Signed off with anxiety – and feel like I’m being pushed out?

[AmyJahabee]

Hi all,

I’d really appreciate some opinions or experiences from anyone who has been signed off work due to stress and anxiety caused by work-related issues.

I’m currently off sick with anxiety, which has been triggered by ongoing problems with another manager at work. Unfortunately, my own manager hasn’t been very supportive, which has made the situation feel even more overwhelming. It’s got to the point where my GP felt I needed some time off.

I’m actively looking for another job because I don’t feel I can return to the same situation long term. However, I am also applying for other roles internally within the company.

What I’m really worried about is whether having anxiety/stress on my sickness record could affect future job applications – either internally or externally.

• Has anyone found that being signed off with anxiety impacted their chances when applying for other roles within the same company?
• Do future employers ever find out the reason for sickness absence?
• Did it come up in references, and if so, how was it handled?

I’m also starting to worry about whether companies sometimes try to push people out after they’ve been signed off with stress. Has anyone experienced being treated differently, managed more harshly, or feeling like they were being edged out after taking time off for mental health reasons?

I’m feeling quite anxious about the long-term impact of this, on top of everything else, so hearing other people’s experiences would really help.

Thank you

Employers are not currently allowed to ask for absence statistics until after a conditional offer of appointment has been made. Many dont ask for this thereafter. Your employer can not release reasons for absence without your permission (it's confidential information).

Honestly, we happily wave people off internally. It’s a massive organisation though .

Where I am is a huge company. The ones that I know of that have been off with stress/anxiety have always had a “round of redundancies” with their name included.

Do you have an Occ Health department that you could speak to about redeployment?

How long have you been off for?

How long have you been off for? Have you been offered to occ health?

unfortunately in my experience you’re usually managed out/settlement or redundancy.

You don’t have to disclose any medical information about to employers

your current employer can share how many sick days but not why

a new employer could ask you to give a reason for why you were off but you can decline to answer

Thank you everyone for your responses. I’ve only been off for six days so far, but I’ve decided to extend my leave to one month. I feel that taking this time will help me recover mentally and allow me to better focus and cope with the bullying at work. I’m not expecting the situation or the individual involved to change — I just need some time away from what has become an intense environment.

I’ve been with the company for 10 years and would ideally like to move to another department rather than leave altogether. As a single parent who is solely responsible for supporting my children financially, leaving the company isn’t something I want to do.

On my sick note, my GP has simply written “unwell” because I’m concerned about stigma and potential job security. However, I have previously informed my manager that I’ve been feeling stressed due to the bullying.