Stress Leave?

Liam_Flag

A freind of mine told me yesterday that that a girl in admin had taken 2 weeks sick leave due to 'stress' - that there was nothing wrong with her and it was a result of having a petty difference with one of the nurses.

I've never heard of it before and I'm amazed. I doubt many in the private sector would take it as quickly as people in the ps?

Saila

congratulations on a stress free life

EverEvolving

Liam_Flag wrote: »

I doubt many in the private sector would take it as quickly as people in the ps?

I'd say people in the private sector have to take it more than people in the public sector

red menace

What's petty to you may not be petty to everyone.
And as another poster said congrats on never hearing of stress leave?
And while we are at it what does Private Vs Public service got to to do with anything?
Should public employees not get sick?

EverEvolving

red menace wrote: »

What's petty to you may not be petty to everyone.
And as another poster said congrats on never hearing of stress leave?
And while we are at it what does Private Vs Public service got to to do with anything?
Should public employees not get sick?

Public service get paid for time off, many private sector don't and therefore cannot even afford to take a day off, even when sick.

The main gripe with public sector is that they tend to get away with shedloads while their equals in the private sector wouldn't even chance it.

Stress is entirely objective and is often an abused excuse, I don't mean to subject stress as a reason to skive and I realise it is a serious ailment but I know if I told my previous boss in the private sector I was suffering from stress I have a pretty good idea of the outcome ... Pull yourself together and bloody get on with it.

Einhard

Stress and anxiety can be crippling conditions. Just because something doesn't manifest itself in an obvious manner doesn't mean it's not seriously debilitating. Quite a lot of people who take their own lives show no obvious outward sign of their turmoil, for example.

Einhard

EverEvolving wrote: »

Public service get paid for time off, many private sector don't and therefore cannot even afford to take a day off, even when sick.

I don't see how it's the public sector worker's fault if you have crappy conditions of employment.

Stress is entirely objective and is often an abused excuse, I don't mean to subject stress as a reason to skive and I realise it is a serious ailment but I know if I told my previous boss in the private sector I was suffering from stress I have a pretty good idea of the outcome ... Pull yourself together and bloody get on with it.

Who the hell are you working for, Scrooge? Or some neanderthal who doesn't recognise that mental health is as important as phsical health? This isn;t a matter of public versus private sector. If you went to your boss with a certified mental health issue and he refused to allow you some sick leave, then I imagine he'd be leaving himself open for liability were anything to happen to you.

EverEvolving

Einhard wrote: »

I don't see how it's the public sector worker's fault if you have crappy conditions of employment.

Fair enough, but the public sector have good conditions of employment as a given, and a good rate of pay/salary (ok cuts have been a bitch) but when you are negotating a private sector job you can't exactly bargain your way in and ask for all these things to be handed on a plate.


Who the hell are you working for, Scrooge? Or some neanderthal who doesn't recognise that mental health is as important as phsical health? This isn;t a matter of public versus private sector. If you went to your boss with a certified mental health issue and he refused to allow you some sick leave, then I imagine he'd be leaving himself open for liability were anything to happen to you.

I said in my post I appreciate that stress is not something that can be judged by an individual but there are plenty of employers out there that do not recoginise mental health issues as a serious illness, especially stress as a real condition, I have seen people compared to their equals and if they are all not suffering from stress, then the sufferer is a (insert derogotary term here) pussy.

Liam_Flag

EverEvolving wrote: »

I said in my post I appreciate that stress is not something that can be judged by an individual but there are plenty of employers out there that do not recoginise mental health issues as a serious illness, especially stress as a real condition, I have seen people compared to their equals and if they are all not suffering from stress, then the sufferer is a (insert derogotary term here) pussy.

Well I'd love to see a comparison of the numbers who have applied for Stress Leave in the Public Sector vs Private Sector.

And while I can appreciate it can be a serious illness in some cases...I'm gonna go out on a limb and say it's abused.
And it was abused in the op's example case ^^^

benjamin d

There is no facility in the private sector to take time off just because you've fallen out with someone at work, barring something that is longterm or involving making a massive deal of it i.e court etc., and I'm pretty sure thats what the OP is getting at. We're all told at school, and then figure out ourselves, that you don't always get along with the people you work with, thats life and you just have to deal with it. I'm sure most people have had disagreements with people at work, I certainly have and didn't go crying for time off. If it wasn't serious enough to warrant any kind of action from management then it shouldn't be something that you can take time off over (maybe it was that serious, I don't know).

Canis Lupus

I'm in private in UK. We've had, that I know of 1 fella claim stress and was out for months on full pay (we have good contracts) once that limit ran out he quit without coming back and now apparently lives in Thailand and rumour mill had it he wasn't particularly stressed at all.

Another girl did the same thing and she was definitely intentionally milking it as she was a mate.

Annnd finally one last fella who last year at the xmas party got into a fight with a colleague and was given January off on stress grounds despite it being common knowledge that he's an absolute uncontrollable dick when he drinks and was just being himself and it had nothing to do with stress.

I'm sure stress is a horrible thing but frankly the 3 workplace examples I've had personal experience of were little to do with 'stress' but people using the system to their advantage.

benjamin d

Canis Lupus wrote: »

I'm in private in UK. We've had, that I know of 1 fella claim stress and was out for months on full pay (we have good contracts) once that limit ran out he quit without coming back and now apparently lives in Thailand and rumour mill had it he wasn't particularly stressed at all.

Another girl did the same thing and she was definitely intentionally milking it as she was a mate.

Annnd finally one last fella who last year at the xmas party got into a fight with a colleague and was given January off on stress grounds despite it being common knowledge that he's an absolute uncontrollable dick when he drinks and was just being himself and it had nothing to do with stress.

I'm sure stress is a horrible thing but frankly the 3 workplace examples I've had personal experience of were little to do with 'stress' but people using the system to their advantage.

This is what I was getting at. I'm sure as an actual condition its not nice but anyone I hear of who has taken stress leave I'm very sceptical about. It seems like we're going down this American route of drugs being prescribed for everything and everything is a medical condition. Stress, depression, ADHD, dyslexia and several others are bandied about everywhere these days, and while I'm not saying they aren't legitimate for a lot of people, a huge amount of people use these as excuses. I'd say the girl in the original post just needs a good kick up the hole and to be told to cop herself on.

jackiebaron

Liam_Flag wrote: »

A freind of mine told me yesterday that that a girl in admin had taken 2 weeks sick leave due to 'stress' - that there was nothing wrong with her and it was a result of having a petty difference with one of the nurses.

I've never heard of it before and I'm amazed. I doubt many in the private sector would take it as quickly as people in the ps?

How can you take a story about a single individual who you don't even know taking time off from work due to stress and twist it into a bloody public/private sector issue and expect to be taken seriously?

Liam_Flag

jackiebaron wrote: »

How can you take a story about a single individual who you don't even know taking time off from work due to stress and twist it into a bloody public/private sector issue and expect to be taken seriously?

Because she wouldn't have gotten away with it in a private company.

PCPhoto

jackiebaron wrote: »

How can you take a story about a single individual who you don't even know taking time off from work due to stress and twist it into a bloody public/private sector issue and expect to be taken seriously?

lol... because this is AH .... and not the politics forum

AnonoBoy

I find myself particularly stressed on the morning after major sporting events.

Luckily my employer understands stress and let's me take leave to sleep it off relax until I'm better.

Dudess

Liam_Flag wrote: »

I've never heard of it before and I'm amazed. I doubt many in the private sector would take it as quickly as people in the ps?

Public sector versus private sector debate... not so thinly veiled. Do you honestly think it was so simple as her having a falling-out with someone and getting time off?

benjamin d wrote: »

This is what I was getting at. I'm sure as an actual condition its not nice but anyone I hear of who has taken stress leave I'm very sceptical about. It seems like we're going down this American route of drugs being prescribed for everything and everything is a medical condition. Stress, depression, ADHD, dyslexia and several others are bandied about everywhere these days, and while I'm not saying they aren't legitimate for a lot of people, a huge amount of people use these as excuses. I'd say the girl in the original post just needs a good kick up the hole and to be told to cop herself on.

Full-on stress/anxiety can cause people to be unable to eat, sleep, feel like they're going to explode with the pressure, have panic attacks; stops them focusing (so what use are they in the workplace?)... I agree a bit of run-of-the-mill stress isn't an illness, but hardly anyone would look for sick leave for that in the first place, however when things get like the former, I would think it would actually be the sensible option to take some time off. If that's not an illness, what is?
I also think there's far more a likelihood of people SAYING ADHD is used by parents as an excuse for a kid being badly-behaved than parents actually using it as an excuse.
And I've certainly never heard of dyslexia being used as an excuse for... what? It's not like it's a condition anyway, it's a learning difficulty I thought.

Ginger Nut

jackiebaron wrote: »

How can you take a story about a single individual who you don't even know taking time off from work due to stress and twist it into a bloody public/private sector issue and expect to be taken seriously?

Totally agree - - if you are too stressed to work you must get a doctors cert to say so - thats even the case in the Public Sector. if the Public sector get any more of a bashing the whole lot will be forced to get doctors to sign them off.

I'm sick and tired of people getting on their high horse about the public v private sector - give it a rest for crying out loud -please

Wazdakka

I got pretty stressed out once.

But then I decided to stop being stressed and be Awesome instead..

True Story..

Ginger Nut

Wazdakka wrote: »

I got pretty stressed out once.

But then I decided to stop being stressed and be Awesome instead..

True Story..

Just love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D:D:D:D:D

Liam_Flag

I worked as a civil engineer for a time and I was stressed out at work from being busy.

I can imagine the face on the boss if I said I needed time off for stress.

PCPhoto

Wazdakka wrote: »

I got pretty stressed out once.

But then I decided to stop being stressed and be Awesome instead..

True Story..

I dont think thats a true story ..... I think you made it up ...just to get people to click on the "thanks" thumbs up....shame on you !!!

AnonoBoy

PCPhoto wrote: »

I dont think thats a true story ..... I think you made it up ...just to get people to click on the "thanks" thumbs up....shame on you !!!

Can the mods ban people for lying?

I hope so.

I value truth and honesty over entertainment personally.

Dudess

Liam_Flag wrote: »

I worked as a civil engineer for a time and I was stressed out at work from being busy.

I can imagine the face on the boss if I said I needed time off for stress.

There are varying degrees of stress though - when it gets to the point that it's actually making a person ill, then intervention is the sensible thing. Most of us have been in workplaces where things got too much at times, but it didn't mean we were unable to function. Plus, a person may be experiencing stress due to stuff happening in their personal life, and not work.

jimthemental

Einhard wrote: »

Who the hell are you working for, Scrooge? Or some neanderthal who doesn't recognise that mental health is as important as phsical health? This isn;t a matter of public versus private sector. If you went to your boss with a certified mental health issue and he refused to allow you some sick leave, then I imagine he'd be leaving himself open for liability were anything to happen to you.

If a friend of mine went to their boss with anything bar a crippling injury they would be told to sling their hook. The state of the place down here and they are being made to do a long commute. He tried to call in snow days and lose out on his wage to save from the stress and already obvious damage to the car but there was no talking to them.

Some private sector employers can't be reasoned with and without say union backing you're screwed if you push.

Liam_Flag

Liam_Flag wrote: »

I doubt many in the private sector would take it as quickly as people in the ps?

You must be joking. If you have a contract and a medical certificate (which can get obtained for as little as €30 I'm told) you're pretty much golden in most private sector companies.

Wazdakka

PCPhoto wrote: »

I dont think thats a true story ..... I think you made it up ...just to get people to click on the "thanks" thumbs up....shame on you !!!

AnonoBoy wrote: »

Can the mods ban people for lying?

I hope so.

I value truth and honesty over entertainment personally.

:eek:
My honour being called into question??
It is a very true story I'll have you know sirs.

I get more than my far share of thanks in the YLYL thread and no longer need to hunt across the wild plains of AH for those poor defenceless threads with few replies just so I can say something that loads of other people are obviously going to agree with.

I'm also far too Awesome to be stressed out these days.
For instance a couple of weeks ago I had some serious money troubles, a lot of bills were due and I was in serious danger of being totally stressed out.
What did I do?
Well, I just lay on the couch, doing nothing except being Awesome until it all worked itself out a few days later.

*Any references to "Awesome" or "Being Awesome" or general "Awesomeness" in the above post should be substituted with a reference in the appropriate context to getting, and / or being "high".

benjamin d

Dudess wrote: »

Full-on stress/anxiety can cause people to be unable to eat, sleep, feel like they're going to explode with the pressure, have panic attacks; stops them focusing (so what use are they in the workplace?)... I agree a bit of run-of-the-mill stress isn't an illness, but hardly anyone would look for sick leave for that in the first place, however when things get like the former, I would think it would actually be the sensible option to take some time off. If that's not an illness, what is?
I also think there's far more a likelihood of people SAYING ADHD is used as an excuse for a kid being badly-behaved than it actually being the case.
And I've certainly never heard of dyslexia being used as an excuse for... what? It's not like it's a condition anyway, it's a learning difficulty I thought.

I agreed that stress isn't nice when its legitimate, so I don't know what you're getting at there, and I know not many people are going to use it as an excuse to get off work, but as you can see, some do. Stress and depression are very common reasons for claiming illness benefit, and I've known several people who have claimed on those grounds because they won't hassle you to find work like they do with the dole (these people are wasters, yes). Most are genuine, but a significant amount are not. Some people will use anything to get paid time off work.
As regards ADHD, I personally don't think that its an illness/medical condition/whatever at all, it just seems to me to be a useful excuse as you say.
I've known people who claim to be dyslexic just because they never learned to read or write properly at school, or they did badly in an exam, and use it to explain that away, and I knew a couple of people at school who used to claim, as much to themselves as anyone else, that they were dyslexic so they could use it as a crutch and be a lazy bollox! I also know people who are genuinely dyslexic so I'm not saying its completely made up, nor am I saying that stress and depression don't exist, but I am saying that a lot of people out there see these things as a nice excuse when things get a little bit too tough for them or they're feeling lazy.

Odysseus

Liam_Flag wrote: »

A freind of mine told me yesterday that that a girl in admin had taken 2 weeks sick leave due to 'stress' - that there was nothing wrong with her and it was a result of having a petty difference with one of the nurses.

I've never heard of it before and I'm amazed. I doubt many in the private sector would take it as quickly as people in the ps?

It's as common in both, unless the poor fcuker can't afford it. Do you really think the GP wrote Stress on the cert? There are many ways of dealing with that issue

AnonoBoy

Wazdakka wrote: »

:eek:
My honour being called into question??
It is a very true story I'll have you know sirs.

I get more than my far share of thanks in the YLYL thread and no longer need to hunt across the wild plains of AH for those poor defenceless threads with few replies just so I can say something that loads of other people are obviously going to agree with.

I'm also far too Awesome to be stressed out these days.
For instance a couple of weeks ago I had some serious money troubles, a lot of bills were due and I was in serious danger of being totally stressed out.
What did I do?
Well, I just lay on the couch, doing nothing except being Awesome until it all worked itself out a few days later.

*Any references to "Awesome" or "Being Awesome" or general "Awesomeness" in the above post should be substituted with a reference in the appropriate context to getting, and / or being "high".

That's pretty awesome.

Eoin

Deleted User wrote: »

You must be joking. If you have a contract and a medical certificate (which can get obtained for as little as €30 I'm told) you're pretty much golden in most private sector companies.

No, you're not golden in most private sector companies.

There is no obligation to pay sick leave, and you can still be let go if you're not fit to do the job you're contracted to do. A medical note would not prevent that.

From citizensinformation.ie:

In some circumstances, where an employee has consistently been absent from work (or if through illness is no longer capable of continuing work), employment may be terminated. Employees are protected in certain circumstances in this instance through the unfair dismissals legislation.

soden12

Talk of stress is very common in the private sector - the bwank officials union (IBOA) is often on about it - something to do with having to open up at 10.00 and work until 16:00 I think. Or it might be about the difficulty of paying for their subsidised mortgage.

Eoin

I'm not a big fan of the banking industry, but you do know that the people behind the counters (who aren't on big wages at all) are working outside of the opening hours to the public, right?

Millicent

benjamin d wrote: »

Stress and depression are very common reasons for claiming illness benefit, and I've known several people who have claimed on those grounds because they won't hassle you to find work like they do with the dole (these people are wasters, yes).

How do you know that they are not low-functioning depressives? What looks like a waster to you may be someone dealing with a very serious mental illness.

Jaxxy

Public Vs Private aside, it is true that in a lot of cases being certified as suffering from "stress" can be quite common and isn't all that difficult to achieve. Working in HR I have learned that anyone can present with a set of symptoms to their doctor, reel off the list and be declared as suffering from stress or depression. The doctor's loyalty is to the patient, not the company they work for, so it is in their best interest to ensure their patient is happy and healthy. This is one of the reasons why just brandishing a doctor's cert (for whatever condition, in whatever sector) doesn't mean you can take as much leave as you want, without prejudice.

Having said that it is extremely difficult to prove one way or another that an individual is genuinely suffering or not. You do not know this individual's personal history, the details of their personal life or what they might be going through in or out of the workplace. As has been mentioned before in this thread quite often people surrounding someone who is suffering from stress or depression are unaware of the extent of it, or if even they are struggling at all. I have known people who have taken their lives and most of the time the news was greeted with complete and utter shock. One individual in particular was often described as "the life and soul of the party". Not exactly a trait one commonly equates with someone who is depressed.

Point being, just because you think someone doesn't appear to be stressed, or can't manage the same level of stress that you can, doesn't mean they're not legitimately stressed. Mental illness is just that, an illness, and it is serious and can have very serious consequences.

FlutterinBantam

JaxxYChicK wrote: »

Having said that it is extremely difficult to prove one way or another that an individual is genuinely suffering or not.

.

There is your answer, well used and abused.

Naikon

Millicent wrote: »

How do you know that they are not low-functioning depressives? What looks like a waster to you may be someone dealing with a very serious mental illness.

Probably because they are a ****. There is a saying that you can't really understand something like severe depression(Which is a far cry from someone feeling down) unless you have actually experienced it for yourself. Hence the term "Major".
I am pretty certain your typical "waster" does not question his/her mere existence on a daily basis. It's easy to label someone I reckon rather than to fully understand their situation. People in general fear/ridicule stuff they don't fully grasp.

benjamin d

Millicent wrote: »

How do you know that they are not low-functioning depressives? What looks like a waster to you may be someone dealing with a very serious mental illness.

Because the reason I know that you get less hassle from social welfare on sick and not the dole is because these people have gleefully pointed it out when they get on the sick! Most of the people I knew who were on the sick were also working for cash in hand so they are obviously functioning quite well! How many times do I have to say that I KNOW there are genuine cases but that there are far too many people who are taking the piss.

Krieg

I really don't know why this turned into public vs private sector debate since stress leave happens in both and in both cases you need a doctors cert.

From my own experience I've seen people using stress leave as a holiday, as mentioned by previous posters. Quite sickening to see some useless lazy f***, with illusions of vast self entitlement getting stress leave, I'd pay to see what excuse they use on the doctor to get the cert.

It doesn't sound ethical but I love it when people use it as a threat to management when they are being overworked, works every time too.

Dudess

benjamin d wrote: »

I know not many people are going to use it as an excuse to get off work, but as you can see, some do.

I haven't seen it myself tbh, moreso people claiming that it's the case. But I'm not saying it's an impossibility just because I don't know of cases of it myself (I would take much of the claims on this thread with a pinch of salt).

As regards ADHD, I personally don't think that its an illness/medical condition/whatever at all, it just seems to me to be a useful excuse as you say.

Whatever you think or don't think, it is a legitimate condition. Just because it's (apparently) abused, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Again, I don't know of anyone who has abused it. I did talk to a woman though whose son has it and she found that the ADHD was bad enough, but the assumption she was making it up made things far worse.

Jaxxy

benjamin d wrote: »

Because the reason I know that you get less hassle from social welfare on sick and not the dole is because these people have gleefully pointed it out when they get on the sick! Most of the people I knew who were on the sick were also working for cash in hand so they are obviously functioning quite well! How many times do I have to say that I KNOW there are genuine cases but that there are far too many people who are taking the piss.

In fairness you can say the same for a lot of conditions. I know people on long term disability because of "back problems", doesn't stop them doing their nixers though. It's a flawed system, but then again we know that. I think the point being made here though is that not everyone who claims to be suffering from stress is just looking for a hand out.

There is a general lack of understanding in this country with regard to mental illness. It isn't something that is as easily overcome as some might think, in fact for many people it's an ongoing, life-long battle.

FlutterinBantam

JaxxYChicK wrote: »

In fairness you can say the same for a lot of conditions. I know people on long term disability because of "back problems", doesn't stop them doing their nixers though. It's a flawed system, but then again we know that. I think the point being made here though is that not everyone who claims to be suffering from stress is just looking for a hand out.

There is a general lack of understanding in this country with regard to mental illness. It isn't something that is as easily overcome as some might think, in fact for many people it's an ongoing, life-long battle.

Agreed, however there is a strong coterie of wasters who use the cover of 'stress' and 'back trouble' as an excuse to live on easy street.


We need to weed those wasters out.

freckly

Try being properly stressed out- not having a tough time of it stressed, but being unable to cope stressed. Watch helplessly as you turn from a cheery person into somebody who cries if the kettle takes too long to boil or you cant find your keys. Wonder why you are the only one getting every cold, flu, chest infection, rash etc. Deny that you are stressed until your long-suffering OH or doctor makes you see that being really stressed happens to even the mentally strongest of us all. Then begrudge the girl time to recover...private or public sector!

Eoin

Krieg wrote: »

I really don't know why this turned into public vs private sector debate since stress leave happens in both and in both cases you need a doctors cert.

I think the comparison tends to comes up (fairly or unfairly) because the average rate of sick leave of civil servants is twice that of the private sector, and because many people in the private sector don't get paid sick leave. Some people might interpret that to mean that the public service are a lot more tolerant of sick leave.

Krieg wrote: »

It doesn't sound ethical but I love it when people use it as a threat to management when they are being overworked, works every time too.

That can be a gamble - I've seen people let go because they couldn't deal with the work they've been paid to do.

Edit - Also, I think there's a legal distinction between stress and depression. If depression is recognised as a disability in Ireland (rather than some sort of illness condition), then employers have a greater obligation to accommodate the employee. Not 100% sure about that though.

Novella

benjamin d wrote: »

I agreed that stress isn't nice when its legitimate, so I don't know what you're getting at there, and I know not many people are going to use it as an excuse to get off work, but as you can see, some do. Stress and depression are very common reasons for claiming illness benefit, and I've known several people who have claimed on those grounds because they won't hassle you to find work like they do with the dole (these people are wasters, yes). Most are genuine, but a significant amount are not. Some people will use anything to get paid time off work.
As regards ADHD, I personally don't think that its an illness/medical condition/whatever at all, it just seems to me to be a useful excuse as you say.
I've known people who claim to be dyslexic just because they never learned to read or write properly at school, or they did badly in an exam, and use it to explain that away, and I knew a couple of people at school who used to claim, as much to themselves as anyone else, that they were dyslexic so they could use it as a crutch and be a lazy bollox! I also know people who are genuinely dyslexic so I'm not saying its completely made up, nor am I saying that stress and depression don't exist, but I am saying that a lot of people out there see these things as a nice excuse when things get a little bit too tough for them or they're feeling lazy.

So...? People use all kinds of things as excuses to get out of doing stuff that they don't wanna do. That doesn't mean that no one ever should be allowed take time off work etc., in case what they're saying isn't true.

It's incredibly difficult to diagnose a mental health issue. Maybe that's why it's quite easy to fake one, but for people genuinely suffering, it's so important that a little leeway is still given.

Dudess

Can't say I've heard of anyone seemingly faking being mentally ill to get out of work - I've heard of genuine cases all right though, if not many. It's still so stigmatised and misunderstood, I'd imagine taking sick leave is a last resort.

All this "Oh there are loads of people who fake xyz to get out of work" stuff... probably a tiny few and then their numbers are increased in people's heads, and then the mere notion becomes the reality for people who have never actually had any experience of this happening.

Not saying it's impossible for a person to fake illness to get out of work (some people are underhand) but it's a shame that there is a risk of genuine cases being dismissed as fakes by people who are all too eager to find badness in others.

Jaxxy

eoin wrote: »

Edit - Also, I think there's a legal distinction between stress and depression. If depression is recognised as a disability in Ireland (rather than some sort of illness condition), then employers have a greater obligation to accommodate the employee. Not 100% sure about that though.

There's a medical distinction. Legally to be honest it can be a complete minefield. Longterm depression from the perspective of the employer can be very tricky and in my experience was always dealt with case by case individually, with little reference to precedence. Depending on the company, sometimes after a set amount of time pay is reduced, others are recommended for termination if it is advised that the employee is considered unfit to return to work indefinitely. This matter would probably have legit grounds in the Public vs Private debate.

Where I work it is not considered a disability. Neither is alcohol or drug dependency. Also I've seen many people go from certified "stress" to "depression" after a time, so it sometimes can be quite difficult to make the distinction.

FlutterinBantam wrote: »

Agreed, however there is a strong coterie of wasters who use the cover of 'stress' and 'back trouble' as an excuse to live on easy street.


We need to weed those wasters out.

That's great in theory, but very difficult in practice!

Millicent

benjamin d wrote: »

Because the reason I know that you get less hassle from social welfare on sick and not the dole is because these people have gleefully pointed it out when they get on the sick! Most of the people I knew who were on the sick were also working for cash in hand so they are obviously functioning quite well! How many times do I have to say that I KNOW there are genuine cases but that there are far too many people who are taking the piss.

Fair enough. Just saying you can't always tar all with the one brush. And to the ones saying they're doing it because it's easier than the dole, it's possible that they're too ashamed to admit something that severe to anyone. Just a thought. Not saying it applies to all.

Jaxxy

Millicent wrote: »

Fair enough. Just saying you can't always tar all with the one brush. And to the ones saying they're doing it because it's easier than the dole, it's possible that they're too ashamed to admit something that severe to anyone. Just a thought. Not saying it applies to all.

+1. You can never know exactly what's going on in someone else's head.

sollar

Liam_Flag wrote: »

A freind of mine told me yesterday that that a girl in admin had taken 2 weeks sick leave due to 'stress' - that there was nothing wrong with her and it was a result of having a petty difference with one of the nurses.

I've never heard of it before and I'm amazed. I doubt many in the private sector would take it as quickly as people in the ps?

How does this friend of yours know what is on the sick cert, how do they know the details or is it just office gossip.

Captain_Generic

If only she had a picture of an otter in a bib....