Signed off, but should I still attend training course?

Firstwatch

Hello All,

I was signed off by my doctor this Monday just gone for a stress-related problem. Tomorrow I was due to attend the second part of a free training course run by the council from 10am to 4pm.
Can anyone see any problems with me attending the course? I don't see it as stressful if I am sitting in a class listening with other adults, and I don't want to have to rebook it and take more time off work when I get back to re-attend it, but does it conflict with my sick certificate in any way?

Errata

If the course is part of your job, your doctor has told you you're not fit to do your job at the moment.

Firstwatch

Thank you.Yes, the course is training specific to my job - should I just ring up and cancel and rebook it as the best course of action?

Takeaway_Addict

if its for work why do you have to rebook time off?

Firstwatch

Takeaway_Addict wrote: »

if its for work why do you have to rebook time off?

Because it's held during the working day in a council building, so I would have to take the day off work as a CPD request and I'm wondering how work would feel about authorising me to do this as a different kind of time away from my job.

LittleVoice

Though you have been signed off from work by your GP and the course is related to your work, the course is presumably not the same as doing the job which has perhaps caused you the stress. (It sounds as though that job may be related to being with non-adults or certainly in a different environment.)


I would therefore say it was not inappropriate for you to attend the training course.


Remember that the doctor's notes are now supposed to be "fit notes" and if it doesn't say you are not fit to attend any training, then I would suggest it's OK.

theoretica

Could you ask your line manager or HR how they would feel about you attending this while off? The thing you want to avoid is 'can't really be ill in that case' which will depend on how they view it and if they take the attitude it is different from the day job.

R_P_W

Firstwatch wrote: »

Hello All,

I was signed off by my doctor this Monday just gone for a stress-related problem. Tomorrow I was due to attend the second part of a free training course run by the council from 10am to 4pm.
Can anyone see any problems with me attending the course? I don't see it as stressful if I am sitting in a class listening with other adults, and I don't want to have to rebook it and take more time off work when I get back to re-attend it, but does it conflict with my sick certificate in any way?

I don't think you should go. You are either ill or you are not. Is your stress work related? Ex colleagues have mine have been signed off with stress, their are ones that literally were in such a bad way that they couldn't even leave the house! Then other colleagues that weren't really stressed, just having a challenging time at work.

Which one would you say you are? Not judging but if you considering going into work is it really that bad?

anamenottaken

R_P_W wrote: »

I don't think you should go. You are either ill or you are not. Is your stress work related? Ex colleagues have mine have been signed off with stress, their are ones that literally were in such a bad way that they couldn't even leave the house! Then other colleagues that weren't really stressed, just having a challenging time at work.

Which one would you say you are? Not judging but if you considering going into work is it really that bad?

The OP wasn't considering going into work. They were considering going to a different environment - it was simply that the content of the day had relevance to their working life, not that it was equivalent.