Under a trial scheme, employees will not be paid for the first three days they take off sick. After this time they will be able to claim sick pay but will not be compensated for the previous days.
The supermarket has stressed that the scheme was not designed to penalise worker who are really ill. A store spokesman said: “We are looking at what we can do to reduce unplanned absence, which is a real problem because it has a knock-on effect on staff and customers. If someone needs to take their son to the dentist, we will bend over backwards to take that into account in a planned way.”
The scheme, which is being tested in 20 stores, will reward staff who do not take time off sick with three days’ extra holiday. Staff at stores not involved in the trial will continue to receive sick pay from the first day of absence provided they have been employed for more than six months.
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