Time off for Stress

ShaunJUK

I need some time off work for stress, I am on anti depressants and everything is getting on top of me at the moment, I need some time to get my life back on track.

How can I get a sick note for stress from my doctor? Also I am the sole provider for my family so there will be financial implications if I have time off, I have mortgage protection etc but will these pay out?

I have put it off for a long time now but it's beginning to affect my job and I dont wanna lose that.

Shaun

hjb123

Just go to your doctor and tell him how you feel! You arent the first to feel like this and wont be the last. There are lots of people that have felt like this and are in the same position, dont bottle it all up.

Dependent on your employment contract you should normally get paid for the time you are off sick for a certain lenght of time - it is worth checking your contract of employment.

Lady_E

In my experience part of the problem with stress is actually realising that you cannot cope with it . In my old job I had 5 weeks off with stress as a result of various different issues(predominantly not enough staff) and it gives you a chance to examine your life and decide if that is where you want to be in 5 yrs time. See the Dr , get a note from him/her and then submit to your line manager. I would also ask advice from your HR dept and your union rep about possible ramifications of having time off. Stress messes up your home life too , so dont feel guilty about taking time out . HTH

tee_pee_2

I returned to work 2 weeks ago after after being off sick, I didn't ask for a sick note, if your GP is worth his salt he will advise YOU to go off sick. I have no medical training and I can see from your post you are not well.

As far as money you should get sick pay from work but if not contact DSS to claim sick pay, citizen advice can help you, or ring welfare rights. There are people available to help you claim, if your incoem is SSP you can get help with rent. Don't carry on making yourself ill. make an appointement with GP ASAP and ask employer when you hand in sick note about what money you will receive for being off.

ohreally

Aside from medical issues, your employer has a duty of care towards employees under both the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, and The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. If your stress is caused by your employer then he must address this...so far as is reasonably practicable! They should provide a safe system of work. Does your employer have an occupational health department which you can be referred to? Are you a union member, if so enlist the support of your workplace rep and the H&S rep.

Sofa_Sogood

ShaunJUK wrote:

I need some time off work for stress, I am on anti depressants and everything is getting on top of me at the moment, I need some time to get my life back on track.

How can I get a sick note for stress from my doctor? Also I am the sole provider for my family so there will be financial implications if I have time off, I have mortgage protection etc but will these pay out?

I have put it off for a long time now but it's beginning to affect my job and I dont wanna lose that.

Shaun

Can you see the same doctor that prescribed the anti-depressants and ask them?

Don't try and soldier on without help. And don't do what I did years ago, which is leave a job because of stress and not claim sickness benefit. All I got was a visit from some department asking me how I could afford to live on nothing. At the time my parents were keeping me, but I was asked some remarkable, but interrogating questions.

Good luck and best wishes. x

ShaunJUK

Thanks for your help.

I am back at work tomorrow and face a full week ahead of me so no chance of getting to the Dr's.

Should I take monday off and go see him? How long am I likely to get off work?

My main concern is financial strain, would my income protection pay out?

My possible sources of income would be as follows:

Statutary Sick Pay
Company Sick Pay
Mortgage Income Protection (HSBC)

What would I get if any out of those and is there anything else I may have missed?

hjb123

Yeah when you think that you can get a doctors appointment take the day off! Assuming that you are able to you should get sick pay from your company - it all depends on your contract to be honest - when I was employed last, and as I had been with the company for between 4 and 5 years I was entitled to 18 weeks full pay, if I had been with them for over 5 years I would have been entitled to 26 weeks full pay. After the full pay ran out I was just entitled to SSP.

With regards the Mortgage Income Protection I am not sure what happens - you would have to contact your bank I would of thought

Dora_the_Explorer_5

ShaunJUK wrote:

Thanks for your help.

I am back at work tomorrow and face a full week ahead of me so no chance of getting to the Dr's.

Should I take monday off and go see him? How long am I likely to get off work?

My main concern is financial strain, would my income protection pay out?

My possible sources of income would be as follows:

Statutary Sick Pay
Company Sick Pay
Mortgage Income Protection (HSBC)

What would I get if any out of those and is there anything else I may have missed?

To be pragmatic, and I hope helpful.
If you are sick, you need a doctor immediately. If you're not so sick, you can fit it in with your work. Only you know how sick you are and which of these two courses of action is appropriate for you.
Phone the income protection insurance people - they will tell you if you will be covered or not.
Statutory sick pay is governed by a number of things, research the government's SSP website.
Company sick pay will be clearly laid out in your contract of employment.

flis21

I just wanted to post to support you. You are obviously going through a really bad time.

I have been signed off work with Stress / Anxiety and Depression since December. Dr signs me off for a month at a time, so I go in and see him every month and he gives me another cert. I am getting a lot better now, but having this time off was the best thing I could have done. It has given me a chance to reassess my whole life. I have decided I cannot go back to the way things were. I am going to look for a new job and I have made other changes in my life, like realising my family and friends and my health are more important to me than anything else, particularly money.

If you want to have a chat please contact me. I feel like I have been to hell, but I am on the road to recovery now. It is possible to get out of the other side of this, but you need to take time for you.

annie-c

Shaun, if you are unwell then ring in sick tomorrow and make an appointment to see your GP as soon as you can. You can legally self-certify your sickness for the first week. After that time you need to provide a sick note. Your doctor should see you within a week if you explain the circumstances. Once you have taken the step and made that phone call to work, you will probably feel an enormous sense of relief and the next step (ie going to the GP) will feel easier.

Take it one step at a time. Phone work on Monday and say something like 'I am not well and I need to see a GP'. If they ask what is wrong, say 'It is personal but I need to see a GP. I have an appointment on ... and I'll ring back straight away after to let you know how I got on'.

Try not to worry too much about what happens next, although that must feel hard right now. As others have said, being stressed and ill isn't wrong and it's a good thing to recognise that you are ill and get help. Your employer has a duty of care to you; you just have to make sure you keep them informed in the proper way and your job should be safe, assuming you have a proper contractual arrangement with your employer.

Just take one step at a time. You only get one life and at the moment you're not enjoying it very much - you need to take care of yourself and when you are feeling better you will be in a better position to get yourself back on your feet than if you carry on feeling the way you do right now. You have a family and a mortgage so you are clearly someone capable of managing responsibilities - and you will still be able manage them in future as long as you take care of yourself now.

Take care. Post back on here if you feel able to, and we'll all be glad to help.

Best wishes,

Annie