[Closed] Applying for jobs after sick leave?

Sounds like a shit employer so I'd be looking elsewhere.

They can't or shouldn't divulge your sickness but during an interview it may be worth mention what happened and that the lack of support by your employer is part behind it and one of the reasons you're leaving.

Best of luck with your recovery and your job hunt.

apply for redundancy, but they may refuse.

as for a new job, almost all will ask about health problems and previous illnesses.

As for your current employers you may well be better away from the uncaring management

They can provide factual information re sickness record

One of those sickness and mental health in particular have a stigma so i would not be bringing it up personally as few employers, sadly, will be supportive.

Most will only ask for a reference after deciding but not all

You may be able to negotiate an agreed statement/reference with them as part of a redundancy package but it may be legally dubious if they lie about sickness record though they do not and should not state the reason

Occ health nurse here - they cannot ask about it prior to job offer. Most places will ask 3 or 5 questions around if you have disability, anything stopping you doing work. New employer has legal responsibility make 'reasonable adjustments ' accommodate you doing job.
If I were assessing your pre-emp would get you in for a chat, see if any particular causative factors and give advice based on that. If for example you told me it was situaional - for example family situation now resolved or work place bullying I would be inclined advise you on support available in new role such as counselling and that would be it.
Sorry bit rambling, on phone walking dog down Park, hope it makes sense .

If it's a big enough company health issues will be dealt with by the occy health dept and they'll just give a yay or nay as to your fitness for employment at this moment in time.

Not necessarily, as said it cannot be asked about prior to offer. Main positive I woukd see is being back at work.
Yay or nay is bit oversimplified depending on treatment/ causes/ type role, all based on appointing manager role assessment

I know.

I think employers are meant to only ask for sickness details post confirmation of offer. I went back perm in January and the Occupational Health team at my new employers were very good. They are meant to only give restricted details to your line management too.

Thanks all, that puts my mind at ease a little. Still not sure if I'll have the balls to push the button. I think I need to do it - just feels like a huge leap into the unknown.

Still not sure if I'll have the balls to push the button. I think I need to do it - just feels like a huge leap into the unknown.

Having been there and got the T-shirt, it is especially tough coming back post mental illness as your self esteem will have taken quite a knock. I went on SSRIs only after I started a new job (having quit the old one with a nervous breakdown) as I found that I wasn't back to full mental strength even though I'd left the job that had made me ill. The good news is that SSRIs gave me the extra boost I needed to make my new job work and I'm still here 7 years later....

Incidentally, no one asked me if I'd been off sick or ill, when I changed jobs so I never had to tell them, although I'm quite happy to discuss it within anyone who asks.

[i]Occ health nurse here - they cannot ask about it prior to job offer.[/i]

Maybe not in the public sector, but in the real world it's a bit different...

Want guess again? I work both private and public sector roles, it is illegal to ask and particularly base refusal/ acceptance prior to job offer whatever sector and companies have been done where proven discrimination.only time can use it as bias is if can justify specific abilities needed for role.

I was off for 5 months recently with work related stress, down solely to a particularly unpleasant boss who was actively trying to get rid of me, I secured another position whilst on the sick. I didn't actively divulge my record, but had to list it to new companies occ health, they called for clarification and were satisfied with my explanation and I'm loving my new job!! Good luck, I hope it pans out well for you!

I was supposed to be on a phased return, but have not been given any work, any direction since returning, with almost nil contact from my boss. I feel like I've just been left to fester.

You need to discuss this with your boss / occ health. Quite possibly the word has been put around not to put you under duress, and your boss may just be staying clear because it's his clumsy interpretation of "easing you back in" (the world isn't perfect).

It is, at least partly, up to you to manage your return, and to discuss and agree what you can / can't take on. There's no point sitting there and waiting for someone to guess what the right thing to do is.

I don't know what your redundancy package is worth, but unless it's >> 1 year's salary, I'd be inclined to stay put.

Things have a habit of coming out at interview - "What have you worked on in the last 6 months?" You either have to be honest, in which case your sickness record comes out, or you have to try and be 'creative with the truth' and risk coming across as cagey or shifty.

Decide what *you* want.

Maybe not in the public sector, but in the real world it's a bit different...

Employment law is employment law.

I went through this recently, and had same anxieties regards selection by a new employer, which is particularly difficult when you are already recovering from depression and stress related symptoms.

I had a simple questionnaire to fill in from the occ health department after an offer had been made. It came along with contract, employee handbook etc, all the usual stuff. But the health questionnaire was handled separately and an envelope marked confidential was supplied.
Questions covered a typical checklist of common health issues, and I also had to state total of days off sick in past year. I also had to state whether I would require any adjustments to accommodate a disability or similar.

I actually got offered the job during the latest period of long term sick for stress. I rang the occ health department of the new employer as I was concerned about my total sick days which at the time was >6weeks, but all on that one period of absence. I explained context, and my history, and they were totally cool about it.
I started the new job 8 months ago, never been happier in work (seriously).

Bottom line, if employer is on its game with this kind of issue, deals with it correctly, professionally, then you should have no concerns. Just do not try to hide anything. It is illegal to ask anything about your health during selection process.

If an employer doesn't handle it that way, then ask yourself whether they really are a suitable employer and whether you should even be considering working for them?

All the best

it is illegal to ask and particularly base refusal/ acceptance prior to job offer whatever sector and companies

Taking redundancy would be a risk, it may work out and, stereotyping a touch, if you get something in the public sector you may be fine, the private sector may not be quite as understanding.

It is, but that won't stop employers doing it. Also, if an offer is made and the info is found out later, a company can let someone go for "no reason" within your first 2 years. The OP wanted some real world advice and, whilst that may not be overly nice or what should happen, it is what does happen.

We often forget job selection is two way. If a company acted in this manner during the process of my application, I'd walk out of the door. Real world or not, you'd be a mug to deal with these types, so in my opinion, it may happen, but it's a moot point (for any sensible individual.)

What barkm said.

Employment is a 2 way thing - You should be going in asking why you should commit a large part of your life to this organisation.
If they put you in a position where you feel you have to tell them, then maybe you should explain it. If they think it's going to be relevant it's not a place you'd want to work anyway.

If you stay where you are you are reasonably sure you won't be happy.
If you take redundancy you are far more likely to find something you enjoy. There's every chance it might take you a while, but with enough redundancy there would hopefully not be a rush.

Not an easy decision - good luck.

[i]The OP wanted some real world advice and, whilst that may not be overly nice or what should happen, it is what does happen.[/i]

+1

We can't risk our business with someone who can't (or may not) deliver, maybe fine for large organisations who have 'capacity' but very difficult (both organisationally and finacially) if you are small when someone takes long-term leave (for any reason).

Employment is a 2 way thing, no question of that and in an idea world all prospective employees would have a few options to choose from to ensure they got the right fit. But, this world is far from ideal I'm afraid and if you have bills to pay and only 1 offer on the table, most will take it, irrelevant of how good a match it is for them.

I don't know what the OP does, if it's a skillset that is in demand and their are a lot of jobs out there, go for it, take the redundancy. If it's not they need to think long and hard about how likely it is they'll get a job quickly and equally, how likely it is to be with someone they want to work for.

Facinating discussion form both perspectives.

I can see the relusctance from the OP to divulge his history to any prospective new employer. However i can also see how an employer would want to know the medical history of a prospective employee.

Is it right that an employee can withold such information from a prospective employer knowing that there is a distinct possibility that if the stress situation arose again it could bankrupt a small business.

Seems mad that things are weighted in such a way that the employer has no protection from this.

Seems mad that things are weighted in such a way that the employer has no protection from this.

I worked for an employer who had written a clause into the employees contracts which basically said that if the employee took time off for "any stress or anxiety related condition" then the employer was entitled to terminate their contract with immediate effect..... and that's exactly what happened.

After working there for 8 months I , for the first time in my life and quite unexpectedly, had an "episode" on a Monday morning.

Saw the doctor on the Wednesday and was given a sick line for a month.

Sent the sick line to the employer and received a letter on Friday terminating my employment.

Not sure that what they did was even remotely legal, but since I had been there for less than a year there was absolutely no point in making an issue of it as I had no rights anyway.

Thanks so much for all the replies - once again I'm blown away with the collective knowledge and compassion on here.

apply for redundancy, but they may refuse.

You need to discuss this with your boss / occ health. Quite possibly the word has been put around not to put you under duress,

I don't know what your redundancy package is worth, but unless it's >> 1 year's salary

It's 9 months, which would stretch to a year what with the tax breaks etc. If it was 12 months or more, I wouldn't be worrying about it, I'd be off 🙂 My skills are relatively niche (Cisco networking stuff), so loads of jobs in SE England, but fewer in Scotland.

Thanks to augustuswindsock, tillydog, barkm, footflaps for sharing your similar stories and to northshoreniall for the occy health viewpoint.

I'll report back on Friday evening with whether I plucked up the courage to take the jump.

In the same boat.

I was hit by a car from behind in early Sept and suffered conclusion and amnesia.

Went to occupational health who said not fit for work and post concussion syndrome but will recover and to practice my work at home till I feel back to it with a phased 1-3 week return.

I thought it was cheeky when my employer wrote 35 hr week employee when I work 18 hrs 7 days a week.

Friends told me to carry on as it will look better for next employer instead of handing my notice in and recovering a few weeks unemployed.

Health is priceless. Speak to your boss about your duties. After a good spell then hand in your notice once you get a new offer.

Cisco you say? Get some UCCE/Contact Centre experience and you'll walk into a job, standard LAN/WAN stuff is less niche but any unified comms stuff is seriously demand.

Is it right that an employee can withold such information from a prospective employer knowing that there is a distinct possibility that if the stress situation arose again it could bankrupt a small business.

Absolutely it's right it's stops discrimination. An employer is protected for 2 years, if an employee absence or performance is poor over those 2 years then they can let the employee go with no penalty,

I worked for an employer who had written a clause into the employees contracts which basically said that if the employee took time off for "any stress or anxiety related condition" then the employer was entitled to terminate their contract with immediate effect

Discrimination such as that. I really can't see that being legal at all.

Interesting thread - I've had some time off this year with work related stress, anxiety and depression. Passed all the tests and interviews for a transfer to another civil service department but only got on a reserve list - wonder if HR were talking to each other? Unlikely in the civil service though.

*Adds paranoia to the diagnosis*

Also on a controlled return to normal duties but that seems to mean very little work of my own but occasional doses of other peoples crap when it gets close to the target date.

Change of family and financial circumstances means I've applied to reduce my hours to a part-time/term time level. Apparently my request is going via Occupational Health, so that should be an interesting conversation on a whole number of levels!

Sorry to hear that MoreCash. I too share your paranoia about thing like that. For me, it feels like the company have put nothing but hurdles and obstacles in my way. I had applied for a sideways move into a different part of the business and made the mistake of being open and honest with the hiring managers when I had a pre-application chat with them. Despite being a strong candidate for the role on the basis of skills and experience, I wasn't even offered an interview. When I asked why I was told it's because it's a "high pressure environment" and they "didn't think it would be suitable for me" - although it's no more or less high pressure than anything else I've been involved in. And despite my recent troubles not being at all related to too much pressure. My union rep reckons they're breaking the law but says it's not worth pursuing as it's nigh impossible to prove.

I won't make that mistake again! 🙂

Well I didn't do it in the end. Done a cost/benefit analysis last night and decided that staying for another 12-18 months to develop a few extra skills and more importantly have the stability to continue my recovery would leave me in a place where I'd stand a much better chance of being able to leave and get a job elsewhere without too much difficulty. Thanks again all, and to those who are going through their own mental health battle, I wish you all the very best.