Best way to leave this job (long term health condition)?

[Redqueenheart]

Would anyone who has had to leave a job because of long term heath issue/disability be able to give advice on what they would do in my situation:

• I have a long-term degenerative condition which causes chronic pain, tiredness and affects some of my joints, including my jaw. There is no cure , only ways to try to manage the pain. Had several surgeries over the past few years and the doctors had warned me that I need to avoid needing another op and keep my condition under control as much as possible
• I recently took a full-time role after working part- time for almost 10 years of so because I thought I would be able to cope as the role is remote
• Big mistake, my condition has worsened in just a few weeks due to a combination of stress (the role is awful and not what I was sold at the interview, induction was a mess) and not having as much time to try to manage my condition to the point where this week I can't function anymore
• there are no options to request part-time work as it is clear at this stage the role can only be done full time and anyway this is not the right organisation for me.

So I need to leave, get my condition back under control and then look for part-time work instead.

I am still in the probation period. I don't know if I should:

• hand my notice now and make a clean break
• go on sick leave for a while and use this to job-hunt and get myself back to health.

Still being on probation means only SSP and I assume they would dismiss me quite quickly, even if this is a long term health condition, because let's face it I am no longer capable to do the role and this is never going to get better.

What would other people do in my situation?

I have a PIP assessment due next week but there is no guarantee I will be awarded anything. So I want to make the best possible exit to get myself into another part-time job that I can sustain as I have done before.

I would talk to them. I think going off sick so early on would be unfair and unlikley to make you any friends - even if it is only SSP. Perhaps the job can or can't be done part-time / as a job-share. But maybe there's a conversation to be had. Or maybe there is another job they could move you to that suits you better. You won't know until you ask, but going off sick and job-hunting isn't likely to impress well on references. There's nothing to lose by having an adult conversation. As a manager, speaking purely personally, I would rather have that conversation, explore what possibilities there might be, and try my best to work out what is best for us both.

That is not an option.

This is not the job or the company for me and there is no point in continuing to make myself sick. I have no interest whatsoever in staying there after I have seen the reality of the role and what the organisation is like.

I also would not use them as a reference or even mention them in my CV.

To be honest my concerns are not about the company, they are about my health which needs to come first.

Which is also why I have stated that I was especially interested in hearing fro people with health conditions who understand what life is really like in that situation.

It is not about about a nice conversation with your manager to magically solve the fact that your body just can't function anymore.

Are you prepared to work a notice period or is it the end of the line today?

If you can afford it in the short term I'd just tell them the job is not for you. I'm not sure the disability even comess into as people often find roles aren't what they imagined and leave after a few weeks.

I have been through this situation but I'd been at my company for a long time so it's really comparable.

@2Hooves Thankfully the notice period would be just a week so I could limp on for that amount of time but I am literally at a stage where I can't even follow conversations in meetings and the pain is so distracting I have no idea of what I am doing...so not sure how long I can continue to put on a show.

I am also trying to work out what would be best financially.

@Redqueenheart I wouldn't feel guilty about taking the SSP if you need to, I guess the only thing is as you're on probation they could give you your notice after a while if they think you're not returning? Get the PIP claim in ASAP and make a note of anything from this episode in it that could be useful.
Good Luck

In a similar situation, my consultant signed me off work and I used up all my sick pay. Then I was signed off again and went off on leave without pay. At the time I naively thought I might get better, so it wasn’t the same situation as you where you know that isn’t going to happen.

So in your shoes, I would have my consultant Dr sign you off work and hand in your notice so you are off sick during the notice period. You can do all that on the same day and then pack up, leave never to return.

The requirement to work a notice period only means the employer could take you to court. But if you have a sick note stating you are under the care of Dr X and are not fit to work and have been advised to resign immediately for medical reasons, the employer would have a losing case and would not bother to come after you for not working your notice period.

This note is also good evidence for your PIP application, so you can send it in. They accept new evidence to add to your application any time up until the decision is made.

@Discovereads really sorry to hear you are in a similar situation and thank you for the advice.

Indeed I know I won't be able to stay in this job. I did have a flare-up a few years ago and needed surgery while I was still on probation in another job on a two year contract but I really liked that role, it was part-time and manageable and the employer was happy for me to have the surgery then come back. That worked out well and I did not have anymore health issues while I was with them for the 2 years. But this new role unfortunately is a different story entirely.

@2Hooves thank you for your advice and yes I will add to/mention this at my PIP assessment.

Well as i am someone with a serious disability that's rather offensive of you to assume I don't know what life is like with a body that doesn't function anymore. Actually I know all too bloody well. Since you didn't mention how much you hate the company and how that is obviously a big factor in your decision, and I'm not a mind reader, I couldn't advise you on what you didn't say. So if you want to lie on your future applications then that's a choice that you make. But don't have a go at people when you have absolutely no idea what they live like. I responded to the information you gave.

Handing in your notice might cause issues if you need to claim benefits.

Don’t you need to leave citing ill health in order to get maximum benefits, and it would presumably support your PIP claim? Googled but can’t find exactly what I’m looking for.

ie get signed off sick first to reflect your actual situation.

@SparklingLime Thank you for your advice. Yes I think taking some sick leave to reflect the reality of my situation might be the logical thing to do rather than just resigning straight away.

@lemoncurdling Thank you for your post. yes, there is this issue as well although my plan is really to find a manageable part-time role as quickly as I can once I start feeling better. If it takes a while for me to find a new role then I would eventually have to sign on and indeed in this situation being let go due to ill health will be better than resigning of my own initiative.

I woke up this morning and was feeling faint (and that was after having been lying in bed from 7pm...) and almost passed out in my kitchen so it looks like I will have to take action quickly.

I will see how I feel on Monday but if it does not improve I will have to call in sick and take it from there.

I really wish I had never taken this job and just held on for a suitable part-time role to become available...

I would definitely get some proper advice from CAB, before resigning. To protect yourself.

Thank you again for your advice everyone!

I handed out my resignation today, not a moment too soon as I was really struggling with the amount of disorganisation.

I had a lucky break and was offered another role I had applied for about a month ago with a much smaller organisation.

So I will be going back to part-time work 3 days a week which will be more manageable and I will be taking a couple of weeks off to settle my health before I start.

I also had my PIP assessment and waiting to hear back.

I am a bit put off though to realise someone asked for a couple of my post to be deleted above on this thread. I did challenge that person because I did not believe they were genuine and I stand by that!