I suspect we’ve all had them, those days where you’ve just had enough and need to take a day out to ‘decompress’ (other jargon is available)

What would your work / boss say if you put this as your out of office?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/item/cc1ab625-3180-4017-b8c8-5e54b4828d4b

Are you like me and feign the flu / the shits instead?

They’d say: “Why didn’t you just contact us, do you want come counselling?”

“Can we do anything to help?”

“Shall we meet for a coffee and a chat?”

“Do you want to report you absence or shall we?”

Then support would be offered with a return to work plan when ready.

No need for the dramatic out of office.

But there is nothing dramatic about the out of office message. Is it more dramatic than saying “I’ve sprained my ankle and need a couple of days with my feet up, see you Monday”?

Just back from the docs with my first prescription of Prozac, hoping it suits me, seems these things can be a bit unpredictable.

Current employer would say –

“Why didn’t you just contact us, do you want come counselling?”

“Can we do anything to help?”

“Shall we meet for a coffee and a chat?”

“Do you want to report you absence or shall we?”

Then support would be offered with a return to work plan when ready.

Previous employer would say
“Don’t worry, we’ll clear your desk, come and pick up your stuff when you’re ready”

Bit over-dramatic and attention grabbing for an out of office IMHO. Why would you ever put details in your OOO mail?

“I’m off for two weeks expensive all inclusive holiday in the carribean. I am considerably richer than you. No access to email, back on xxx”

“I am out of the office taking my gnarrrrr bike around a trail centre to straaaavvvvaaaaaa the greens and scare young children. I will be back on Thursday”

“Taking a long weekend with the wife to do dirty things. Back in on Tuesday, may be a bit tired”

or perhaps the more standard, simple and polite:

“I’m currently out of the office with limited/no access to email. I will return to work on the xxx”

Mental health needs to be more openly discussed. But not in your out of office…

But there is nothing dramatic about the out of office message.

It’s not normal to put you’re reason for being off sick on your out of office though is it? Normal thing is just ‘out of the business, please contact xx’

So she off to “focus on my mental health” so does that mean she’s just off to keep healthy? Might replace that with “focusing on my physical health” and see how it goes

Altneratively, if ill why bothering giving the reason at all? I’ve ever seen anyone put they they’ve broken a leg/got the shits/got the flu/whatevs on their out of office.

EDIT: er year what he said

Gary_M – Member
It’s not normal to put you’re reason for being off sick on your out of office though is it? Normal thing is just ‘out of the business, please contact xx’

It’s basically saying that I can’t handle the stress of my job, which may or may not spook the employer depending on whether that level of stress was normal or not.

The manager wouldn’t like having to make an excuse to the board for not making a delivery date because some of her developers were off because they were feeling a little stressed.

Especially as there is a normally quite a bit of stress in software development, mainly down to our inability to estimate timescales correctly, or if we estimate correctly to then slack off at the start of a project and then panic towards the end.

Often salaries have this stress factored into them, such as salaries for developers in the front office at investment banks.

But there is nothing dramatic about the out of office message. Is it more dramatic than saying “I’ve sprained my ankle and need a couple of days with my feet up, see you Monday”?

Would you send that to everyone and put it in your out of office or would you just tell people your absent?

It’s basically saying that I can’t handle the stress of my job, which may or may not spook the employer depending on whether that level of stress was normal or not.

You can tell them by actually speaking to them though.

So you’re criticising someone who has admitted having issues with her mental health for doing something a bit odd WRT workplace etiquette?

Can you see the problem there?

Would you send that to everyone and put it in your out of office or would you just tell people your absent?

No use asking me, I’ve been self employed for more than 20 years, but my experience of office life tells me there are people who will over share, and some you won’t know anything about despite working alongside them for years.

Madalyn? Well, really. That tells you all you need to know. Attention-seeking nutter.

A guy I used to work with, who was a massive twit, instead of simply saying “I am out of the office” would put “I am out of the office on international business” so that we’d all be impressed at how important he was.

He wasn’t. He was the same grade as me 🙄

We all laughed at him, and he didn’t get invited to team social events 😆

So you’re criticising someone who has admitted having issues with her mental health for doing something a bit odd WRT workplace etiquette?

The only problem is no one has suggested criticising them.

Spelling correction noted.

avoiding the stress by pulling a sickie won’t solve the problem though will it?

It will if she can bring her whole self to work the next week 🙂

avoiding the stress by pulling a sickie won’t solve the problem though will it?

Well no of course not but it can take you away from it to help find a solution and to help recover.

I have never felt the need to explain the reason why I’m not at work in my out of office replies.

I’m aware that people *may* need to know I’m not there, but at the same time, nobody cares why.

Watching this thread with interest as there are several comments that the writers are making unchecked assumptions (I know this is the internet so most of them are, but it is worth a punt at pointing them out).

The first is that mental health = stress (and work induced stress as well). Take a moment to think about all of the possible mental health issues and then you are assuming that it is work related stress and the negative connotation of that is that the person cannot do their job. A lot of conditions need active management and this may mean time off work. If you make any assumptions without knowing the details then you could be part of the problem.

The second is that there is a very large prejudice against anybody with any mental health issue. If you do not treat it as an illness that needs treatment, rather than the “put up and shut up” attitude of a lot of workplaces means that people can end up in very deep trouble. The open attitude may look odd, but if a team and employer have made a culture that a person is comfortable enough to do this then good on them(even if it may look a bit odd to the outside). The fact that you cannot see that this is what may be happening means that you are not aware that it may be an option for employers. In the long run this attitude will lead to better productivity as the illness is treated early and understood, rather than having people off for months with mental health issues. It may actually be good financial practice to do this.

I unfortunately work for one of those employers that like to make all the right noises, with free subscription to “Headspace” app and phone numbers for counselling etc. But when you actually try to ask something of them such as a change of work hours to help your symptoms and causes then they don’t want to know, all front and no back..

I’m going through a period of anxiety and daily panic attacks at the moment, 3 months or more, they’re not work triggered thankfully, in actual fact, work is one of the few times I feel at peace.

I’ve spoken to my Boss about it, he knows why I’m a bit ‘off’ at times and also why I’ve been taking longer than usual lunch breaks etc.

I’ve got a primary mental healthcare assessment due soon, I guess they might prescribe some time away from work, but I doubt it but if I do I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t be a problem.

Out of office auto replies should always be short and sweet.

I’m currently out of the office, call xxxxxx or email xxxxxxx

That’s all that’s needed.

The wording suggests she is being pro-active/emptive about it – can see some kind of episode coming up and is taking time off to do something to head it off.

I have a really bad knee after a motorbike accident and it hurts like hell when the weather changes. But cycling helps strengthen it.
Wonder if I could take a sunny day off to ride my bike if the forecast for the next day suggest thunderstorms?

I very much agree with manton69

But something about this story seems a bit like a publicity stunt.
It’s such a vague message it could mean anything but people are drawing all sorts of conclusions from it

Interesting comments, and not all of which I agree with.

The Out of Office one is fair, I don’t usually feel the need to put the reason on either although if I’m work travel I’ll likely say because then people can expect a response, maybe from a mobile or on another timezone; if I’m on holiday I’ll also say because then i will avoid answering all but the most urgent/important ones. I wouldn’t typically say that I’m off sick, and certainly not that i have raging shits.

But she did, and may have had underlying reasons why she did. I’m more impressed that her boss was quick to say that it’s Ok to need a day off BEFORE it becomes a major issue…. rather than have to pretend you have a cold. I’ll be honest and say I don’t think it would happen where I’ve worked – you’re either expected to suck it up, or take it as holiday, or as above, lie.

(almost) everyone does it in some form or another…. question really is why do we have to hide it? If you went to your boss with a filthy cold and said I need a day in bed to get over this most places wouldn’t bat an eyelid. If you went with a this place is doing my head in, I just need a day out before i kill someone……. different.

Interesting – I can see why you wouldn’t just say you’re off sick as then you just get everyone asking what was wrong etc. you when you get back (which you might not be comfortable saying due to the general stigma that still exists towards mental health issues). I think it’s pretty cool she was upfront about it.

Where I work is a bit strange, they push mental health help/support quite a lot (we even have mental health first aiders in each office) but as Scud says, when it comes down to adjusting working practices to cater for it they’re fairly intransigent.

It’s not an automated out of office is it? Just a note to her team explaining why she’s off?

I think part of her mental health issue is not having enough attention.

I would be annoyed at that person.

It has an underlying message that her employer is draconian and putting too much on her shoulders.

If you want a day off to sort your life out take one but don’t air dirty laundry regardless of what it is on company communications.

Unprofessional would “manage out”

It’s not an automated out of office is it? Just a note to her team explaining why she’s off?

It does seem to be that yes, despite the massively misleading headline.

Out of office auto replies should always be short and sweet.

I’m currently out of the office, call xxxxxx or email xxxxxxx

That’s all that’s needed.

I only use three x’s for emails to my wife, I think she’d be upset if I used seven for the whole office.

Some of these replies show we have a long way to go with destigmatising mental health 🙁

Some of these replies show we have a long way to go with destigmatising mental health

Agree.

But something about this story seems a bit like a publicity stunt

Indeed – it’s all ended up on Twitter > BBC > STW > …

Hi,

I’ll be out of the office for a while, my heid was wrecked on a hefty cocktail of illicit substances at the weekend, some trip mind, has to be said. But my mental health is now in a fragile state, I think I’m lurking somewhere around the 7th circle of hell at this very minute. I’ll be back at some point when I’m squared up, I’m sure you’ll all understand.

Cheers

s77

😆

Logically, its mumsnet next.

FWIW I think being able to say words to the effect of “my condition has kicked off and I need time off” and for the employer to be OK with it is a massive thing.

As opposed to having to invent a stomach bug.

FWIW I think being able to say words to the effect of “my condition has kicked off and I need time off” and for the employer to be OK with it is a massive thing.

but would you copy in everyone else in the office?

Bit over-dramatic and attention grabbing for an out of office IMHO. Why would you ever put details in your OOO mail?
…
Mental health needs to be more openly discussed. But not in your out of office…

Presumably to raise awareness of issues that some people might trivialise or otherwise pooh-pooh (you know, like putting “sickness” in quotes in a thread title for instance). 40,000 likes and 13,000 retweets – along with a potentially lengthy discussion on a popular mountain biking forum – would suggest that it’s been moderately successful.

Take a moment to think about all of the possible mental health issues and then you are assuming that it is work related stress and the negative connotation of that is that the person cannot do their job. A lot of conditions need active management and this may mean time off work. If you make any assumptions without knowing the details then you could be part of the problem.

Indeed. This is worth a read (and note the domain name):

https://butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/

I know several Spoonies.

A guy at work sent an email in saying that he was working at home as he had a bad stomach and was ‘a bit loose’.