Took a sick day as I'm burnt out

[Henrietta1000]

I work between 44-50 hours a week which I know isn't even as much as some people on here must do, however working 6 days a week is draining.
I have no children so I know it could be worse, but I'm fed up. So I've called in sick today, luckily my last sick day was a year ago and it's not a job where they'll be short staffed.
I'm in the Civil Service as an AO. Whilst I enjoy the role, an AO salary is not great for a person living alone..I've applied for 3 EO roles but have come to understand how unbelievably slow they are. I sent 2 of my applications 3 months ago and still waiting to hear if I have an interview!
So I've currently got a second weekend/evening job. There's no guaranteed overtime in my civil service role, it used to be unlimited now it's capped.

I'm a qualified teacher, but gave up trying to get a job. I'm in languages, was turning up to interviews with 5 others and failing every time, got put on a support plan in one so resigned, or just not getting interviews. So I did supply, which was fine and paid better but I wanted something permanent and stable.

Please do not tell me it's worth it because of the pension, when you have a low salary and are quite young, you're obviously not going to put up with that for 30 years!
I've had a very productive day so far, cleaning my home and tidying, also just catching up on TV.
It's hard sometimes! I went to a hen the other week and all of my schoolfriends are now band 7 or 8 NHS, manager of xyz, and I'm in an entry level admin job despite going to uni.
6 days a week isn't sustainable much longer!
It's not even an AIBU, just a rant. Even EO roles are very competitive, I'm so fed up.

Why?

If you work in the public sector you have to. Can’t remember why

It is in case of conflict of interest.

I feel sorry for her colleagues who more than likely have to pick her slack for no extra pay.

I feel you on the burnout. I once had a lower paid role in the council and lasted 2 years. It was the usual - understaffed, overworked & underpaid.
They had a restructure just before I started & the role ended up being a bit different to what I had applied for.
I didn't take any 'duvet' days due to the impact it would have had on the other members of the team. We couldn't keep up with our own work let alone take on someone else's. You would go on hols and everything would be piled up on your return. You get that somewhat in every job but this was to the extreme.
To top it off the responsibilities I had fell into the higher pay band but they would only pay me the lower.
I enjoyed the interaction with the public & the day went quick but the pay situation & understaffing got to be a piss take so I left & moved back to the private sector & now work from home for a a small business.
Pay & stress levels are a lot better but the benefits are crap.
It is literally the legal minimum for everything (20 days hols, auto enrolment pension with min contributions & no sick pay)
I make additional pension contributions to make sure that my pot is still building at a reasonable pace & I am rarely sick.
I don't regret leaving the council at all but do wish that my job was a bit more challenging.

I really don't think one sick day off in a year is going to make a difference at your work. I usually take one off a year, some people I know take a day off every other month!
Enjoy the day off and start again tomorrow.

Someone got out of the wrong side of the bed today.

Wow that’s nasty! Does she not deserve a day off?!

But you're not off because you're sick. You took a day off to clean your house and watch tv.
Burnout is a very different thing.

You can feel burned out from work and still watch tv in the background.. do a bit of cleaning surely?! that stuff takes little to no mental energy.

She doesn't get paid sick so I don't see what the big deal is.
It would be different if she did it often or her colleagues had to put a lot of extra effort in to pick up the slack.
But it sounds like this was a once in a year thing.
Where I work we don't get paid sick.
I do admit some colleague really take the piss & have days off every month & this does put a strain on the others working there.

In my industry people used to take year-long sabbaticals. There was better work-life balance. That's all gone now. Now, people have been let go and we are expected to do the jobs of two or three people for the same pay, so that the shareholders can buy a second holiday home. Many in my department have raised concerns about burnout and been shut down. We realise now that they don't care if we work ourselves to death.

So I take mental health days for myself. My line manager does too! I'm not killing myself to make someone else rich. I put in an honest day's work every day I'm there and often go above and beyond to help my team members. Of course I'm going to work towards helping my company do well and turn a profit and be successful. But not at the expense of my health and wellbeing.

I'm sorry I don't have advice for your other career-direction questions. I just wanted to say that it's good you're allowing yourself to rest to deal with your burnout. People don't want to admit that most employers these days don't care about us in that way. We are numbers and resources to them. So it's up to us to protect our physical and mental health, while still adding value to the company.

@Henrietta1000 as soon as I saw your op I knew there would be a pile on from many people harshly judging you, there are pointless replies showing limited empathy. I used to work for the CS and many people hammered the sick leave, back in the day before things were tightened up people would openly admit they had a hangover. You weren't paid for it. You should be entitled to some leave though.

Admit to anything wrong on MN and trolls, people with limited empathy and those just feeling unhappy will vent. You need a thick skin!

The job market is tough; can you get coaching for EO applications? I know my ds got nowhere with them. Good luck, something more suitable will come up. AO work can be very mundane; probably you have the less interesting more routine work as you're a temp. Can you apply for a more permanent role as an AO as a starting point with the CS? If that's what you want;seems a shame to not use your language skills though.

She’s not sick! In her own words she is “fed up” and “burnt out”. I’ve never taken a day off because I felt like that, and I have run the gauntlet of shit retail jobs, call centres, insurance… and I was also a corporate lawyer for 8 years. Plenty of feeling fed up.

😅

I don't see an issue with a mental health day. It won't impact your chance of promotion unless it becomes a regular thing. Your mental health is important and if it takes a day or so to feel more able to cope then so be it. Ignore the people saying you shouldn't have a second job, they probably aren't paid only fractionally above min wage. Call centre work was one of the most soul destroying stressful jobs I've ever done.

AO jobs can be the most stressful micro-managed positions. If you have a degree I would widen the net to include HEO positions, graduates often enter at this grade and whilst it's not that common, I don't think there's an issue skipping a grade if you meet the essential criteria. You mentioned using STAR and having help with personal statements but are you also using Success Profiles, if not I'd take a look.

If she doesn't get paid sick why not take a few days paid leave? It doesn't make sense to do it this way.

I thought the sector was crying out for teachers? Did you only consider teaching jobs in a specific geographical area because of the mortgage and partner? What about inner city schools which traditionally struggle to recruit?
I get you want to vent but sometimes the best advice strangers can give you is the tough love kind
leave the job if it pays crap. Go back into teaching and lower your standards?

I get so tired of this competitive martyrdom. Go away.

Take the day off OP and enjoy it. It sounds like you need some time to evaluate what you want as well.

I think you took the day off because you're fed up. It is only a distinction, I know, but it may have staved off some of the more virulent responses. Burn out doesn't mean getting up and doing all your chores. It generally means being overwhelmed by stress and hiding under the duvet or similar and wishing the world would bloody well stop. That's the shape of burnout - a total collapse of energy and purpose. Nor does one day banish it - a day barely touches the sides. Burnout is not a bit fed up - it is what happens when stress has overwhelmed the brain.

Really, given that you're an agency worker with no sick pay, what you've done is take a day to yourself at very short notice. And you've done this because you aren't happy with your employers.

But is it your employers who suffer for this day? Not really - they aren't even paying you. Which of your colleagues will have been affected by you not being there? Scheduled time off is far less disruptive to colleagues than days like these. You might despise your organisation or the set-up, but it's your colleagues that actually suffer. So you should put these into the diary as days off if you find them beneficial. You'll still get the benefit of being super-productive and not at work, but with nothing falling to other people that they don't expect.

She might not get that either. When I was a temp I had to work for ages to accrue any holiday as it was done on an hours per week basis.

I don't know why anyone has voted yabu sometimes you just need the day. I hope you're feeling better for it.

Too burnt out to go to work. But can manage to party and give your house a good clean. Hmmmm.

can you do some aptitude tests to focus on what you are good at and what may interest you. Then perhaps invest some time looking at sites which can let you know the kind of roles which are out there I’m sorry I can’t think of any off the top of my head but I know they exist. It’s really positive that you have identified that you are not willing to drift along. There are definitely steps you can take to change your working life

“I am entitled to take a day if I feel I need it”

What, in your employer’s time? You complain about lack of overtime, then take a day off because of “burnout” - so which is it? Maybe give up your second job and concentrate on job hunting - you’re clearly not happy in your current role, and if you got a better job, you wouldn’t need a second evening/weekend position.

What do you want her to do carry on until shes actually burnt out and then be off for 6 months the poor woman hasnt had a sick day for a year we all need a break and a reset sometimes.