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Is it acceptable to take (emergency) annual leave days off due to mental health?


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I've recently overcome BPD and my GP and local therapist believe that I am on a road to overcoming Major Depression and anxiety which I am incredibly pleased about, however although a lot of the symptoms and problems have subsided dramatically over the course of a year, I am still effected by it and it causes me to relapse on multiple occasions. There are days when I wake up and the feeling of hopelessness just fluctuates repeatedly between mild and severe.

 

Since I have started working for these two companies (Starting December, 2016) I have taken 8 sick days off and 3.5 annual leave days (including emergency leave). I have been with both companies for 7 months and have been promoted twice.

 

I was just wondering if the above days off would seem an acceptable amount? As in previous places I've worked, I had never taken it upon myself to take leave due to mental or physical health as I'd normally just endure it through the typical 9-6 working hours but as the months progressed it has proved a lot more difficult. I understand leave is used for anything of your desire, but it's just the fact that for myself it's not related to leisure activities but more so my genuine personal health.

 

I don't want my employer and director to assume that I'm slacking or I'm demotivated to come into work - I have spoken about my past to them but I haven't gone into any particular detail as I'm not one to burden with unnecessary commotion. I do also have a worry of being demoted due to the workload and backlog that my job role/occupation entails on a daily basis.

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In the US you have the legal right to certain days off due to health reasons. If you are given sick days they are yours to use.

 

 

That is the legal answer. The less quantifiable answer is that if your employer views you as unreliable then it may slow or prevent promotion. However, if you are otherwise a stellar performer & aren't exceeding your allotted amount, the employer may not care.

 

 

I'm not a morning person & I suffer from depression. The last time I worked for a "big" company -- at least the largest one I ever worked for -- I was late to work almost every day, getting there between 9:15 & 9:30. Some low level managers didn't like that but the big bosses didn't care because of the 15 revenue producers on staff, I generated 11% of the company's income by myself (if everything was equal each revenue generator should have been producing 6.7% of the profits). I was more than making up for my tardiness.

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  • 2 weeks later...

It depends on the job and the industry. In some places, as long as you produce well, it doesn't matter. In other places, lots of absences are a bad thing. In retail, for example, someone is not working that shift if you don't show up. If you're a teacher, missing the equivalent of twice a month would be a death knell.

 

If you are a good worker while you are there and have been promoted twice, it must not be a big problem. Good for you for working to overcome obstacles.

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  • 3 weeks later...

How many annual leave days do you have at your disposal?

 

If you have days available you can negotiate when you take them.

 

You can also legally self-certificate for four sick leave days before the need for a doctors note in the UK.

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How many annual leave days do you have at your disposal?

 

If you have days available you can negotiate when you take them.

 

You can also legally self-certificate for four sick leave days before the need for a doctors note in the UK.

 

Hey,

 

Thanks for the reply, Nowty!

 

I still have approximately 16 days leave that I can use, however the issue (well not so much an issue anymore) is that I'm resigning from my current position and with the current companies I'm working for to pursue a different career with an entirely different association/organisation all together. My contract was fixed term and was due to be obsolete as of August anyway.

 

My current employer, director and even the HR team have been very lenient with me because I've had a few situations where I've had to take multiple days off but not consecutively. More so on and off so if there is workload then it'd either have to wait until I'm back in the office or I complete a percentage of it in my own time at home.

 

I took the decisive decision to leave because although It's an occupation I enjoy, I feel that I need to enhance my knowledge perhaps a little more and broaden my horizons when it comes to work, as like I've said before since I turned 16 I've been working the typical 9-6 corporate, office based jobs and it has taken a toll on my mental and physical health on multiple occasions.

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