If you're a manager, what do you honestly think of staff going off on mental health sickness?

Mental health is as important as physical health. That said I have had staff play the mental health card and brag to other colleagues that they are untouchable because they’ve gone on the sick for mental health. It’s hard to judge because sometimes the people who appear to be holding it together are the ones struggling the most so as long as they’ve put a sick paper in I tend to give them the benefit of doubt because it’s not my place to diagnose who’s genuine and who’s faking.

I view it the same as any other illness. If they need it they need it.

I agree with the pp who said that regardless of whether they think it is genuine, they say the right things, put the right support in place and go through the right processes. Privately, if I think they are milking any illness to get time off work, I will have a very dim view of them.

There are the staff that are grafters, good attitudes, take time off sick when they need it but keep you updated and seem genuinely keen to return when they are ready. Then you have those, that always have something of some sort, work feels like an inconvenience, like they are doing you a favour for turning up. The first group are the ones most likely to get loads of flex from me and when they need some last minute leave or an early finish or extra wfh day.

I think it very much depends on the person as a whole. I have experienced 2 extended periods of staff time off for mental health during my time as

A - had been with team for many years - polite, hard working, committed, positive, supportive of others, needed an extended time off of 3 months ish due to mental health and then a phased return. Was open with OH re process and needs. Due to knowing the type of person they were, I fully trusted them that if they were off then that absolutely were not well enough to be at work and fully supportive of them

B -joined team recently, had pattern of being off for a day or 2 a few times a month, very vague on detail, rude when asked to discuss absences with OH - stated this was too stressful and called OH nurse 'ableist' and 'racist' when asked to provide supporting information from their Dr. Turned out she was doing bank shifts for another organisation when off for us, but even without this, her pattern of ringing in sick regularly at short notice was very hard to plan for. It's much easier for us and better for staff member to take chunk of time off to get well and then return able to fulfill job role.

Mental illness covers a broad spectrum of areas. An employee may not be able to physically and mentally work their job at the point of being signed off.

I rely entirely on the professional opinion of the team treating the EE / signing them off sick, and the guidance and updates from OH. I’m not qualified to judge someone who’s off sick, so depend on the professionals and their opinion.
I can’t say everyone thinks like this, but we work to live, we shouldn’t live to work. Your health should always be the priority. And quite frankly, I’d rather you were off than in with poor mental health & struggling. It makes it harder on everyone. Show up when you can give 100%.

@TY78910 ypu CANNOT pop a paracetamol and get on with it for a migraine. That's a headache. Two completely different things.

I had a bereavement and although it was a difficult time in my life it wasn’t a trigger for mental health issues.

However after my first child I took some time out for stress. I was clinging onto my sanity by a thread at that point due to the fact that they never slept and I had no support system.

Mental health problems can be triggered for many reasons at any point in our lives: you could also be unlucky and suffer from a more long term and severe illness like bipolar or schizophrenia where there could be times that you need time off sick to deal with them.

How do you know what anyone is going through? Some people would literally be unable to work. Not all mental health illness is feeling a bit down

Not everybody deals with MH the same way you do. It really isn’t fair to tell someone to just be busy because that’s what works for you.

Yeah OP, someone better have died for you to be struggling with your mental health 🙄

Not just anyone either - your child or a CLOSE relative. Those are the rules.

Depends. I’ve had staff who are clearly unwell and have needed time off to recover and have engaged in all the help offered resulting in good recovery and return to work. These people tend to be great colleagues most of the time. I’ve also had staff completely unsuited to the work who had abysmal sick records with repeated single days off over months ( my favourite was the person who told me she wouldn’t be coming to work because she didn’t feel well rested!) and refused to engage in any help offered to them, including getting arsey when their patchy sick record is discussed from a genuine place of concern. They are the ones that then make it difficult for everyone else. They also tend to be the worst performing and poor colleagues most of the time when they are in work. The fact you are worrying about what your colleagues think OP makes me believe you are in the first category. I hope you are feeling better soon.

I don't really understand why being signed off helps. I'd rather be busy. Unless it's toxic work colleagues in which case you just need to get out and get a new job.

I had a serious mental health crisis a year or so ago. It was actually terrifying, had to be sedated for months, was in a constant state of uncontrollable panic attack and thought I would never recover. I had about six months off work. Literally the most terrifying thing that has ever happened to me

What a shame I didn't have more resilience 🙄

For sickness purposes it kind of is. Bereavement leave from work is usually a matter of days. There may be scope to extend that depending on the company/organisation but any lengthy period off would usually see someone signed off sick due to their MH.

There's a legal framework for sacking someone who is off sick to much including for MH issues or disability.
If your absence reaches a set level and all reasonable adjustments that can be made have been but you still cant do the role then you can be let go with no recourse.
If this is your 1st MH illness break or it lasts less than 6 months you really shouldn't have any concerns over your job, if you've had multiple or are ill for more than 6 months you should really be considering whether the role is right for you

The replies on here are depressing and the reason why, when I've been signed off twice before - once for only a week, and once for a month - I've asked the (NHS) doctor to tell a white lie on my sick note and medical record and call my illness viral fatigue and not what it is - anxiety.

I'm a manager and would always support someone with mental health issues, as I know how debilitating they can be, but don't feel its in my own interests to be honest about my own situation (and have been proven right by this thread).

I suppose you have yo take it on face value then. They might be telling the truth or lying just as the person with the flu might be.

@CarrotCrusader Ultimately any disability can in theory be managed out if that person after adjustments can’t do their job. I am coming from the other side as was a trade Union activist who was sent on an employment law course by my union.

I left because of actual piss takers that needed sacking, not illness I hasten to add they embarrassed themselves and the Union when management brought forth IT records that clearly showed up their total lies. I decided to step down after that incidence. She had lied to me about what she had done.

That is purely your own ignorance. Lets hope you aren't ever affected by a serious mental health condition.

Wow. I would say I am one of the most resilient people I know. I have experienced things as a child that no one should have to, and developed anorexia. I had a lengthy admission to hospital, got discharged and have had no further episodes of mental health sickness and am now solid in recovery.

You don't know what is happening in someone's personal life. I'm sure If someone quit working and claimed benefits then you'd have something to say too.

In relation to the post, I think as long as time off is used productively to get well then it's fine and people should support you. Don't rush back, make sure you're ready.

I totally agree.

For all kinds of sickness (physical / mental), I will do my best to accommodate one-time or short-term issues such as leave of absence or additional support to fulfill certain job functions. However, at the end as a manager, I need my team to get things done and be cost / time efficient. Frankly speaking I will evaluate all options if issues look to be persistent and affect team performance.

As the saying goes, it’s a team sport, not family - in my situation.

I see it as no different to a physical illness. many of us will suffer from a mental health issue at some point in our lives. Please don’t worry at all and take this time to feel better and recover.

What can be more frustrating is someone continually calling in ill when there is clearly a mental health issue going on but they are not dealing with it or maybe even not accepting it.

You'd need to give more context -

I work in a small company so any absence is a real problem, but if it's a short period of time off, in order to get proper treatment and the person then comes back and works with us on a plan so they can manage work - then I'd be as supportive as I possibly could be - and it's a lot better than letting it drag on with lots of little bits of time off

I have walked past a group of team in the break room (before I was a manager) who said something to the effect of ‘I’m a bit tired, I think it’s time for a little mental health day’. I was quite taken aback with the nonchalant view of the sickness policy which is very generous where I work. But it’s sort of this attitude that fuels the gossip and the scrutiny that then reflects on people that have real MH issues, and I hate that.