To go off sick with stress when I can't really afford it?

[Wagtastic]

Just that.
Been I'm my job 15+ years. Dont really have much time off sick as a rule. Job is stressful and it is getting worse.

I've been off a month already as I've had covid plus 2 weeks annual leave. My anxiety has really shot through the roof. I really want to see the GP and get time off sick for stress. Probably till after Christmas.
I don't feel guilty about this one bit(as far as my job is concerned).

Only issue is financial. I get paid, but will lose lots of extra pay for overtime , which I rely on for Christmas. I have no savings.
DH does have savings and has said basically he will give me what I need/want.

Thing is I would need a LOT.

AIBU to want to have sick leave when I cant afford it?

I feel like going to with work will give me terrible stress.
But being skint will also give me stress!!!

How can you predict that you will feel tickety boo after Christmas?

All sounds a bit dodgy to me 🤔

Sorry you are feeling this way OP. @Overthebow you honestly can't see why someone might not be able to manage Xmas on their normal wage? You must be in a very comfortable situation then

The longer you take off the more difficult and less likely to return. If you do take time off suck, be prepared to job hunt. Assume it is something like health or care work where demand outstrips staff availability. However history of sick leave could affect future job prospects.

This isn’t ok really. If I was your GP and you said that you did not feel unwell but just found the job too stressful I would encourage you to speak to your employer. Reduce your hours permanent so they recruit more staff, let them know that systems need to change etc .
Ahve you spoken to your line manager?

Agreed as well. If you don't like your job change it. Nobody owes you a living - let your employer hire someone who won't sook. I can guarantee you will be very replacable.

Not trying to be rude but it sounds like you do rely on overtime for fun money because you are spending your core wage on repaying debt and suddenly at xmas that money goes on presents.

I mean this from a kind place... surely putting your fun money (overtime) into needless xmas presents etc will worsen your mental health? And interfere with your relationship? I've got to be honest, if i was your DH and you went off on stress and then wanted to spend our savings on xams presents I'd not be very happy about it - he may not be either of he is a saver or would prefer a pared back xmas.

And if overtime is just for fun money I think youd be better long term either drastically reducing it for more headspace or using the money to pay off debt faster so you can reduce you hours long term.

Honestly not having a pop at you but if you are thinking of stress leave then of course it's fine to support the family using family money...but your DH may have a different idea about xmas if it's all on his dime and there is only one wage coming in. Which is sensible if the plan is just for you to have time off with no plan to change the things causing the stress (the job itself, the hours). A breather might help. But it's like PP said, you're going back to the same job and circumstances, just poorer, and it will be like a big Monday morning.

I don't understand. If you work you have to do the overtime? Why can't you choose to just work your basic hours? It seems that you are giving yourself the choice of either working additional hours or not working at all.

I dont think anyone is pretending that most people dont go a bit mad but within their means.

I acknowledge that some people go into debt and there is a huge wealth disparity in the uk which sadly (and wrongly) means many people skip meals and cant afford the very basics.

But let's not pretend that that's the vast majority and that most of us dont have room to cut back or that it isnt a sensible idea to ask the OP if that's possible for her. It's a logical question and its unnecessary to take offence on OPs part from a reasonable question.

Honestly I think this would be madness. Going off sick because you can't face a busy period won't help in the medium term and all that you will achieve is spending savings that you don't have , pissed off your work and you'll be right back where you started in Jan ( only having cleared your husbands savings)

Exactly. Sorry OP but you need to find a new job or retrain, and you really need to sort out your finances.

I'm guessing OP works somewhere like the NHS which pays full sick pay for 6 months so there's no benefit to working your basic hours if your GP would just sign you off sick. It's a massive problem in the NHS as it's too easy for people to stay off, with no real incentive to come back until the sick pay starts to reduce. (For clarity, I'm not condoning this. The very opposite. The sick pay is a fabulous backup for colleagues who have been very ill, e.g. cancer, but it's open to abuse)

Complete abuse of sickness leave.

Your posts have made me irrationally cross!!!

I honestly don't know why I posted on here. I cant really expect a bunch of strangers who never take a day off arent the best people to ask! I have probably been too vague.

Sounds like I cant be arsed to go to work for a bit. Not true at all.
I have an excellent sick record. Worked relentlessly for well over a decade in my current role.
I am hard working, reliable and work way beyond my hours quite often.
As for staff picking up the slack while I'm off, this is frankly hilarious.
It's me that usually picks up the slack for every other sciver!

I am not ill no. In the physical sense. I've had covid but I've recovered. Before I went off sick with covid, I'd just about had it up to the back teeth with the work situation.
Being off has just made me feel like I cant face going back into all of that(for now).
Is it really that awful to take time out to get my head together, in job I will probably be in for the rest of my life. My company aren't loyal or caring towards me. I have to make what decision is best for me and my family.
I'm not going to end up one of those idiots who dedicate their life to work, put it before their families. Then drop down dead when they retire.

I'm not unique surely, in taking time off with stress?
In my workplace I can probably name at least half a dozen members of staff off at any one time on long-term sick leave with stress!!

I don't know what I will do. Being off won't help in the long-term, no.
Work would be supportive of a phased return. I could reduce my hours. Reduce overtime. Won't change the actual situation whilst I'm there nothing management or OH can do on that front. But by reducing my hours I could reduce the stress for definite.

As for whoever said that I'm replaceable and to give someone else the opportunity to do my job. Well I'm actually Pmsl at that. There are multiple vacancies already going that they CANNOT fill!!!!!

I expect they can't fill the vacancies due to people having to hold up people who decide they want a month off for fun.

You say that multiple people are off, well that just shows how many people take time off unnecessarily and abuse the system.

I feel so sorry for people who have to take genuine time off for real illnesses.

Either go back to work and stop whinging or get another job!!

Well, you need to come into my workplace then as you would be exploding with anger at the abuse of sick leave.
Funnily enough, I'm not one of those people.
I'd love to know what you do for a living?

Isn't stress a proper illness then? Or feeling overwhelmed with my current work situation?
Maybe I should just suck it up? Put myself at risk of total burn out?risk of stroke/ heart attack??
When I'm gone, no one I work with is going to look back at say "oh little trooper Wag, dedicated her life to her job!"

I'm an employer OP, I run my own small business.

I wouldn't employ you.

@fucketyfuckwit
I bet you would employ me. Nothing wrong with my CV. Never had time off before in 15 years.
And one episode of stress related sick would put you off?really?
If you are a small business,hopefully you treat your staff well and therefore they are not in my position.
On the other hand, you sound like a typical employer-not very understanding or sympathetic.

Like others I'm really confused.

If you are too ill, physically or mentally, then you are too ill to work. It's not a choice.

If you are too ill to do any sort of work at all then you should be off sick.

However, if it is that aspects of work are difficult and overwhelming then you should ask for a referral to occupational health to see what adjustments you need.

And secondly, no one needs presents or special food, they are a nice to have but if you can't afford them then you have to just not buy them.

My staff work incredibly hard for me and I treat them incredibly well.

By stubbornly staying in this job you are just setting yourself up for more problems and worse mental health.

Why not make a positive change to improve your mental health?

You seem to be your own worst enemy.

Well it's a choice if cant afford to go off sick!! Granted, if I was very ill,then I couldn't physically go to work.
But seriously, you can't understand that there are thousands of people who don't feel well enough to go to work but have to go when they are not quite right as they can't afford to lose pay?

If the NHS has a deal by which anyone can juist take 6 months of paid leave due to a non-defined illness like stress. Yes, stress exists but 6 months off staring at your navel is BS. No wonder its on its knees. Its not a money thing its a people taking the piss thing.

But you do get paid!!!!

You just don't get the overtime!

If you didn't get paid such sick pay would you still stay at home for Christmas?

Most people don't get such work benefits and it's people with your attitude that ruin it.

I don't know a single place or individual where people take time off as a choice.

A gp should only sign someone off if they are too ill to work, not just at their current job, but any job.

And you are still paid.

This is not a conversation about someone with flu dragging themselves into work because they can't afford to have a day off unpaid.