Would you quit work due to ill health?

[Palmiers]

I suffer with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia and have been off work now for 6 months. I still don't feel well enough to return and have been thinking of just handing in my notice as I'm worried I won't be of much use. I'm also worried about finding another job in near future with such high sick days on my record. DP thinks I should extend my sick leave as I've always pushed myself and had very little time off in the 20 years I've worked for this organisation. GP is happy to extend my sick note but I feel really guilty about being absent. Our sick pay policy is generous - 6 month full pay then 6 months half. What would you do? Would you go back to work if you still felt poorly?

Extend your sick leave, consider that you make have to go back in a phased return and be part time in the future.

It partly depends on your financial situation. Can you afford to leave and take a break from working for a year or two and then re-evaluate? It’s really stressful having work pressuring you to return, so getting rid of that pressure might help your recovery.

Extend your sick leave, you’ve given your all in the past.
use this time to see if things ease a little with your symptoms, don’t be hasty in handing in your notice. 6 mths is a while off before you have to return. You may not have to return after that, they may still keep you employed but with no pay ? Leave it open ?

As said, by then you may feel you could do 20 hrs or 2.5 days.
don’t think about what you think others are saying, if it wasn’t you it would be someone else
That life unfortunately

Stay on the sick take the next 6 months at 1/2 pay. In the meantime apply for PIP, if you’re awarded you could then go PT or consider leaving. What you’re living with is really rough, I personally had to leave work I got so bad.

I would hang on. They may decide to medically retire you or offer redundancy if they restructure.

Extend your sick leave.
How far off early retirement are you ?

Is it the NHS? I’d stay and consider your options- part time or different role? Take a career break while you think to give yourself an option to come back?

Does your current job have a physical element? If not, would you be able to do another job anyway?

I hope it works out for you OP.

Absolutely extend your sick leave.

Thank you so much for responding. I guess part of me cares too much about what my colleagues will think of me. There seems to also be this perception that people who work in the public sector take the piss with the amount of sick leave they take and I would hate to fall into that category even though I'm genuinely unwell.

@RandomMess Unfortunately request for PT or reduced hours has been refused. Our boss would rather people were off sick.

@FrownedUpon money will be a bit tight but I can manage not to work for a bit. My request for a career break has been declined as 2 colleagues are already off.

@Seasider2017 my boss has already suggested I take medical retirement so I doubt they will keep my job open for me once I exhaust half pay.

@Cleanthatup I heard the process of PIP is terrifying but will see. I'm sorry to hear your condition became so bad - I hope your employer was supportive and understanding to your needs. Unfortunately, my colleagues are so ignorant and don't consider CFS as an illness.

Pip process is tough, I have Parkinson’s and got it quite easily, no face to face assessment either, always describe worst day.
lt’s unpleasant to go through the questions , mine will only get worse I know that, at 60, bad eyes and mobility def unfit to work

I have ME.
And I’ve been pushing myself a lot until well I couldn’t anymore…

A few comments

• take all the sick leave you can have
• Have a look at benefit and in particular at the ESA. If you can’t work anymore, it’s a god sent BUT you need to have worked 2 years prior claiming and have enough contributions. Working kart time with a minimal income might be at your disadvantage
• im not sure when you were diagnosed but the guidelines for ME are now all about pacing. Which means NOT constantly pushing yourself because you will just get worse and worse. I know I didn’t years in survival mode trying to make it work and do all things as if I wasn’t ill. It was the wrong decision and made me worse (incl being more or less housebound now)
• if you can ask to be referred back to your local ME clinic. You need support. And you need to learn how to adjust to your own current capacities. Which might nit include working.

Ok didn’t catch you would be in half pay.
Please look at the ESA requirements. It’s MUCH EASIER to get than PIP but you need the right contributions - which you have just now.
Dont out yourself in a place where you won’t be able to get it.

Have a look at this group for PIP and ESA advice. They are great.

www.facebook.com/groups/278260135547189

And btw there is nothing shameful or to feel guilty about to stop work when you are ill.

I'd stay until they let you go. Sod what anyone else thinks. Your pension and national insurance are probably still being paid whilst you're I'll. If you have a public sector pension, you may be able to apply for early release. It's not easy to get. But I wouldn't give up that option without trying, if you're unable to work.

So many people are off sick with these conditions that I'm surprised they don't recognize it as an illness. I work in benefits advice and it seems to be the most common condition that people are off sick with. I have just helped someone to claim PIP for these conditions, she had been putting off applying for ages thinking the process would be awful. but it went very smoothly. As long as you provide medical evidence/ reports to back up what your difficulties are then hopefully it will be awarded. I have literally had 2 more new clients today with the same conditions seeking benefits advice as they are in a similar situation to you and full pay is about to end. I would always advise people to exhaust all sick pay and let them terminate your contract on health grounds if needed.

I gave up work due to poor physical and mental health. I had taken sick leave but it was clear I wasn’t going to recover enough to go back. Do you feel you can recover enough to return? It’s rubbish isn’t it?

@MrsMoastyToasty Medical retirement has been mentioned but I'm not sure how that works. Would they offer a pay-out? No chance of a redundancy as we're just gone through a major restructure.

@KangarooKenny I'm 46 but I feel like I'm stuck in the body of an 80 year old due to the constant pain I'm in.

@tealandteal I'm a social worker. There's hardly any new jobs coming up locally so not much chance of moving. PT request has been refused.

@CharlotteStreetW1 Thank you. No physical element to my job but the mental load is beyond draining as we deal with high needs / vulnerable families on a daily basis.

I stayed off sick until they finished me, don't resign, let them end your employment. I had Fibromyalgia & ME/CFS. The Civil Service finished me when I had been off 14 months. Are you somewhere that you can claim an ill health pension?

I would just add to this that as long as all your SSP has been paid to you ( usually for 28 weeks) then you can claim New style ( contributions based ) ESA whilst receiving half pay. As above you need to have paid enough NI contributions and currently the qualifying tax years would be 2021-22 and 2020-21.

I’m in this exact same situation right now and have been for the past 18 months. Long covid (fatigue and pain) and spent as much time at home as I have in work. Here is what I have learnt:

-Do not go back to work until you feel much better, it will set you back and you’ll get sicker. Make sure you have an occupational health review at least once before you return. Check if CFS is covered under the Equality Act or not; you might be able to ask for reasonable adjustments.

-Don’t feel guilt for not being there. Your health is far more important.

-If you can do without working and that income, it is better not to work and focus on rehabilitating.

-Be aware that if you resign you might find it more tricky to claim benefits. However, if you can show your job has/would make you more sick this might be considered a good enough reason resigning. See citizens advice pages for details.

-The worst case scenario is that you use up all sick pay and/or be processed under sickness management rules for your organisation, which could ultimately result in being dismissed on grounds of ill health. Check your employer’s policy.

-This doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll find it difficult to find employment afterwards especially if you have recovered and your next job is more suitable for your health needs. The same could apply if you’ve taken a break.

-When you run out of full sick pay entitlement and you go onto half pay, make sure you are paid statutory sick pay as well which could be allowed for a long term health condition. That’s all I know but look into it.

-If you’re on half pay+ SSP you will likely be better off than if you were claiming benefits.

-Something else to consider: you could do temping or contract work even if it’s part time to build up a better sickness record.

-Depending on the type of job you do, if you in demand companies might take you on anyway if you state that the previous/current job is not conducive to your health.

Chronic fatigue is about pacing. I cannot emphasise how important it is not to push yourself. If you do you will relapse and go back to square one. Some rethinking about priorities is needed, if you can afford to.

If you have CFS then surely you MUST rest in order to actually get better??

Absolutely do not resign once your SSP ends claim ESA contribution based to top up your half pay. Then look at PIP. It may well be the work related stress and burn out that has brought on the CF.

You might get redundancy or medical retirement somewhere down the line. You might get well and apply / transfer to another department.

I am assuming NHS or other public sector employment as that's fairly common sick leave arrangements for public sector employees.
You need to look at your organisation's Sickness Absence policy and see what should be happening at various points. Are you having regular reviews and Occupational Health input? There should be a fairly set procedure for what happens in long term sick leave, including looking at making adjustments to your working hours, potential redeployment etc and this should include HR, Occ Health and potentially your union rep, not just you and your manager. It's not always possible of course, but should be explored properly.
Eventually if you are not well enough to return to work or an alternative can't be found, your employer can proceed to dismissal on capability grounds and you may wish to consider ill health retirement. I went through this and took ill health retirement a couple of years ago. It's not a particularly nice process and can be prolonged, but if you have a long term health problem sometimes it is the best option. I would suggest you look into what is involved sooner rather than later so you understand all your options and can make an informed decision on your next steps. It doesn't sound like your manager is particularly supportive so I would also consider having your union rep with you in any further meetings if you haven't previously done so, to help make sure that the correct procedures are all being followed.
Look after yourself - your health is important and struggling back to work when you are still unwell won't necessarily really help your colleagues or clients either.