I got a sick note to go on holiday

[Marleymerm]

Last month I worked at least 40hrs of overtime when my boss kept asking me to "stay late" or "just come in a few hours at the weekend" as we had a deadline approaching. I worked it and wrote it all in my time sheet, I work in an office so we don't have clock ins or anything.

Anyway, I got paid last week and got nothing for my OT, I asked my boss who said he only asked me to stay to help, he never actually agreed to pay me for it and he was asking me to "help the company" like we all should be doing.

I thought about fighting it but people in my office are petty and those above me would probably make things difficult for me. So instead I got a sick note from my doctor for 6 weeks for stress and booked a holiday. I've been honest with my work that I've booked the holiday and said it's to help with my stress, now my boss is saying this is clearly out of spite and he'll be giving me a written warning. However if he does that he'd have to formally admit to not paying me OT. I do feel nervous after realising I actually get full pay when I thought I'd only get SSP and now I'm worried my boss is going to take it further.

A GP doesn't sign someone off for 6 weeks lightly. Go and rest @Marleymerm , when you feel a bit better start looking for a new job if you can
I think your boss and HR are on dodgy ground if they've previously paid you for ot. I personally would never had agreed to it under those circles, im sure many wouldn't
They rely this on in many places sadly

Rubbish!

She has a history of stress and the doctor signing her off for six weeks, is to get her out of his office and not see her again for a good while.

She got what she wanted, she's admitted she did it because she wasn't paid.

She doesn't even appear to be desperate for the money, so is stressed that her electricity or gas won't be paid.

She is clearly just pissed off (justifiably) she didn't get paid.

Mis use of GP time, lying, dishonesty, undermining the struggle to take mental health issues seriously, incompetence of dealing with employment matters in an adult professional way, exploitation of employment laws...

Big assumption that OP is guilty of all of this. It reads more like she has ongoing mental health issues she was already being treated for, and this happening at work pushed her over the proverbial edge. Doctors don’t give out six week sick notes as standard, he’s likely given her one because he believes there to be solid justification for it.

The boss clearly thought it was give and take - OP didn't.

yes, she gives and he takes.

DH was signed off for 8 weeks, initially, earlier this year. We had a 2 week holiday during that time. There was never a single question about this holiday, including from his workplace. I am really not sure your boss has a leg to stand on trying to dictate what you are doing whilst off ill with stress.

Two wrongs don't make a right. Your colleagues will be the ones most impacted by this, not your boss.

Find a better job and stop playing silly games.

Government department, that may explain the oddness

😂
stupid post in every possible way

What also strikes me as odd is that not getting paid for 40 hours overtime stresses you out... so you take time off, where you definitely won't get paid overtime, THEN BOOK A HOLIDAY. You can't be that 'stressed' about money, can you? Thank god you don't work with me. I'd struggle to speak to you again.

Did you do it?

I think you’ll find two negatives in fact does make a positive.😂

Yes it does 😂😂

YANBU to go on holiday during sick leave. Your GP must have seen it for themselves that you were under stress as 6 weeks is a lot. Or you did a great acting job on them - if so you should think of a career change!

YABU to not fight for overtime pay. So what if others gave their time for free - that is nothing to do with you. What have you got to lose? If you dont get the money then at least your boss will know not to screw you over again (and you look for another job). If you win, quids in.

Yes the boss has been unfair
But you've gone about this totally the wrong way.
Are you in a union? If not you need to join one

This is quite unusual and actually poor practice by a GP to sign someone with stress/anxiety/depression off for 8 weeks in the first instance.
Good practice would be to sign off for 2 or 3 weeks and then review by GP to see how you're feeling and offer any treatment necessary at this point.
GPs know that statistically the chances of a successful return to work start going down once people are off sick for more than 4 weeks.
Many people do end up off for longer but that shouldn't be decided at a 1st appointment and no review offered for 8 weeks. That's poor!

Oh FFS there are some nasty, judgemental people on this thread. Assumptions being made left, right and centre.

It matters not a jot how many hours someone else works. It's quite different to work more hours at a senior level and likely on higher pay. That kind of job and the salary that goes with it enable the person to pay for things that those of us on lesser salaries have to do ourselves.

If your expectation of working overtime is that you'll be paid for it or get time off in lieu then there is a reward for that overtime. To find out after the fact you've done out of the goodness of your heart and are knackered and feel a mug/fool then that impacts on your stress levels. It would impact on mine.

There are so many bootlickers on this thread its so gross.

And that’s putting it politely!

Yes, because being able to afford a holiday means that being ripped off wouldn’t cause you one iota of concern at all 🤨 as if money is the only thing someone can reasonably be stressed about.

Ha. I loke how you can totally see people who are used to toxic workplace and/or are even the reason for it

And I like how you can totally see how stress and mental health illness are not always believed and/or are the reason for it.

You haven't done anything wrong. Enjoy your holiday, and look for another job where you will be supported and appreciated. Life is too short and time is too precious to be treated that way.

Although i think that people are far too serious about work in my country, the US, the incredible lack of even a baseline normal work ethic that many posters here seem to have is really shocking. I am truly amazed at the idea that doctors would be handing out six months of time off for stress so easily, and that so many posters would excuse the OP for taking six weeks off for what is clearly revenge. It seems incredibly unsurprising in this light that the UK's economy is slipping behind India and other countries whose people have a reputation for actually working at their jobs. In a global economy, who would want British workers if this is what they are like?

Yup. Same country that coined duvet day likely.

You need to spend time the other side of the English Channel.

@PrincessNutella yes let's all work 16 hour days in sweat shops for 40p a day like people do in India. Let's boost corporate profits and make the British economy great again. Thank god we have employment laws here.

People please read it again.. she didn't spread it over the whole month she literally went in on her days of or stayed longer . Think like a whole Saturday and Sunday which could of been at home with family.hell yes I wouod do the same plus I would make sure I got legal advise to get me paid that extra hours.