Being signed off work for MH problems?

[DailyMailReadersAreThick]

I'm barely coping with stress and anxiety caused by my work/manager, and I feel like I need a proper break from work before I tip over the brink into not coping.

But the thought of asking to be signed off fills me with just as much anxiety and stress. I worry that the GP will think I'm workshy and refuse. I worry that if I did get signed off, I would sit at home and worry about everybody at work gossiping and thinking I'm workshy.

It really feels like a rock and a hard place. I'd love to hear honest experiences of trying to/actually being signed off. What was the process - did you just tell your GP you weren't coping? How long were you signed off for? How did your manager react? Did it actually help?

My main concern is that the company would react badly and try to get rid of me. I've only been there a year. I'm a carer for my mother, who lives with me, and I'm the sole breadwinner. I can't afford to lose my job (or to be on SSP, but that's another bridge to cross!)

I'm sorry this is so rambly. I just need to hear from people who've been in the same situation. Thank you.

Go to your GP, tell them exactly how work is making you feel. A week or 2 off will help you to reset and to go back to it with a clear head.

Do you have a HR department at work you could talk to? Is it an issue specifically with your manager? If you are off for a few weeks will somebody cover your share or will everything pile up for when you return?

Thanks Mummy. I took annual leave this week but spent all of it ill - stress shoots my immune system to pieces. I don't have much AL left now.

We do have a HR department as well as occupational health, but I'm nervous of talking to them. I've only worked for the company a year, and I'm worried they will try to get rid of me if I say I'm not coping.

Work won't pile up if I'm away, thankfully.

The issue is both the manager and the work. I'm in a specialist field but there isn't enough work for my actual job at the moment, so I've been seconded into another team I have no interest in and which involves my worst nightmare - cold calling. Shudder. I was given no choice in this and another colleague in the same position who's fought it hard has got nowhere. She spends much of her time at work in tears and the powers that be don''t care - they want to pretend everything is lovely.

It's all a mess. I'm so unhappy, and my job search is going nowhere, and I'm starting to panic about how long I have to try to cope for.

I went through occupational health whilst still in probation for my current job, so there would have been grounds for them to let me go. There were really supportive.

Have you made a GP appointment? As it’s a specific aspect of your job that is causing you stress i would think think that your GP to Write a letter stating that the cold calling is what’s causing you issues.

Your plan of action:

• see GP, get signed off
• request a meeting with occupy health
• when occy health ask you about any aspects of your job role that make you unwell / if there are any adjustments they can make then talk about the cold calling. I assume it’s not in your original job description?

-occy health will then relay this back to HR

You can do this