Best approach after stress related sickness.

[silverbirchlady]

Just hoping for some HR advice please.
husband had a “big” job managing a team lots of traversing several prizes etc.has been within company for 15 years no complaints or concerns about his work no sickness.
all changed over the past couple of years. He was standing in for a manager who left for two years when the job was advertised he applied and was offered the role verbally but the CEO wanted to see him prior to him taking up the role. She saw him at the end of a work day and said even though the people who had interviewed him were going to appoint him she did not think he was up to the job and strongly recommended that he turn the job down when it was offered. Nothing documented anywhere. He just withdrew his application
after this his mental health deteriorated at first slowly but he spiralled last year and ended up having a months inpatient treatment and is still attending day care and has weekly psychiatrist appointments
He has been off sick now for three months and is now on half pay.
his work obviously have now asked him to seethe occupational health doctor
my husband is getting quite distressed about this and the prospect of returning I think.
hes still ruminating about the job offer or lack of. And since that time his role has reall diminished which he has found very humiliating and I think has been a huge contributor to his illness.
i really don’t think he should return to work but he’s worried about money . He is 64 and in all honesty we would be ok financially but he’s obsessing about what to do.
i think he feels that they “owe” him redundancy
im worried this will cause him to become unwell again and just want an outsiders view on possible outcomes

Aged 64, I would stay sick and let them manage him out.

He may get medical retirement, depending on the company and policies. Redundency only comes into play if his role goes . Its a job not the person that becomes redundent

Thankyou .

So he needs to comply with the request to meet OH and anything else asked of him for starters. Then if he is not interested in going back, he can look at the job on offer and if it's materially changed he can argue redundancy. However it's also tricky because on a return to work after a long absence an employer would be expected to have a phased return to work and perhaps reduced duties to accommodate the employee return.
I'd just see what the OH report says first if I were him

Yes he’s got an appointment with his psychiatrist today I’m hoping he will just tell him to resign the whole trying to get some kind of payout is just another stress related trigger and I think he wants some kind of revenge but he’s not seeing things clearly I think.

If it's a private sector company they may be prepared to do a compromise agreement and offer him something to leave. But he probably need to show willing first.
The psych will not tell.him to resign Im afraid ! Wouldn't be their remit

Yes it is a private US company who seem to be moving most operations to the US.
psychiatrist has advised further sick leave

I really feel for you here, a family member of a similar age destroyed their mental health and a number of relationships, as well as their finances on a quest for ‘revenge’ after eerily similar circumstances.
I believe they probably were constructively dismissed as they claim but the employer had covered themselves well so when it finally got to tribunal (many years and 10s of thousands of pounds later) they didn’t win and were liable for all costs.
Family member is now basically a recluse and the only child still speaking to them is their carer/on suicide watch. It’s heartbreaking.
Encourage him to walk away.

Then if he can afford to remain on sick leave ie half pay, I'd just do that

Thankyou all. I think his job was really his life and very prestigious lots of interesting travel and colleagues. So he’s embarrassed,ashamed angry and feels badly treated. The psychiatrist said this is very common for men of his age. I’m encouraging him to let it go.
think it’s a very strong part of his identity but really retirement would have been in a couple of years in any case I guess just this isn’t the way anyone wants their career to end.

I can understand that. It must be hard. Can he look at volunteering or trustee type roles? This can be a useful way to channel his energy and skills

Maybe in the future but at the moment I think he needs to recover but yes he’s been a school governor in the past so perhaps something like that again