Get signed off work?

Uncertain

PinkBatgirl wrote: »

I'd agree with you if I thought my health issues were just due to personal stress, but I have found my work to be very stressful as well, to the point where I'm dreading coming into work a lot of days and I'm on the verge of quitting when I have no other job to go to.

Well if the work situation is having this sort of effect on you then I think you should talk to your doctor again.

If he takes the view that a couple of weeks off sick plus your holiday is likely to help you recover then it may be the best thing to do. Make sure he understands that this will join on to holiday and that he will support you if the firm question this.

SarEl is right to warn of the possible employment risks of significant sick leave but this has to be balanced with the health risks.

Only you know if an extended break is likely to improve the situation or if you will have problems again after a week or two back.

If you are on the point of quiting without another job then you may as well give it a try.

SarEl

Uncertain wrote: »

Well if the work situation is having this sort of effect on you then I think you should talk to your doctor again.

If he takes the view that a couple of weeks off sick plus your holiday is likely to help you recover then it may be the best thing to do. Make sure he understands that this will join on to holiday and that he will support you if the firm question this.

SarEl is right to warn of the possible employment risks of significant sick leave but this has to be balanced with the health risks.

Only you know if an extended break is likely to improve the situation or if you will have problems again after a week or two back.

If you are on the point of quiting without another job then you may as well give it a try.

I agree. I would always suggest that if the work is making things bad then you must prioritise your health. But that doesn't change the fact that high sickness absence these days isn't good news - and often gets into references reinforcing the problem! The commute is really something that little can be done about, but if there are work issues you might try discussing this with the employer to see if anything can be done to help, even in the short term.

teabelly

I think unfortunately it comes down to a tough choice between your chosen career path and your health. If the work itself is causing you stress then it is time to reconsider whether it is worth sticking with it when it means having the life you do or whether choosing something local, even if nothing like what you imagined you'd be doing, would be better for now until the rest of your life sorts itself out.

The work isn't going to change while you're off sick. It will be back to the same and once you find out how much of a difference not being stressed makes, it is actually much, much harder to put up with as time away gives you clarity in how your work is affecting you. It may even be much worse as everything you were doing before will have piled higher while you have been away!

I don't see what else your employer can do. You only work 2 days a week. You won't move closer. They only other thing I can think of is that they change your work pattern to be over 3 days instead so you'd have less time in work on one go but the days wouldn't be as long as doing 2 full days (assuming that is what you do).

If you feel you need to quit with nothing else to go to then you need to put aside as much money as possible so you can survive without a job just in case it comes to that.

PinkBatgirl

Sorry, I obviously wasn't clear, I work 5 days a week, but 3 of them are in Norwich and 2 of them are in London, with the London days moving around each week. I think I'd be fine if I was only working 2 days a week!

viktory

It is quite clear that the OP is determined to go off sick - she is looking for support and advise on what, if any, action her employer will take. She is not interested in alternative solutions. Honestly, a nineteen day headache that is either not mentioned to the doctor or not treated is not that serious.

debtfreenewbie

hi, please try not to go off sick before your holiday.It is apparently illegal for an employer to pay you holiday pay if you have been off sick.

Uncertain

debtfreenewbie wrote: »

hi, please try not to go off sick before your holiday.It is apparently illegal for an employer to pay you holiday pay if you have been off sick.

No it is not - get you facts right!

You cannot be off sick and on leave at the same time, it is either one or the other.

However, if the doctor signs you off sick for two weeks and this if FOLLOWED by two weeks holiday that is not illegal.

PinkBatgirl

viktory wrote: »

It is quite clear that the OP is determined to go off sick - she is looking for support and advise on what, if any, action her employer will take. She is not interested in alternative solutions. Honestly, a nineteen day headache that is either not mentioned to the doctor or not treated is not that serious.

I haven't asked for any advise on what action my employer will take, that really isn't my concern, as I said, I'm getting to a point where I might quit my job without having another to go to, so if they have a problem with my being sick, that makes the decision for me and they haven't shown any signs of having a problem with it either.

When I saw the doctor, at the point the headache had been for the 7 day period between 2 migraines and I was mid the 2nd of those migraines at the time, neither I nor the doctor knew that the headache would still be there when that migraine finished and so it wasn't a 19 day headache at the time and I was seeing him about my migraines rather than about the chronic headache.

I'd like to see how well you cope in a stressful working environment with a chronic headache and then tell me that it's not that serious and all you care about is what action your employer will take.

I'm not in the slightest determined to go off sick, I'm highly likely not to as it's not in my nature, I've never asked to be signed off before and I feel like you have to be physically unable to be sat at your desk to be signed off like that, but with my boyfriend and my friends all telling me I should go to the docs and get signed off, I thought I'd find out what other people's opinions were and if people knew anything about the process of it.

teabelly

Ah. That makes more sense! If it is the same employer that employs you in both places ask them nicely if you can work in Norwich 4 or 5 days a week

Googlewhacker

Uncertain wrote: »

No it is not - get you facts right!

You cannot be off sick and on leave at the same time, it is either one or the other.

However, if the doctor signs you off sick for two weeks and this if FOLLOWED by two weeks holiday that is not illegal.

No but whether rightly or wrongly looks poor and as said only serves to cause more problems for the employee with absenteeism