Work stress and pregnant - to ask GP to sign me off?

[kishpuss]

Long story short I work for a global company and my team has recently go under a restructuring. My manager has since changed and the one I report to now is not familiar with my role and what it involves. Due to this lack of insight, technical resource which I previously had as support has been removed and I’ve been left to train new starts without a technical background. In short, I am the only person who knows how to so my role and the demand for the service I offer is taking a toll on me and my mental health.

To make matters worse I am pregnant and cannot look for another job at the moment due to maternity pay etc. I would otherwise look for another role in this situation but at this point I feel so stuck that I am considering asking my GP for time off due to stress. AIBU? I have never had to do this but I feel taken for granted and almost think this would make my boss realise that I need further support while I’m away.

How long until you go on maternity leave?

I don’t really understand the issue, do you mean you have too many people to Train? Can’t you just speak to your new manager and let them know you don’t have the expertise/ enough time or whatever the problem is and get it sorted out?

Have you spoken to your manager? Explained that you cannot do your job AND train up newbies, and you need some help.

Have a chat with him and then put it in writing and copy in HR. See if that gets you some support.

I should have noted I have already spoken to my manager and nothing has been done. I’ve just been given a new type of resource of untrained colleagues who have just joined the company without any technical background which means I need to watch over everything they do + spend more time training them.

Also, when issues arise, my manager is nowhere to be found because she does not know my job and I have to answer to everything. There is no one I can go to for support in terms of decision making if that makes sense.

I have 5 months to maternity.

You need to address the issue, not avoid it. A short time off for stress won't achieve much and you have 5 long months to go. If you are getting nowhere with your manager you need to inform them that you will need to escalate.

Make sure you are being paid your full pay on your qualifying week for maternity pay. Also ask the GP to somehow make it maternity related on the sick note if possible.

Again, I’ve brought this up several times. I am doing what I can but ultimately the budget is not in my hands. I would like to avoid this being maternity related. It really isn’t.

It is likely to affect your maternity pay though, if you don't get sick pay from your company. Does your company have maternity pay other than the statutory minimum?

I feel taken for granted and almost think this would make my boss realise that I need further support while I’m away.

In my experience, the kind of employer who thinks giving you untrained staff to train and supervise is "giving you extra resource" will not respond to sickness absence by having an epiphany or changing anything.

They'll just keep ploughing on.

So it comes down to whether time out will help or hinder you, and any other options you have to make things more manageable.

How long would you be planning to take off sick? You can be forced to start maternity leave early if you're off sick in the 4 weeks before due date.