Should people be entitled to divorce leave?

[mids2019]

I work in the NHS and obviously people split up/divorce during the course of their working lives. There seems to be some unwritten rule that if for instance a partner is discovered having an affair the person goes off work for 3-6 months with stress. I don't know if I'm reality the leave is for stress or just for the obvious depressive effects of a breakdown and the need to attend to a huge amount of life admin.

We get carers leave, maternity leave etc.but should we have policies on long term relationship break up leave simply to not have staff have to go through clinical diagnoses of stress and hence illness?. Just a thought because as I see it there are basically unwritten policy any way with these things.

Quite a lot of people lose their jobs during divorces due to the emotional trauma.

Would you want your child taught by teacher who had been forced to stay because of a policy?

Oh it irks me endlessly and I am deffo jeleous.
It started for me when my nurse neighbour started her 10-month maternity leave just as I was going back from my six-week stint (it was the 1990s)
I am currently surrounded by various public sector retirees (teacher, prison officers, police, NHS) all of who retired at 55 with seemingly no drop in standards of living.
We all pay for this, and no, it's not fair

Forced to stay??
You mean retire the same time as everyone else?

Yes, mental health leave. You go to the GP and they sigh you out sick leave due to stress. I manage the person so I know. It is also in our company policy.

No I mean forced to stay. There's a huge difference between staying to retirement age in a non customer facing office job for example than teaching a ten year old who punches you as a massively knackered teacher who desperately wants to retire and can't.

Just like I think those in physically demanding jobs should also be able to retire 'early'.

Perhaps my view is clouded by a teacher I knew who retired and then had a stroke 3 weeks later. They sadly didn't make it and never got the retirement they'd been so desperate for.

Just out of interest, how often do 10-year-olds punch teachers have any age?

And what difference does it make whether you’re being punched at 21 as a teacher or 61 as a teacher does it hurt more?

As are we all.
Why do you think teachers are a special case? There are plenty of shit jobs that don't command the perks, are there not?
The country can't afford to pay my neighbour to potter in her garden all day.

No because their are certain couples who break up multiple times a year and its the end of the world then their all loved up again a week later

I've explained things. If you can't be bothered to read it properly that's fine.

They're not getting "divorce leave", a doctor has deemed them too unwell to work.

It is amazing how much more that happens when there's a long sick pay period. Whether that's a good or a bad thing is a matter of opinion. E.g. Are people in other jobs having to work when they're not really well enough?

You'd be amazed how many teachers go through physical violence in the classroom. And no it doesn't hurt any less at 21 but at 60+ people often have more health conditions as well as bruise/break bones more easily.

Sorry have I missed something?
What have you explained over and above teachers should be allowed to retire early because their job can be difficult?
As can all jobs

And, as before, I suggest you read what I've already said.

I can't comprehend stuff like this.

I run a small, professional, business. I had a awful, traumatic, breakup and divorce, diagnosed with CPTSD, thought I was dying for 18 months, had to handle the house sale, and dcs in my own, no family support, ended up with shingles - chances of me taking any time off = zero! Didn't even take my holiday, because I needed the bloody money.

If you really need time off, you can be signed off for stress. As an employer, I totally support that, but as a blanket rule for divorce, crazy.

That would be sick leave.

Absolutely not some people would b off all the time with yoyo romances

If organisations did this there would be leave for everything !
If getting divorced makes someone ill then it’s sick leave surely and they use the appropriate sick leave policy.
For some people divorce is a relief and the start of a new beginning. Everyone is different and I guess it affects people in different ways.

Perhaps the guilty party should have to fund the sick leave. We as taxpayers should not be having to fund the consequences of those who cannot keep it in their trousers/jeans etc.

I don’t work in the NHS admittedly, but I have never come across anyone off sick with stress as a result of a relationship breakdown. Come to think it, I’ve never come across anyone being off sick for an extended period of time (over 1 week) for stress, and I work in a VERY stressful job.

Another provocative OP, @mids2019 ?

Anyway, as others have said - life is full of stresses. If a particular stress is making you too ill to work, then see a GP. Might be divorce, bereavement, sick child etc - there’s no point specifying a particular trigger.

No. Because people would massively take the pi*s. There is already far too much absenteeism in the NHS, without adding another excuse.

I work for local government and think this is exactly the problem. It’s easy to be off for weeks and weeks when you’re getting full pay for it. Put it to SSP and people would not be able to abuse it and come back much sooner.

No.

See also Education.