New job regrets - Get signed off??

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Please advise, i've posted similar but new question

I recently moved departments to start a new role working in the same organisation and hate it! There is no induction to the role, no training or support whatsoever. I feel ignored and disrespected and as I don't have a team that does what I do, I can't consult with anyone. I have raised my concerns to my line manager and her senior and all i've been told is that i've come in at a difficult time and training is not offered. The job carries risk and health and safety is not managed.

I dread going in and try to approach it by surviving one day at a time but constantly feel anxious and overwhelmed including on my days off.

It's such a contrast to my previous role where I was very well regarded and efforts were made to train and support staff The only reason for leaving after 4 yrs was the stress eventually got too much and whilst I had contemplated being signed off with stress, I never did until now.

My sick record has been prefect within the organisation but I just can't carry on for much longer in this new role.

As a permanent member of staff I can get up to 6 months full pay if signed off sick although I don't intend on taking this amount of time, just need to find something else. I realise it doesn't look good as I've only been there for 2 months but I am seriously considering it. I have just moved from one very stressful role to a dysfunctional dept. and I can't do it.

So the question is:

• Would you just resign without a job and hope to find another job quickly
• Get signed off by GP with stress (despite only being in post for 2 months). And use this time to find something

Can you just try and detach from the job a bit and use your evenings and weekends to job hunt?

Have you raised your concerns in writing to your line manager/others? At that point it gets a lot harder for them to ignore...

Are you actually ill though? Or just in the wrong job / organisation for you?

If I wasn't actually sick then I wouldn't want it on my attendance record personally but would look for another role outside the organisation.

your GP surely won't sign you off for this?

I’d suggest you apply for jobs while working there. Even if you must stay on another month or two, use that time to apply for jobs so when they receive your application or cv they will see you’re already employed which puts you ahead of some other applicants.

It may not look good when a prospective employer wanting to offer you a position reviews your sick record and realises you were applying for jobs and interviewing while being signed off.

OR….since you mention health & safety issues there is a chance you can leave with a kind of ACAS negotiated settlement /gardening leave where they let you leave immediately but pay you for your notice period. You’d have to raise issues with HR in writing first and then seek advice from ACAS.

Edited to add : Oops! Didn't mean to quote the whole Op!

I would get job hunting right away. Hopefully you'll get something else soon but if the job gets to stage in the meantime that it's really affecting your health then you'll just need to get signed off with stress.

Just be aware some employers will ask for the number of days sickness absence in a reference. Or there may be a health questionnaire to fill in and you'll have to declare you're off with stress.

To be honest, I'd soldier on. Largely because it's not a tale to tell a potential new employer. You had a job you left because it was stressful, and so was the new one - so you have XX weeks sick on your record. I'm generally a bit laid back on a period of sickness, but if faced with this version I'd have to wonder how long it will be before our job is too stressful too.... But we always ask for sickness records, so it would be queried- especially work related stress.

That said, I'd not advise damaging your health over work. What gives me pause about whether this is the case is the fact you went immediately to having six months full pay entitlement, which suggests that you're suggesting sick leave based on your pay entitlement rather than sickness.

According to Mumsnet plenty do. I’ve never tried it but I guess you just need to know the right things to say and most GPs are probably too overworked to argue.

I’ve had a GP offer to sign me off with stress and I refused so I’m the wrong person to ask.

OP why don’t you self certify for 3-5 days and decide how to proceed with a clear head. Either try something new to improve your current job or get the ball rolling on job hunting. Going off sick long term with purely work related stress often doesn’t fix anything.

I really don't like it when people say they will go and get signed off. When I was signed off with stress, I fully couldn't cope on any level. My whole body and mind was broken. I didn't go to the GP to get signed off, I went for help and they were the ones who talked to me about stress and taking some time out.

Now I'm not saying this is what you are doing, but please consider what you are going to the GP for. For help?

Having said all the above, you should probably start looking for a new job, internal or external as this really isn't for you.

I don't think it's really a choice about getting getting signed off sick. If you're truly stressed to the point you need to be signed off sick then that's it, it's not an option for you to consider or ask other's opinions of. So I think unfortunately the fact you're querying if you should get signed off sick means that you don't actually need to be signed off sick. You need a new job and I would get looking and applying straight away but remain at your job for now. Email your manager and relay again all your concerns and the level of stress it is causing you and ask to have some solutions put in place. Maybe even speak to HR.

I’d not do this no, and I’m surprised at the folks who think it’s an easy out. They will give you a reference that refers to this, and you will struggle to get another job.

just do the min and get job hunting.

As others have said, you only get signed off sick if you are sick, if you are just stressed and unhappy and want to survive financially until you find something else, you carry on working.

Also you may need to think of moving industries, I don’t know what you do, but the good job you had to leave due to stress and this one, which I assume they thought was easier, you also now neeed to leave due to stress, so maybe this field is not for you? So you need to think about your skills and what type of job you can do?

I'd be surprised if you can get 6 months if you have only been there 2 months, normally the entitlement builds over the first year or so of the job

It will be time with company not in role.

but as the op considered this in last role, got moved, and now is wanting to do it again, clearly there is an issue. Either her or them, who knows. But she needs to find another job, preferably in a field she can manage

Ah yes sorry I missed it was a move between departments

I wouldn't go sick. I would get myself a more senior mentor though (not necessarily in the same department) and I'd also take a systematic approach to tackling the lack of training:

1 What are the things you need training on?
2 What are the consequences if you don't find out how to do these things?
3 Based on 2, what is the order of importance of 1?
4 Who might be able to tell you about these things? (HR may be able to help out you in touch with former incumbents if your colleagues can't).

Honestly, even if you're not doing a great job, having a plan to tackle it will make you feel better, while your colleagues will develop respect as they see you trying to do something. The oversight of a senior mentor means someone will be able to document your proactive approach should it be needed.

Could you self certificate for a week - with whatever excuse you want…. Just to regroup? Then go to gp at the end of that to get you more time if needed? If you self certificate you could say it’s anything.

As someone who is in the same position but with no sick leave provision, I would 100% do this (and I never previously would have advised it). Life is far too short.