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Personal leave options


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Let me start by asking any replies be gentle.


I’m struggling badly with mental illness for various reasons. I am meeting my GP tomorrow to talk about having time off work to focus on my wellbeing. I have over a month’s worth of personal leave accrued and would like to take as much time as possible.


My work is not super challenging but it is a unique role in the organisation and that means that filling my role if I am away for an extended period might be difficult. The IT permissions required alone would take well over a week to arrange. The handover would also be lengthy as no one else works in the space at all ( I am writing a manual for my role so that in future, when I move on there are handover documents etc). My managers all have other main roles in the organisation, which makes communication complex and potentially annoying for them to manage if someone is found to do some backfill.


I was thinking of suggesting that I just work significantly reduced hours for a few weeks, doing only the core role duties instead of taking time off completely. I wonder though if that is appropriate or if it would be well received by a manager. I know no one can tell me what my manager would think but I wonder if in general it is more annoying to try and find someone to backfill some leave than it is to retain continuity but at a lower level of production.

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  • Emissary

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  • Rosie28

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Yes that sounds easier for you work, but really what’s best for your mental health? That should be the priority. For me, I think a complete break away from work would be so much better

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Would it be possible to get backfill that works with you for a week to get the accesses and learn the basics so that you can take the leave you need?


It's not reasonable to have so much reliance on an individual that they can't take leave when they need it.

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Please talk to your manager.


At the end of the day you need to prioritise your mental health. They can, and will, sort it out.


I say this gently and don’t mean any offence but no one is indispensable and shouldn’t be so as it’s a key person risk issue, especially in a large organisation. Taking a week to organise access isn’t long and there should already be a back up person for you. How are you allowed to go on any type of leave? That’s just unacceptable.


You are entitled to look after your health. Please do so.

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Not Escapin Xmas

Definitely talk to your manager as soon as you can. Often with mental health leave the first the manager hears is when the person calls and says I can’t come in for a month. So any warning is better than none. And agree with PPs that if you need time off, then you need complete rest, not ‘minimum’ work as you won’t be able to recover.

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I totally appreciate that no one is irreplaceable. I’m more very anxious to avoid causing unnecessary trouble. I’m extra sensitive to the perception of upsetting others and right now I will be upset with myself for causing trouble.


The situation is slightly more complex as the work is do is paid but the people I work with and for are doing their work on a voluntary basis on top of their paid work and so they work in their spare time on an ad-hoc basis. I am doing my job well when I am minimising their need to manage me. Contacting them and asking for their guidance is often problematic, so things work best when I contact them with an issue and lay out the options/suggestions. I can present both options but I wanted to be sure asking for significantly reduced hours wouldn’t be generally considered inappropriate.


ETA: [mention]Emissary[/mention] the New Years before last I spent the whole night while on leave working with on a business case while on the phone to someone I was supporting.

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Reduced hours would likely work best for the organisation but you need to consider your health. Maybe a week totally off and then reduced hours would be better? Whatever you do I’d save a week of personal leave for winter in case you get sick etc.

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I gave a heads up a few weeks ago that I would be likely to take some leave after a few work events took place. They know I’m not coping at the moment, so it’s not out of the blue, I wouldn’t do that to them.


Thanks for the replies. Some good advice and things to think about.

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tinselfoil hat

[mention]Poetsdoek[/mention] i hope you feel better soon and good on you for recognising you need a break.


Something else to consider... Your work may say no to a reduction in hours. If somebody is working at reduced capacity, employers often wonder about liability if you are injured. For example, if a doctor deemed you unfit for work but you came to an agreement to work a few hours a week and had some sort of work related psychological injury during that time, it could be argued they were negligent in allowing you to work in a vulnerable state.


If your employer is risk averse they may prefer you to stay away for a while.


Good luck.

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Thanks, I did wonder about that as well. Starting to lean towards maybe a shorter break that wouldn’t be back filled, but also where I was only contactable for the super urgent stuff.

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If you’ve submitted a certificate that you are unfit and need leave then they should absolutely not be contacting you for any reason. A good manager would be aware of that.


As Emissary points out they have allowed a risky situation here by having no documents and no one already trained to backfill you. They will need to manage that while you are absent on leave.

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Perhaps an option would be to suggest a few days leave- maybe something like Thur/Fri and Mon/Tue so you have six days rest then come back on half your usual hours for a week to train a temp in the core matters for some backfill, then take the actual time you need. If your leave balance isn’t great, ask HR about taking the leave at half pay to double your days available.

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I totally appreciate that no one is irreplaceable. I’m more very anxious to avoid causing unnecessary trouble. I’m extra sensitive to the perception of upsetting others and right now I will be upset with myself for causing trouble.


The situation is slightly more complex as the work is do is paid but the people I work with and for are doing their work on a voluntary basis on top of their paid work and so they work in their spare time on an ad-hoc basis. I am doing my job well when I am minimising their need to manage me. Contacting them and asking for their guidance is often problematic, so things work best when I contact them with an issue and lay out the options/suggestions. I can present both options but I wanted to be sure asking for significantly reduced hours wouldn’t be generally considered inappropriate.


ETA: @Emissary the New Years before last I spent the whole night while on leave working with on a business case while on the phone to someone I was supporting.

 

I think you’re an absolute sweetheart for caring so much but I can see why you’re so burnt out.


I hope your employer cares as much about you and let you go on the break you so clearly deserve. A good employer will accommodate your request and prioritise your mental health as well.

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