What is acceptable when on sickness leave?

[CoShirker]

Co worker of mine has been on long term sick, retail job, she's a manager.

It's no secret that she's off with stress but apparently not work related.

She's been to the hairdressers next door several times, on holiday twice, to the local pub opposite at least twice a week, walks her dog daily etc.

I know this is no business of mine, but I feel a bit resentful that she's on fully paid leave.
I find it a bit

Can you just go about your business normally and flaunt your presence in the town if you're off sick?

Please don't flame me, I don't intend to cause any trouble for her, I just don't want to talk to my other Co-workers about how I feel.

Thank you

[CoShirker]

@HSKNT I don't know, you tell me

[CrazyKittenSmile]

When I was signed off due to mental health my boss actively encouraged me to take a holiday and to take the time off just to focus on myself. I didn’t want to be signed off and I felt terribly guilty about it but I did use that time off to catch up with friends over coffee and have the odd day out etc. Sitting at home all day is the worst thing for my anxiety so I had to keep myself busy as best as I could as otherwise without the routine of work I was in danger of my thoughts spiralling.

[CoShirker]

@chinateapot thank you, very useful to know

[YesQueen]

It's all fine. I was off post spinal surgery and was doing lots of walking, going out for a coffee, in the gym etc
What people didn't see was I wasn't allowed to sit for more than 45 mins at a time, was unable to lift anything or bend or twist and had an 8-10 week recovery

[CoShirker]

@CrazyKittenSmile thank you, I hope you're feeling much better

[gamerwidow]

Can you just go about your business normally and flaunt your presence in the town if you're off sick?
No you have to hide in doors with the curtains closed at all times.

[CoShirker]

@YesQueen thank you, hope you're fully recovered now, that sounds painful.

[CoShirker]

@gamerwidow great, I'll tell my temp boss that

[gamerwidow]

Fab tell her your a nosy cow with too much time on your hands too while your at it HTH

[CoShirker]

@gamerwidow

[WhiteLightTrainWreck]

I find when it's stress, daily life helps.
I was signed off for 2 weeks, I went into the office and I spoke to my manager about it, she advised me to go swimming, walking, shopping, do stuff that wasn't work related (it was work related stress I was off with) because that is so much better than being shut up in the house brewing.

Tbh though, she'll have been seen by other people and it really is no one else's business how she copes and recovers.

[CoShirker]

@WhiteLightTrainWreck thank you, Saturday is our busiest day and there were a couple of moans yesterday about the fact she's not once been into the shop to see anyone. She posts the sick forms through the letterbox when we are closed.

I'm trying not to get swept up in any unpleasantness, genuinely just wanted to know what's acceptable.

I'm obviously not in a management position, I was alarmed to hear my temp manager call her a 'piss taker' yesterday and I think it clouded my judgment

[chinateapot]

You’re welcome! I’m a GP and this is exactly the sort of thing I’d advise a patient to do (especially the dog walking, highly therapeutic).
Trouble is if your mental health is not great and you are off work sick and just staying at home you become isolated and never do anything you enjoy which can just lead to a vicious circle of things getting worse.
I can see how this can be hard to understand from the outside though, especially if others are having a tough time at work.

[WhiteLightTrainWreck]

@CoShirker oh bless her, maybe it's embarrassment that's stopping her from coming in and just dropping while shut, especially if the temp manager is passing comment like that?

I get the not wanting to get swept up in it, sometimes it's easier to not say anything than it is to argue with other people about these things. I'd probably just say to them everyone has their battles.

And its really nice to know that she has a team member that's prepared to put the question out there to understand her more than someone who just ignores it. So on her behalf thank you.

[CoShirker]

@chinateapot thank you for taking the time to reply, I'm a bit socially awkward and just tend to blend in, I will do my very best to not get involved with any unkindness and just look forward to having her back fit and well

[CoShirker]

@WhiteLightTrainWreck thank you so much for seeing where I was coming from.

There have been some really useful information and opinions in response to my op.

I feel confident enough now to speak up on her behalf if someone makes another dig.

Thanks again for your kindness x

[flowery]

”Can you just go about your business normally and flaunt your presence in the town if you're off sick?”

Getting a haircut, walking the dog, popping to the pub for a relaxing drink, these things are not remotely indicators that someone is fit to work a full week at work, and neither are they “flaunting her presence”, which is a very unpleasant thing to say.

Your colleagues are completely ignorant about mental health issues and about sickness absence generally.

Interesting that you know enough to know that her stress is “apparently” not work-related. How do you know this? Someone has been very indiscreet!

[Ilady]

A few years ago one of my friends was in a job with a big company. She was commuting for at least 3 hours a day. She was doing the work of 2 people and had a horrible boss. She realised that she was stressed and went to her doctor. She was put on a sick note. She spent about 10 days sleeping for at least 12 hours a night. She began to eat better and took vitamins. After a few weeks she realised she could not go back to that job. She looked for and got better job. Long term it worked out better for her.
I saw the effect it had on her and she needed to take time off work to get better and for her own health long term.
It's very poor form for your current manager to make comments like that about your boss. Also how does she know it's not work related stress that she is out of work for? In fact what business is of there's why you boss is not in work at the moment. You don't know what someone can be dealing with and they might like to keep this private.

[daisychain01]

Saturday is our busiest day and there were a couple of moans yesterday about the fact she's not once been into the shop to see anyone.

Perfectly acceptable. In fact based on your attitude I wouldn't want to be within 100 miles of a colleague like you if I was under the weather. I'd want to forget work completely.

OP the fact you've called yourself CoShirker, the fact you're discussing this colleague's activities in minute detail and someone who flaunts her presence doesn't ring true with your comment that "I will do my very best to not get involved with any unkindness and just look forward to having her back fit and well disingenuous in the extreme.

I'd change your attitude towards, and become better informed about the legal and human aspects of sickness, just on the off chance that one day you may need to take time off. And won't want people analysing your every move and making vile judgements about how they choose to rehabilitate themselves.

I can't imagine my manager branding someone off sick as a piss taker, but that's because they are decent. And professional.

[RealButterOnly]

Holidays is not ok! She should take annual leave for them if they were planned in advance!!

The rest is fine though. I would guess she would have been advised by her gp to get out of the house.

[daisychain01]

Incorrect/inaccurate Realbutter if the person has a Fitnote which spans across previously booked annual leave, then the sickness can supersede the annual leave, given that a Fitnote is a legally binding document.

Clearly if the annual leave was for a skiing trip, and the employee had broken their leg, then they wouldn't be capable of making the trip.

If however the annual leave was a week's beach holiday in Spain and the employee was suffering from stress and depression, why wouldn't they want to take their recuperation time in a sunny climate rather than sitting at home feeling sad. If their GP advised them to take themselves off and lighten their mood, that's an ideal and appropriate action to take. Of course it would be ill advised and stupid to post beach photos on Facebook, but a discreet holiday away during sick leave is permissible.

[Sparrowlegs248]

Your colleagues are being arseholes. I was once "reported" to work for going swimming while I was off sick, despite being advised by the physio I'd been seeing weekly, to swim.

[EBearhug]

Holidays is not ok!

They might be recommended by the doctor for something like stress or depression.

[gamerwidow]

Holidays is not ok! She should take annual leave for them if they were planned in advance!!
Wrong! You can’t be on annual leave and sick leave at the same time. You can only be on one type of paid leave at once.

[gamerwidow]

I'm trying not to get swept up in any unpleasantness, genuinely just wanted to know what's acceptable.

Try harder because you’ve failed and there is nothing genuine about your post.
No one who really cares about their colleague would describe someone going about their day to day business as ‘flaunting themselves around town’.
Her GP has made a decision that she is not fit for work. No one else gets to second guess that, you don’t know her symptoms and you don’t know what she can and can’t manage.