Return to Work interview - the fallout

Well it wasn't exactly a simple box-ticking exercise yesterday.

Apparently I have had too many days off sick and now I'm going to start losing pay if I am ill again. Initially HR reckoned that I had taken 27 days sick this year. I looked back through all my e-mails and could only find 20, which of course includes 17 days signed off by the hospital because I broke my arm and couldn't work. HR however are counting an overall 12 month period, so the stomach bug I had last November counts, as does the streaming cold I had in October. I still couldn't get it to 27 days, until I noticed that they'd counted 4 days in January before term started, when I wouldn't have been at work anyway! I got them to discount those days but they aren't prepared to budge on the rest.

What does this mean? Well, basically I can't afford to be ill again until mid January. Or alternatively, I can be ill but I have to come to work and infect everyone else regardless of whether I am suffering with a streaming nose, projectile vomiting or bubonic plague. I'm sure that will make everyone very happy - NOT!!

Told my HoD all this when I got to work this morning and he was not amused. Yesterday he had a meeting with the Head to discuss the past year in Physics, and apparently I came in for a lot of praise for all the stuff that I do for the department above and beyond my job description. So while the Head thinks I'm doing a great job, HR think I'm slacking. Nice!

HoD has told me to start logging all my hours so we can prove the extras that I do, and has also told me that if HR carry on being obnoxious, he'll just go to the Head. It's good to know that someone's got my back. I may grumble about the guy, but I have a really great HoD!

Return to Work interview

Back in January, I had to take a month off work thanks to a broken and dislocated bone in my arm. When I got back something was vaguely mentioned about needing to give me a 'Return to Work' interview to make sure I was ok to do my job and assess whether I needed any extra support. This never actually happened and now, 9 months down the line, I'm pretty much healed although still with reduced mobility and some pain.

11 days ago I took a day off because I woke up with a killer migraine - nausea, visual disturbances, the works! Apparently a day off for a migraine is more important than a month off with a broken arm because I've just been informed that my absence means I have to have a meeting with the Head of Science this afternoon to fill in the return to work form.
Not entirely sure what this is meant to achieve. Sometimes I get migraines. Nothing the school, or I, can do is likely to change this fact. It's been this way for 20 years or more.
Sounds like an HR box-ticking exercise to me!

The rules apply to everyone

... except teachers, apparently!

Last term we were all asked to register our cars with the transport manager, who issued parking permits which we display above our tax disc. Yesterday we were reminded that there shouldn't be any cars parked on double yellow lines to ensure that traffic can move around the site easily.

I've just watched one of my physics teachers park on the double yellow line outside my prep room window, and he hasn't got a permit in his car.

Why am I not surprised?