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Sickness Absence
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I have been off my work since the start of September as I have been suffering from depression. I work for the local authority as a support worker and have been in regular contact with my manager with regards to Sickness Absence etc. As I have been off for some time now, I have been referred for a medical assessment to Occupational Health. I attend this on the 28th December. I have read some information about the outcomes of such assessments but I could use some advice from people who have been in similar situations.
As I've been employed in my present job less than three years, I will be on half rate of pay from the 3rd January 2011 which, as you can imagine, is weighing on my mind as it's going to be a struggle to cope financially.
If I'm really honest though, I do not want to go back to my job. It fills me with dread when I think about it. I am supposed to support people when I can barely support myself some days! I feel like an empty vessel that someone is shaking upside down in order extract more from. The sickness absence procedure has an alternative to returning to your job if your deemed as not being fit for duty and can 'redeploy' within the company - but there are no available jobs due to the recession so they would probably end up letting me go.
I am worried sick and need some advice please! If I tell my manager I want to leave my job will I receive benefits? If I explain to the Doctor at the Occupational Health Assessment how I feel and am Medically 'Retired' will I get benefits?? Will I ever get another job in the future if I am medically retired? Will it hang over me forever?
As I've been employed in my present job less than three years, I will be on half rate of pay from the 3rd January 2011 which, as you can imagine, is weighing on my mind as it's going to be a struggle to cope financially.
If I'm really honest though, I do not want to go back to my job. It fills me with dread when I think about it. I am supposed to support people when I can barely support myself some days! I feel like an empty vessel that someone is shaking upside down in order extract more from. The sickness absence procedure has an alternative to returning to your job if your deemed as not being fit for duty and can 'redeploy' within the company - but there are no available jobs due to the recession so they would probably end up letting me go.
I am worried sick and need some advice please! If I tell my manager I want to leave my job will I receive benefits? If I explain to the Doctor at the Occupational Health Assessment how I feel and am Medically 'Retired' will I get benefits?? Will I ever get another job in the future if I am medically retired? Will it hang over me forever?
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There is no 'compo' claim for goodness sake. I haven't been employed long enough to have any such 'claim'! It's a very straight forward "can you do your job?" and if I'm deemed unfit in this assessment I will lose it - plain and simple. I didn't expect anything. It's taken me till now to realise that the job is contributing to my stress/depression, and that's why I am considering leaving. I just wanted to know if I would be entitled to benefits in the interim - between now and me getting a more suitable job. If I was medically retired I wouldn't received anything from my employers either which I am fully aware.It would just be a fancy way of saying my employers had sacked me as I wasn't deemed fit for the job anymore. This question was never about anything I would gain. I just wanted to know if I would receive state benefit so I could feed myself until I found another job. I have paid taxes all my life to support me in such circumstances?
I feel so sad at the replies. Very nasty and vindictive. I have been a very productive person all my life and I'm going through a period of illness just now. I came on here to ask for constructive advice. I didn't come on to ask for ignorant peoples opinions. That attitude is between you and your God, but I hope yo,u or anyone close to you, ever falls ill with mental illness, which is only compounded at this time of year. Shame - on - you.
I feel so sad at the replies. Very nasty and vindictive. I have been a very productive person all my life and I'm going through a period of illness just now. I came on here to ask for constructive advice. I didn't come on to ask for ignorant peoples opinions. That attitude is between you and your God, but I hope yo,u or anyone close to you, ever falls ill with mental illness, which is only compounded at this time of year. Shame - on - you.
If you have medical proof for depression you would be entitled to unemployment benefits, amounts depend your circumstances. Check out these sites, good luck
http://www.turn2us.org.uk/benefits_search.aspx
http://www.adviceguid...ent_when_lost_job.htm
http://www.turn2us.org.uk/benefits_search.aspx
http://www.adviceguid...ent_when_lost_job.htm
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I count myself as an optimistic cynic and honestly I am saddened by most of this thread. Saddened that you are in this position mizfiesta, many years ago I was there and was fortunate to be moved sideways to a job where I could contribute and climb back up the slippery slope. This was in 1982 when Maggie was taking an axe to industry so don't be too disillusioned by the employment situation now.
Saddened also by the nasty comments you received. It's all too easy to point the finger and be told to get off your backside and work. However when you are doing the job of trying to motivate the long term unemployed yourself (and I was) you are faced with a sort of depression that is infectious and you yourself can become very depressed. When that happens it is not so easy to drag yourself up and start again.
Regretably the fact is that in the present circumstances the numbers of long term unemployed and those on other benefits will rise dramatically. There simply aren't the jobs to go round and there won't be until the economy picks up. It is also true that as a matter of principle benefits are not paid without penalty to those who make themselves unemployed.
So my advice to you mizfiesta is consider what you can do to improve your prospects yourself rather than rely on others. First and perhaps most important you are in a job that is clearly not for you. Find out what type work does suit you. Now can you get that work with your present employer? If not you must look elsewhere but be aware that the labour market ( and it is a market) is not only cyclical it is also seasonal. Unless you are lucky you will have to move and you should aim at the spring to do it.
Be also aware that employers look for people already in work rather than the unemployed so in the short term better to grin and bear it ( and I do know how that feels) than give up.
I feel that the best you can do is look for a completely new start because you really do need the buzz of
Saddened also by the nasty comments you received. It's all too easy to point the finger and be told to get off your backside and work. However when you are doing the job of trying to motivate the long term unemployed yourself (and I was) you are faced with a sort of depression that is infectious and you yourself can become very depressed. When that happens it is not so easy to drag yourself up and start again.
Regretably the fact is that in the present circumstances the numbers of long term unemployed and those on other benefits will rise dramatically. There simply aren't the jobs to go round and there won't be until the economy picks up. It is also true that as a matter of principle benefits are not paid without penalty to those who make themselves unemployed.
So my advice to you mizfiesta is consider what you can do to improve your prospects yourself rather than rely on others. First and perhaps most important you are in a job that is clearly not for you. Find out what type work does suit you. Now can you get that work with your present employer? If not you must look elsewhere but be aware that the labour market ( and it is a market) is not only cyclical it is also seasonal. Unless you are lucky you will have to move and you should aim at the spring to do it.
Be also aware that employers look for people already in work rather than the unemployed so in the short term better to grin and bear it ( and I do know how that feels) than give up.
I feel that the best you can do is look for a completely new start because you really do need the buzz of
No I wouldn't get a pension. I have only been in my current job a couple of years and am not even in their pension scheme.
If the Doctor who carries out my medical assessment decides I'm not fit to do my job in the foreseeable future, they have the option to 'medically retire' me. It's just another way of them 'letting me go' but obviously they are bound by employment law so are going through all the necessary sickness absence stages.
My job as a support worker involves working with young people up to around 21 years of age many of whom have drug/alcohol issues.
If the Doctor who carries out my medical assessment decides I'm not fit to do my job in the foreseeable future, they have the option to 'medically retire' me. It's just another way of them 'letting me go' but obviously they are bound by employment law so are going through all the necessary sickness absence stages.
My job as a support worker involves working with young people up to around 21 years of age many of whom have drug/alcohol issues.
Agardener09 thanks so much for your post. I really appreciated it. I guess I can understand why some people were quick to judge but they were misreading my dilemma.
If I lose my job due to being 'medically retired' I fear no other employer will touch me. Yet I am scared about going back to my job as I'm not sure I'll cope. Time is ticking and I'm really worried which isn't doing my health any favours.
If I lose my job due to being 'medically retired' I fear no other employer will touch me. Yet I am scared about going back to my job as I'm not sure I'll cope. Time is ticking and I'm really worried which isn't doing my health any favours.
I work in the NHS and I think the local authority T&Cs are similar, you could be declared medically unfit to do the job - you must surely have a sickness and absence policy to which you could refer, to see what that states about long term sickness, and the options the employer has. If you are declared unfit for this job then (IMO) it doesn't render you unfit for other work, you just would be unlikely anyway to apply for another job in similar field?
ps - In the current financial climate, is your LA employer considering a MAR (mutually agreed redundancy) scheme? It's been offered to us as our employer has to make drastic cuts, it means you can leave without giving notice and receive a one-off redundancy payment (relating to the length of employment).
I don't want to rain on your parade, but even if you aren't medically retired, your sickness and absence will be asked about with any potential new job, and for many employers, depression is a sorry, you have not been successful this time, etc etc. I'm not saying it's right, but it happens. I'm not in a position to offer anyone work, but having been badly depresssed many years ago, I would not prejudice against this myself.
I was actually medically retired earlier this year. I was a postman who developed a bad foot condition which meant I cold barely walk. Luckily mine was a condition that was just made worse because of all the walking, and I am better now. That said, I'm not working, and for reasons am having to start over elsewhere. I was also lucky to have been in the job long enough to get a payout (but no pension as I'm too young) so things weren't that bad for me me.
The trick is to turn it all round to your advantage if you can, and look on it as a new beginning rather than an ending. I hated my job by the end, but that was largely due to the effect it was having on my health, and though it has cost me my house (I'm having to sell up and move well away cos I cannot afford to stay) I've tried to make sure that whatever changes I have made are for my benefit in the long run. This isn't what you need on top of your depression but on the other hand, it's a problem which one way or another will not be a problem much longer. Not really said that well, and will probably confuse you (and me) more if I try to clarify but the bottom line is if you can, try to look at some issues from a different angle. Good luck with everything.
I was actually medically retired earlier this year. I was a postman who developed a bad foot condition which meant I cold barely walk. Luckily mine was a condition that was just made worse because of all the walking, and I am better now. That said, I'm not working, and for reasons am having to start over elsewhere. I was also lucky to have been in the job long enough to get a payout (but no pension as I'm too young) so things weren't that bad for me me.
The trick is to turn it all round to your advantage if you can, and look on it as a new beginning rather than an ending. I hated my job by the end, but that was largely due to the effect it was having on my health, and though it has cost me my house (I'm having to sell up and move well away cos I cannot afford to stay) I've tried to make sure that whatever changes I have made are for my benefit in the long run. This isn't what you need on top of your depression but on the other hand, it's a problem which one way or another will not be a problem much longer. Not really said that well, and will probably confuse you (and me) more if I try to clarify but the bottom line is if you can, try to look at some issues from a different angle. Good luck with everything.
Postdog, thanks for your post. And I do understand exactly what you mean....look for the silver lining? It means a lot coming from someone in a similar predicament who has lost a lot but remains focused and upbeat. New year new start I guess. OH appointment tomorrow. I am really worried but whatever will be, will be.
So pleased to see you have now received some more positive posts and sorry the end of mine disappeared. I just wanted to say you need the buzz of a new start and I see others agree especially postdog who is obviously experienced and a half-full not half-empty sort.
We don't know your personal circumstances but starting again is greatly affected by age, location, mobility, etc as much as skills and aptitudes. I do speak from experience having made several right-angle turns in my time involving job moves, geographic relocation (long distance) and domestic upheaval. I cannot say I would do it all again but I would say overall it was for the better and I would not go back. Above all try to be positive and never go back!
We don't know your personal circumstances but starting again is greatly affected by age, location, mobility, etc as much as skills and aptitudes. I do speak from experience having made several right-angle turns in my time involving job moves, geographic relocation (long distance) and domestic upheaval. I cannot say I would do it all again but I would say overall it was for the better and I would not go back. Above all try to be positive and never go back!
Thanks again agardner09, I am only 40....(I say only ha, middle aged to some!) But certainly not old enough, or rich enough, never to have to work again or end up on the scrap heap. Depression holds such stigma. I am also a single parent, though my kids are well into their teens now. But it would be easier if I had a husband/partner who was also earning to cushion the blow. Oh well, I'll just take each day as it comes I guess. Thanks for your positive responses, and to the others who were quick to judge - please, please try not to make assumptions or tar us all as lazy or chancers. I doubt many people would take the time to come online and write a heart felt plea if they weren't troubled. And at this time of year to! I felt so down when I read the first couple of responses and would worry for someone else feeling even more fragile that I do, as to how it would impact on them if coming here for advice.
mizfiesta, I do wish you well, and a better 2011!
I was clinically depressed at your age and it is a beast, but you can and will get through it - and you say you are on your own, so when you feel better, the world is your oyster, take this opportunity to change track and so what YOU want to do for a change. Although I recognise what postdog says, if you are looking for work in a completely different field, and your depression has related to your current job, an employer in a different field might feel more positively about your past experiences - I certainly hope so. IMO you made a mistake in going into a job which was hard to handle, and the pressures eventually affected your health - hopefully a different employer will see it in that light.
On the financial front, do you have any insurances (connected with mortgage or credit cards or loans etc) which would click in once you are not on full pay?
I was clinically depressed at your age and it is a beast, but you can and will get through it - and you say you are on your own, so when you feel better, the world is your oyster, take this opportunity to change track and so what YOU want to do for a change. Although I recognise what postdog says, if you are looking for work in a completely different field, and your depression has related to your current job, an employer in a different field might feel more positively about your past experiences - I certainly hope so. IMO you made a mistake in going into a job which was hard to handle, and the pressures eventually affected your health - hopefully a different employer will see it in that light.
On the financial front, do you have any insurances (connected with mortgage or credit cards or loans etc) which would click in once you are not on full pay?
I have suffered from Bipolar Disorder all my adult life. I worked in the civil service and struggled through - with large periods of time off work sick.
In 2003, at the age of 40, I went off sick knowing that I was not coping either with my illness or my job. After a year of meetings and medicals I got early retirement on health grounds - a pension and a lump sum.
I dreaded not having a job and, more crucially, less money to live on. But looking back at my period of employment I can see that I was more a liability than a worker.
It may be that you will recover from this period of depression and come out the other end of it a stronger person. Whatever you do it is best not make any decisions whilst you are ill - my brain ceases to work properly and I can't make rational decisions.
I haven't read all the comments - but I assume that your doctor has prescribed anti-depressants. They usually help you cope so that you can take steps to improve your health. Don't listen to people who say 'don't take the drugs". They are not wonder drugs but they help you by making you feel a bit better.
It really is a hard illness to deal with - many people are hurtful and unkind. The last couple of years have been especially 'taxing' for me and some bedtimes you just wish that you won't wake up. In fact, in some ways, it is a comfort to know that one day you will no longer be in pain.
Cheerful as ever - ;-)
Susan
In 2003, at the age of 40, I went off sick knowing that I was not coping either with my illness or my job. After a year of meetings and medicals I got early retirement on health grounds - a pension and a lump sum.
I dreaded not having a job and, more crucially, less money to live on. But looking back at my period of employment I can see that I was more a liability than a worker.
It may be that you will recover from this period of depression and come out the other end of it a stronger person. Whatever you do it is best not make any decisions whilst you are ill - my brain ceases to work properly and I can't make rational decisions.
I haven't read all the comments - but I assume that your doctor has prescribed anti-depressants. They usually help you cope so that you can take steps to improve your health. Don't listen to people who say 'don't take the drugs". They are not wonder drugs but they help you by making you feel a bit better.
It really is a hard illness to deal with - many people are hurtful and unkind. The last couple of years have been especially 'taxing' for me and some bedtimes you just wish that you won't wake up. In fact, in some ways, it is a comfort to know that one day you will no longer be in pain.
Cheerful as ever - ;-)
Susan
Boxtops and Wolf63 thanks for your responses and shared experiences. Thankfully I don't have much in the way of debt Boxtops. And while I've been off work I have been actively cutting back on things I don't need and streamlining my finances even further in the event things went pear shaped. I don't have any insurances unfortunately.
Yea my job choices are not good, and I'll need to rethink my next career move. I have a HNC in Social care and really like helping other people, but I need to carefully consider in what capacity I do that now, and how it's going to impact on me.
There's one good thing if I end up with hardly any money and can't afford to eat....I may shift some of the weight I've put on with the anti depressants the doc put me on(Mirtazapine). I didn't respond well to the first lot they gave me(Fluoxetine) and this second lot is just as bad. I am up and down like a rollercoaster and have a host of other side effects. Not nice. I have halved my daily dose and shall speak with my GP at my next appointment in the New Year.
Yea my job choices are not good, and I'll need to rethink my next career move. I have a HNC in Social care and really like helping other people, but I need to carefully consider in what capacity I do that now, and how it's going to impact on me.
There's one good thing if I end up with hardly any money and can't afford to eat....I may shift some of the weight I've put on with the anti depressants the doc put me on(Mirtazapine). I didn't respond well to the first lot they gave me(Fluoxetine) and this second lot is just as bad. I am up and down like a rollercoaster and have a host of other side effects. Not nice. I have halved my daily dose and shall speak with my GP at my next appointment in the New Year.
