Holiday photos on Facebook whilst off sick

[TeaAndBrie]

Really interested to hear opinions on this one.
Staff member off long term sick (fully paid as local gov) due to mental health issues, signed off by GP for 4 months so far.
staff member is friends with manager on Facebook.
staff member has been uploading photos of holiday abroad on Facebook.
i would not expect someone who is on LTS for mental health reasons to never leave the house etc
Holiday photos seem a bit much though - especially when manager and other colleagues who can see these pics are having to pick up all of the work whilst he is away.
YABU - let them have their holiday, it’s good for them!
YANBU - let them have the holiday but would be better to have have pics on SM

This.

It just causes a ton of bad feeling and gossip. Yes amazing they’re on holiday for their mental help, BUT work colleagues are picking up the slack.

Holidays are sometimes exactly what is needed

And your post makes it very clear you're an absolute melon.

@Dominoeffecter

i’m not either. But I am a realist.

They r signed off as unfit to work not unfit to go on holiday, on holiday they could still be resting or whatever they need to do to keep well which they can’t do at work. A holiday might help their mental heath so although it might annoy you it’s really none of ur business

but are photos put on social media for your work colleagues to see really needed?

I’m doing so much better thank you @AlpacaMittens, I knew I shouldn’t have clicked on this thread and it does seem pointless to argue with some people’s deep seated biased views over mental health but if it makes just one person consider how they treat someone then it’s worth it. Thank you for your kindness

Posters saying check your company policies, it says you can’t do this while off sick, need to re read their own company policies

the policy will be there to protect the person who has been signed off sick. No they can’t take paid holiday when off sick as they are covered by sick pay. The holiday time and it's allowance needs to be cancelled and taken once the person has returned from sick leave

Silly of her to post it, but I guess a holiday would be helping someone’s mental health issues.

I think it’s bad but most of MN will say they are entitled to do it and what’s wrong with it etc. In reality most on the ground think it’s a bit of a p*ss take.

I think it’s fine to be off sick local government will have a generous sick policy and it’s fine to be out the house of course and even a holiday is fine but to boast on FB is a bridge too far for most in the real world - especially in this climate I feel as many feel at full capacity and empathy for mental health is on the wain as many think many are just using it as excuse.

So the fact they're actively sorting out their mental health is not acceptable because it affects yours in the process?

Let's make sure then that everyone is fucking miserable, so it's 'fair'.

Wow.

In an ideal world they’d be of reassurance to them.

If you are the manager you should be arranging long term cover for long term sickness. People with MH issues are often advised to go away. I’m really not sure what difference posting on SM or not makes to that, except to allow judgemental people to make inappropriate comments about it b

It's not really in good taste is it as the rest of team are pushed picking up the work. Fine going on holiday, but don't rub people's noses in it. Amazing how quickly they come back to work, when pay reduces to half. I would ask HR advice on how to deal with it.

Why? If the holiday was booked before they went off on sick leave, do you genuinely think they shouldn't go? If so, I think that's brazen of you.

Well thank fuck that it doesn't matter what you think, and it's up to GPs and HR to make those calls.

I think there’s holidays then there’s holidays. If off long term sick, taking a few days in a quiet cottage on the coast or in the countryside to get better is a good thing, a full on city break or ai type holiday i would class as inappropriate unless using annual leave accumulated just before returning to work. If I was well enough mentally to fly, deal with hotel buffets and dance the night away I can deal with work.

what I do find amazing is how people with excellent sick leave policies seem to need so much longer off … just pondering as my friend works whilst on fortnightly chemo…

I was off for 15 months. I went on holiday. It was in the days before social media and the main holiday was during the school holidays when I wouldn't have been at work anyway. If you honestly can't imagine how mental illness might cause long term absence from work I suspect there's little point in engaging with you.

Agree with this. Working on mental health looks like a lot of different things. You say you wouldn't expect someone not to leave the house, but ultimately that means you also can't dictate what they do when they leave the house.

If they were away on holiday with a stomach flu I'd question it, but long term mental health - I'd see a holiday as beneficial.

Ultimately you can take issue with it, create more stress in their life and likely delay their return to work thus putting more on your team and risking issues with unions etc. Or you take it that they're keeping busy and active and doing what they need to in order to reduce their stress and challenge themselves (and if you've been struggling with mh a holiday can absolutely feel like a challenge) and hope it encourages them back sooner.

The issue of work delegation within the team isn't the problem of the person who's off sick and it shouldn't be made to be their problem. I'd arrange a meeting with your team to discuss workloads and look at your budget to see if a temp cover can be brought in or if someone could be moved up to full time/ seconded from another team/project.

Really? Tbf they can be exhausting and stressful. The travel, the change in routine. Sometimes you come home and need a week off to recover.

If people have a holiday whilst off sick, knowing their colleagues are covering for them, they really should show a bit of tact and discretion and not post all over sm.

😞 It was actually my manager that I managed to confide in when I was suicidal, thankfully not everyone has run out of compassion.

You are implying she's taking the piss.

Maybe she is.
Maybe the holiday is a step closer to normality for her.
Maybe she didnt want to go but couldn't get out of it and is doing that thing of only putting "good" photos online. Maybe most of her time there she is barely functioning.
Maybe the phrase "a break will do you the world of good" is accurate.
Maybe now she is out of the situation causing her ill health she is feeling much better.

She shouldn't have been so blatant about it though as it is sure to rile up her colleagues.

Thank you.

Airports aren’t stressful to navigate! It’s all very straightforward.
And even if they were, it’s not the same as workplace stress is it?
If someone as off for over a month management should have secured cover so it didn’t impact anyone else n

Wow you really have fallen into the deepest pit of ignorance in existence.