Leave due to stress affect future chances?

SarEl

Summerweather wrote: »

Hi, thanks for your responses, which have been helpful and give me a lot to think about.

Yes, I do work for the public sector, a small organisation attached to an RDA. Like others here I don't want to go into a lot of detail because I don't want to be identifiable. However, it's very small and there is no HR - things are expected to be managed by one's line manager.

I have raised concerns about these issues and have been told they would be dealt with and they aren't. I know that the board of directors has concerns about the very high turnover in the company - we've had nine people leave in the last two years and there's just a staff of 14!

I don't take this decision lightly at all and thoroughly understand what the job market is like out there. That's why I am so concerned. Equally, I am concerned about how I feel and some of my behaviour (forgetfulness, apathy) and realise I need to look after myself. I'm not sure that dealing with full blown depression or some kind of breakdown would look good to a future employer either.

Ah well. Problem solved. Stop working so hard and treat it as a job and nothing more. Because in the very near future it won't even be a job, since the RDA's are being closed down. Do an impression of a duck (as in "water off of") and concentrate all your energies on getting out before you are kicked out. That is what everyone else is doing! Work your hours, and in your off duty time concentrate on setting yourself escape route targets, like "find a job a week to apply for". And no, I am not being whimsical. Your future is already set in tablets of stone, and everyone who can get out is getting out while they can.

elsien

Whether it affects your employment chances I think will depend on whether you can validate your experience to prospective new employers without sounding like you have a chip on your shoulder, or got "poor me" syndrome - I'm not for a minute suggesting that you have, but when explaining the situation you have to fall over yourself to sound impartial and not bring personalities into it. And to convince them that any illness is directly related to the particular situation you were in, that you have learned any lessons and that you won't go off sick with stress in your new position.
My situation happened a number of years ago, so may be less relevant than in todays job market, but I wanted to show you it's not necessarily all doom and gloom. I was promoted without being given the training I needed to do the job and was out of my depth. I managed for 3 years then went off sick with stress related depression. My boss gave me the option (while I was still off sick) of taking time off then going back into the same situation, or being demoted. I accepted demotion as my confidence at that point was non-existent. After a couple of years we were then taken over by another organisation, and I applied forthe managerial role again. At interview I was able to explain the situation and demonstrate that my training and coping strategies were much improved, I was given the post and have been doing it with no further problems ever since.
Do you think how you are feeling is all job-related, or may there be other things you need to think about as well? In my case my work/life balance was all work and no life, but it took counselling through my GP to give me the confidence to do something about it. I now refuse to give work my mobile number, and I have caller display on my home phone so that I can choose not to answer if I'm on a day off. I'm not paid enough to be on call 24/7!
The other thing that comes to mind is have you had a recent appraisal - that might give you the opportunity to address some of the issues that are difficult for you, such as the other staff expecting you to be able to help them at little or no notice?
Whatever you decide to do, you need to give yourself a bit of time and space. No job is worth getting ill over. Good luck.

Summerweather

SarEl wrote: »

Ah well. Problem solved. Stop working so hard and treat it as a job and nothing more. Because in the very near future it won't even be a job, since the RDA's are being closed down. Do an impression of a duck (as in "water off of") and concentrate all your energies on getting out before you are kicked out. That is what everyone else is doing! Work your hours, and in your off duty time concentrate on setting yourself escape route targets, like "find a job a week to apply for". And no, I am not being whimsical. Your future is already set in tablets of stone, and everyone who can get out is getting out while they can.

This isn't the case. The removal of the RDAs mean that smaller organisations like ours will get funding directly from the central goverment or local enterprise partnerships.

No, I haven't had an appraisal - ever. I suspect I am viewed as someone who knows what to do, gets on with the job and can pretty well self manage. I think the reality is that the situation is not going to change. The fact that there is someone there on more than £30K getting away with doing very little speaks volumes. It's obviouus to even our work experience student!

This evening I feel like the thing to do is to get well and focus on a finding a new job and, if I do take time off, to attribute it to grief, given that my mother's estate has only recently been settled. I experienced a bit of a loss of confidence last summer and it's quite overwhelming. I think I am coming to a decision where I would rather get well and take the risk of having to explain it if and when I do leave.

dismayed2

SarEl wrote: »

Quite right - it is common these days. But it won't be from 1st October because it will be illegal!!! After that date, it is more likely that OH assessments will be used as part of recruitment processes, and certain things act as flags on OH assessments. Stress is one of them. So the changes are not a get out of jail free card for sickness absence - but assessments for recruitment purposes must be based on medical grounds, not unqualified assumptions, or employers could be facing new claims over recruitment processes being discriminatory or unfair.

SarEl - I wonder if you could point me in the direction of the legislation changes on October 1st? I have just left the public sector and am worried about trying to explain 6 months off sick with stress because of my bullying boss. My boss (bully) even wrote to OH claiming I had tried to commit suicide. I did not & my GP of 20yrs would vouch for that. Thanks.

dismayed2

dismayed2 wrote: »

SarEl - I wonder if you could point me in the direction of the legislation changes on October 1st? I have just left the public sector and am worried about trying to explain 6 months off sick with stress because of my bullying boss. My boss (bully) even wrote to OH claiming I had tried to commit suicide. I did not & my GP of 20yrs would vouch for that. Thanks.

Arggghh! Just found it it: Single Equality Act. Now need to brush on how it will work in practice.

bristol_pilot

This is probably a good thing. When recruiting people I'm a bit fed up of HR deselecting potential good candidates because they had a couple of days off for a cold 18 months previously. But this is not a get-out-of-jail-free card for people who have been off for months with 'stress'. All that will happen is that the question re. days off sick will be asked of the succesful candidate at the job offer stage and the job offer withdrawn.