Quite right there VoR ... SSP should be paid as per the legal requirement..
If you don't have a company scheme, you'll be paid SSP by your employer (as long as you qualify). The current rate is £72.55 per week. SSP doesn't start until the fourth day that you're off sick, so you might not get paid anything for the first three days.
Now that can be harsh on a person who has now lost three days pay... and SSP is not exactly generous... so the employer should consider the implications - where a bit of generosity (say.. paying half wages) will not exactly break the bank, and make the employee feel they are 'cared' for.
Paying full sick pay.. is indeed an added extra, but once again , its not as if every employee falls sick on day one, then spends the rest of the time ill... costing loads, its only going to affect a few people for a few days.. a happy workforce that feels that IF they get sick, they are looked after, may be a more productive workforce. - Otherwise they may jsut crawl in to work and then everyone else gets ill... !
What would be an acceptable qualifying period? 3 months? and what about the old fave... 3 month contracts, then rehired for another 3 months? would a person qualify then..
good points to raise VoR
and here is the calculator for working it out
http://sspcalculator.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/SSP01.aspx
"No job worth doing was ever done on time or under budget.."
Khufu