Will my doctor help me with some time off?

ferry

Apologies if this is in the wrong section.
I know how this might sound but I really feel I need some time off at the moment.
Basically ,my boss hasn’t been around and I’ve been trying to keep things moving at work, often working 6 day weeks and long hours during the week..
I do actually feel exhausted and have been having a few stomach issues which a few people have told me could be exhaustion related. Not sleeping well owing to not being able to wind down thinking about what schedule I have to meet the next day doesn’t help.
I’m constantly told I look tired too.
Lets face it no-one is going to give me a pat on the back and give me time off free of charge frp my hard work but could I make it official by seeing my doctor and asking to be signed for a while?
Thanks as usual for any advice

DS4215

It seems like if you go to the docs and complain of stress you will get a month off. A few people I've worked with have done that, but they do end up with a bad reputation - at least among co-workers.

Dunroamin

What's really shocking is that you might actually be able to do this!

Why not just take a couple of days' leave and have a good rest, with a clear conscience.

pmlindyloo

My advice would be to have a chat with your boss and see if he/she would allow you to take a couple of days since you have been working such long hours.

But, did you have to do these long hours or was it your own decision? Might make a difference to your boss' attitude if you chose to do it.

Have you any holiday accrued?

If your boss isn't the helpful type then perhaps you should just take a couple of days to catch up on your sleep and chill out. You needn't go to the doctor for that - you can just self certificate.

Difficult to advise since we don't know what job you do or all the circumstances.

You have to weigh up getting a reputation for having days off and looking after your health (no contest, in my opinion)

19lottie82

I'd be quite suprised if a doc would sign you off for a month, there and then (unless you were a quivering / sobbing wreck!). A week maybe.

I'd agree with Dunroamin tho, can you not take some annual leave? Then have a chat with your employers about how you're finding the increased workload a bit hard to take?

Getting signed off sick for stress should be a last resort. You don't really want to have that on your record unless you can relly help it.

fluffnutter

It's possible that a doctor will sign you off with work-related stress, but think carefully before you do this.

You're not actually resolving the situation, you're just temporarily removing yourself from it. All that will happen is you'll return to work to exactly the same stresses that were there before. They might even be worse, because you'll be out of the loop, work might have piled up, you might meet some unsympathetic responses from colleagues who've been picking up your workload in your absence.

Moreover, people who are longterm sick can rapidly develop worse psychological problems than they already face. Work and routine are important; without them people can become more isolated and fearful than if they continued working.

It's far better that you tackle your work problems. Who's acting in your boss's absence? Have you spoken to them about the fact you're overworked? Do you have an HR department? Enlist their support. And basically, learn to say 'no'. You don't have to carry the entire team because your boss is away. Why are you working 6 days a week? Stop doing it. You employer has a duty of care towards you, and MUST take your being unwell seriously. But they can't if you've not told anyone. If you keep accepting work and working long hours, how are they to know you're drowning? It's difficult to stick up for yourself, particularly if you've set precedents already by always being available but, trust me, it's far better to grow a pair of balls and start being realistic about what you are, and are not, prepared to do than to just go off sick for a month.

Tuesday_Tenor

>>> my boss hasn’t been around and I’ve been trying to keep things moving at work, often working 6 day weeks and long hours during the week..

THIS is what you need to address.
Why is your boss not around? What was the plan for covering the work in his/her absence? [None, it seems ...?]

I take it that you are now really doing 2 jobs; your own and your bosses.
Tell you boss, or his/her boss (if own boss not around) that you can't do all these extra hours. If you haven't agreed to all these extra hours, then stop working them. It is up to your boss(es) to work out what parts of his/her job and your job to re-organise to cope with the (temporary?) issue. It is their job to prioritise what gets done when there are fewer person-hours available, or to arrange some additional temporary cover.

You need a proper weekend to catch up on some rest.
If things are really bad then maybe you need a day off sick or to take a day's annual leave.
You need to work your normal hours next week to get your life back in balance from then on.

Yes, see your doctor if you have some health problems.
But don't expect being signed off by the doctor will solve the work problems; you need to deal with these at work.

JodyBPM

From what you've described to me, you don't sound unwell enough to be signed off sick? Do you think you are sick?

The stomach issues may need looking at, and its worth going to the GP to get those looked at, but being "exhausted" because you are working hard is pretty normal IMO as is struggling to wind down after a full-on day.

Whose responsiblity is it to schedule shifts at your work? And why are you working 6 long day weeks? Whilst that kind of work pattern is OK to sort out a short term issue or work peak, its not sustainable long term. You need to learn to manage your workload/ people's expections etc better so that its not part of your normal working week to work those hours. But I would expect that a normal, healthy person should be able to push themselves for a couple of months without any problems bar being a bit tired.

TBH, I think that its more important for you to have a chat with your employer about the amount of hours that you are doing, and how work could be distributed differently so that you are working a more "normal" week than it is to be rushing off to the doctor to try to get signed off. As an aside, if I was one of your colleagues, I would be quite unhappy about someone getting themselves signed off unless they were genuinely sick and leaving everyone in the lurch at what appears to be a very busy period at your workplace.

ferry

Thanks all for all the constructive advice-its appreciated.
Dont get me wrong -I never want to run away from my responsibilities or leave anyone in the lurch but just felt that I need a bit of a rest.

I hope this is only a temporary situation but will post back to you know how I get on.
Think having a 'chat' to the right people at work about workloads will certainly help....:)

Ferry

sassyblue

I'd advise either talking to your boss and explaining how bad you feel and asking for a few days off or taking a thursday and friday sick, along with the weekend would it be enough to recharge your batteries?

Not easy being a boss is it? If you have a nice one l'm hoping they will see your contribution and give you a couple of days off, paid but it depends on the size of the company if they can afford it. PLUS, whether you were asked/expected to do what you did while the boss wasn't there.

YORKSHIRELASS

I had really bad anxiety a few years ago - partly caused by work, partly by other circumstances. For 9 months I had really bad panic attacks, dizziness and blurred vision. I saw my GP very regularly during this time and even had an MRI scan to rule out rare complications like a brain tumour. My GP never once suggested I should be signed off work. I suppose it depends on your GP as I do know of people who seem to get signed off quite easily. In the end being at work was the best thing for me and I am glad I stuck it out as I would have never got my problems sorted.

Good luck with it.