achievable, so don't make promises that will be difficult to keep, but try to be as positive as you can. You can ask for an interim review meeting to see how well you are doing, and be sure to take notes there, too, so that you can compare what was agreed with what is happening.

Why not post on here after you have found out the nature of the meeting, so that people can advise on how best to deal with it when you know exactly what you are dealing with?

[Doodledog] yes understand my situation is totally untenable..he the 23 yr old. was promoted during pandemic -no other senior members of the team were..he is a joke /farce his mother is a senior exec and am intimidated by this nepotism...am so anxious that I might not be thinking clearly with responses to ??s

M0nica

Well, immediately join your work union and you will have help, assistance and support

As an ex Union rep I have to say that no, joining now will not help with a problem that has arisen before joining. Unions are very helpful to members, but people can't join them when a problem has already arisen, any more than you can take out house insurance after your house has caught fire and expect to make a claim. Many people don't want to pay the subs, or have to take collective action, but expect protection when they need it, and it doesn't work like that. It is definitely worth becoming a member going forward, but it is unlikely that the union will give support with this meeting, although if it is a disciplinary meeting there should be a right to take a colleague along for support.

I sympathise, Bea - your situation is clearly untenable. Does your house insurance have legal advice as an add-on? Alternatively, check if a local university has a law clinic that will offer the services of a supervised student who can advise you. They will have an experienced lecturer checking every stage, so you will be getting sound advice, which will count towards the student's qualification.

As others have said though, there is no saying that this will be disciplinary - it has a good chance to be a routine 'back to work' meeting as your employer will have a duty of care to ensure that you are not being asked to do more than you are capable of doing. Good luck.

This sounds like standard practice to me - a return to work after any absence would be the norm. After a fall there may be concerns around ensuring you have a safe environment and questions about any ideas you may have about keeping yourself safe.
Nannarose gives good advice - and do please join a union if you haven't already.
Hope the 'interview' goes well - and you can relax through it despite the dreaded Zoom!

If you are not already a member of a TU then do join, BUT do not expect default 1:1 support from day 1.

You will get access to the national helpdesk, but union reps can be sparse on the ground & existing members will have loyally paid up in advance giving them first dibs on reps’ time.

You may find that there is a ‘formal’ wait before the union may officially represent you.

It is worth ringing the ACAS helpline for advice about employment best practice.

Nannarose posted exactly what I was going to say.

Please don't make assumptions about this person (I am assuming you don't know them already). Empathy, understanding of the issues are not age related.
And do join a union - a GP I worked with reckoned it was one of the top pieces of health advice he gave.

Can I also suggest that you explore your options - if you really want to stay at your specific workplace then of course you should (assuming no other concerns) but it doesn't hurt to think about how you might handle your life and finances differently. I have many friends and neighbours who top up their pensions from part-time jobs (some are very interesting) and making money from hobbies etc.

Good luck