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

Please don't minimise and sneer at the experience of others, I've witnessed first had a friend's serious mh struggles and packing for a hol was nowhere near her to do list.

Fine go on holiday but do it discreetly aware of how your collegeus will feel while they're probably stressed and coping with their own wellbeing issues.

I think maybe you need to reevaluate your holidays. You may be doing the wrong things. No. Packing, planning and organising a holiday aren’t stressful. I mean, they might be if you were planning an overland treck to somewhere so remote there were no services, but to a hotel? Not even remotely.

Doesn’t mean it shouldn’t. Why are you so happy to accept low standards? Do you think this may be a reason for some colleagues going off sick?

Might be advised by doctors to get out etc when you are depressed, but fgs, get some self awareness. It’s very insensitive to post holiday pictures all over social media when your colleagues are picking up the slack. We had someone who used to be off sick with depression every summer, when we’d see pictures of her at her caravan with her grandchildren. Was skiving in plain sight…..

Insensitive at best for them to post the pictures.

Maybe you get the ‘sensitivity’ you give.

Yes. But do you think that’s because the length of time you get full pay has in some way been worked out so that most illnesses recover by the end of it?

They would still be on holiday and "skiving" with no pics on SM.

Don't be FB friends with colleagues. It blurs too many lines and causes too many issues.

Good for you that you don’t find it stressful. But a lot of people do..🙄

I don’t understand this point? I sincerely hope that there aren’t any teams in the government where someone can go off sick and it not impact others work. It would be very inefficient to have people sitting around, ready to cover sick leave

Mental health issues are all tremendously different
Like with physical health issues ,just because you know one doesn't mean you know everything

When I was seriously dangerously suicidal I continued coping in every other respect. There are photos of me smiling and playing with my happy, well fed well cared for children. Yet the psychologist and psychiatrist caring for me knew just how unwell I was.

That doesn't make me more impressive than someone who fell apart practically. It did mean I was in a terrible mental hole by the time I got help because it took a long time for GPs to believe how unwell I was

I was recommended by GP and had the ok from work to go on holiday when I was off with bereavement depression. I didn’t tell all my colleagues. Yabu

Don’t you dare try and deflect your shitty attitude and opinions on to me, I’m sneering at you and your half baked opinions not your friend, that is clear to anyone.

I don’t care how they do it. But it’s their job to manage the load.

I went on holiday (well, staycation) when I lost my son and was on the verge of psychosis. It helped.
I'm now a manager and my manager at that time is now my manager again as he was promoted. He's amazing and very caring. I also wouldn't judge any of my direct reports for going on holiday while they have poor mental health. Your life is no picnic when you're dealing with shit mental health and sometimes a little getaway helps to remind you there's a big world out there and something to live for.

Exactly the same here 💐 I was so deeply buried in it that the crisis team, the gp and the psychology dept couldn’t believe I hadn’t come up on their radar before, I didn’t need the occupational health part of the service but I would never sneer at someone who did.

Clearly, but we would be oblivious to it. However, I no longer use Facebook, but others in the office do, and usually make sure we all know.

💐💕

Recently had an employee return from LTS as couldn't afford to go to half pay, but she said her MH issues had not improved. It's a difficult one to manage. Team pick up the work, told by senior management no budget to cover. Some people on the team more judgemental than others.

No that was for the sea air, Victorian cities were choked with coal smoke.

Maybe the person the OP is about doesn’t? I mean…I struggle to see how getting an agent to book a holiday, shoving some clothes in a bag and getting to the airport is on a par with actual stressful situations, or the relentlessness of work place stress.

Well please dont sneer at me either, we are all sharing our opinions and most managing to do so politely. Most with mh issues can just about get through a normal day if they have the right support, something massively out of their comfort zone will just be too overwhelming for most.

I accept there may be exceptions to this but I think we can all agree it does not look great to be posting pics from far flung destinations

Holidays are a main focus in life for me, I like to always have one booked (no mental health issues here though), so I can see why they went on holiday - I probably wouldn’t have put it all over social media though!

No, you get someone in to cover. Or the manager takes a bit more.

Maybe posting on SM isn't the best idea in the world but if they have a sick note from doctor saying they can't work they are covered i guess