How long for stress leave?

[conunddrum]

I have worked for 32 years and never had any time of for stress. It's not something I do lightly but I am struggling with the poor management (micro-management, forcing changes on people which decrease the quality of your work and thereby effectively pressuring you to work for free to do the work you used to do), bullying management.

I am dreading going to work and come home crying most days. I can't think straight any more. I work for the NHS in a professional role but am years off retirement.

If something doesn't change, I will have to stop working in my profession. I just can't take it any more. I've spent the weekend crying with friends and have come to the conclusion that I need some time off work with stress.

My question is, do you have any experiences of how long to take off? I want to get back to work asap but also don't want to rush because the reality is that if I can't get on top of this, I will have to stop this work for good and that's another professional lost to the NHS at a time of need. Obviously this depends on the GP signing me off but I am in such a state I doubt that will be a problem.

I am contacting HR and the unions about some of the issues at work to see whether they will support me so I am not just sitting on some problems in the workplace.

Any advice?

The truth is you will not know at the beginning of stress leave how long you need to take off. Like with most illnesses, each person is different in terms of how long they will take to get better. You'll be signed off sick by your GP for a certain period e.g. 2 weeks or a month, then at the end of that period you'll review how you're feeling.

Best of luck and I'm so sorry your workplace is so stressful - remember it's fine to take the time you need to rest and recover, and prioritise your own wellbeing.

Thank you MsFrost. This is really helpful. I guess I need to look for signs of being ready for returning. Like not crying every time I think about going to work.

Usually being signed off with stress starts with GP giving a Fit note for 2 or 4 weeks.
This gives you time to get some headspace back and start to think a bit more clearly about how to address the stress. You'll then need time to take those actions to de-stress, so that will often lead to another Fit note being issued and often a subsequent one. Make sure to use all therapies, counselling available through Occ health.

Do bear in mind that if the workload, culture in workplace etc is the cause of the stress then you need that to change too so yes definitely involve the union and HR. Otherwise you go back into same situation that made you ill and you'll really need to look for a new job.

You situation is so common in NHS at moment. Everywhere is so short staffed that the workload is hugely increasing for everyone else, causing them to go off with stress, it's s as vicious circle.
There are so many vacancies that no-one applies for and any staff over 60 are retiring due to these issues.

I hope you feel better soon but 1st step is speak to GP to get signed off and start addressing your stress levels and take it from there

It depends on you but also may depend on your employer. I was signed off for 4 weeks initially and that ended up being 14 weeks. In the beginning i was like a shell of myself but by the end I was ready to go back. I had an occupational health assessment and went back on phased return. The reason I went off was sheer volume of work. A colleague was off at the same time and it made my employer get more staff in. My return was successful because the cause of my stress had been fixed.

As above, I'm sorry you are feeling this way. Is there the possibility of the same job at a different place or redeployment within your trust? Sorry, not sure if you are primay or secondary care. A lot of the NHS is like this at the moment 😔

Also, a friend is off with anxiety and recommended these https://www.practitionerhealth.nhs.uk/

Its for doctors (it implies its all NHS to start, sorry) you might have to check they cover your area. If you are not a doctor the NMC or your regulatory body might be able to signpost to appropriate services.

Hope you get the support you need.

I had two weeks, then another two weeks which just happened to feed into another 2 weeks I had already booked off.

So back after 6 weeks which was enough for me.

Exactly... although hopefully more than just not crying!

Hopefully, you will get to a place where you feel you are in a good headspace and feeling more like yourself.

I've just had some time off and it helped a lot - although it actually resulted in me getting an entirely new job in a different sector.

I realised that I just didn't want to go back to my old workplace, which was never going to change, and was actually making me ill.

You have to reflect on whether it's worth it at the end of the day - nothing is more important than your health and wellbeing.

But those are big things to think about. First of all, just focus on slowing down and getting back to yourself, and then see what happens.

I am currently off for anxiety/stress (not all work related) and think I’ll be going back on phased return after 7 weeks. It’s taken about 5 weeks for me to feel like me again and actually function rather than get by!

Tbh I would stay off longer but I am only going back for 4 weeks then I will have an operation and will be off for about 4 weeks.

Oh bless you OP it's so hard when work makes you feel this way. Honestly, you need to take as long as you need and that could be one week or 10!

Do the NHS still have a redeployment policy? Would that be an option for you, once you do return?

Yes you really can't tell at the beginning how long you will need off.

I was off with stress last May and what I did was self certify for the first week, you always need to do this. Then I phoned my doctor after that week and said I was feeling very stressed - she gave me a fit note for another 2 weeks and said to contact her again if I needed longer. I'm very confident she would have given me another fit note for another 2 weeks or possibly longer if I had asked but I had actually decided to resign from my job so I was able to go back to work knowing that it was coming to an end, if that makes sense.

GP here. Just book an appointment to see your GP and go with an open mind - see what they suggest. This is our bread and butter. I’m so sorry you’re in this position though - it sucks.

I had 6 weeks off in total. Phone my GP and we had a long chat about how I was feeling and the symptoms of my stress (low mood, crying, tired etc). He suggested 2 weeks initially and we would have a follow up at 2 weeks to see how I was feeling. I had these follow ups 3 times in total before I went back to work. You will know when you're ready, you'll just feel better and stronger. I was also given resources for therapy and the like by my GP, as well as put on anti depressants so be prepared for whether you'd like to go down the medication route too.

It's important to be honest with your employer as to why you're being signed off though. If you go back to the same issues, you'll end up back at square one. They need to put in reasonable adjustments so you can cope. I appreciate its a hard conversation to have, but it'll benefit everyone in the long run.

I’m sorry to hear you are feeling so unwell due to work. I also work in the nhs (non clinical) and am feeling really anxious and stressed about work. I am still relatively new in my post and have had very little training / handover so am struggling. I had a panic attack this morning in front of my 3 year old and honestly, that was the straw that broke the camels back. I have been ploughing on for weeks but can’t continue the way things are especially because it’s now affecting my ability to function as a parent :-( I have other stuff outside of work going on too which isn’t helping with my stress levels and anxiety. I think I need to speak to my GP about some medication but always hate how the side effects make me feel.

Sorry to hear about these difficulties at work OP. Does your NHS trust have a staff wellbeing service? Some of them do and can offer a range of interventions for staff including drop-ins, groups, 1-1 therapy (brief to intensive, as needed). Sometimes these services (and/or HR, Occupational Health) can also help with team-based stressors like the poor management you've mentioned.

If you request an Occupational Health assessment, you can also look at other adjustments that will help you on your return, like a phased return/flexible hours. HR and/or staff wellbeing services may be able to help with the other team-based stressors (training for management, support/interventions for a team).

It sounds like you're taking some helpful practical steps to take some time off, but I hope that you're also reaching out for some support too.