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Applying for jobs when you have been off with stress
Leicester_Hunk
Posts: 18,316 Forum Member
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My girlfriend has been unhappy at work for a very long time culminating in her putting in a formal grievance when efforts to resolve situations did not work (her line manager was off with long term illness and the cover people did nothing) so HR advised her to put in a grievance. She was then targeted again and has been signed off with work related stress for a month, she goes back to the doctor tomorrow but fully expect another sick note.
She wants to get it resolved but ultimately wants a new job. What experience does anyone have of owning up to being off with work related stress?
How is it viewed?
She wants to get it resolved but ultimately wants a new job. What experience does anyone have of owning up to being off with work related stress?
How is it viewed?
0
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a lot of time work-related stress is environmental and getting out of her current environment into a new one might be all she needs
the main issue might be if the job she is applying for requires a reference from her current employers
She has been off since 16 June. Before that she went in when she was stressed to hell and did two people's jobs whilst being bullied and undermined. She is not known for taking time off work and is not a complainer or whinger.
They won't care, All they will see is the time off, Harsh but true.
This. Some people are habitual sick leavers which are a nightmare for businesses and the other staff. Any sort of hint your partner is one will put potential employers right off.
She's not.
This is the first proper sickness absence she has had other than being involved in a car accident years ago.
Its irrelevant whether she is or isn't. As soon as someone sees she's been off with stress for a month (or more) then alarm bells will ring. Stress is particularly bad one as any job can be stressful and they will not know her circumstances.
I would agree with this advice.
"Stress" used to be a blanket used by lazy sods who wanted months off work.
They got their time off, but then discovered that it was difficult to get credit, mortgages and the like, once they had the S word associated with themselves.
Harsh but true.
As far as a reference goes, if she has a solid history of employment, and no formal issues have been raised with her performance, I think firms are duty bound to give a fair reference. And surely - if there really are issues - then they wouldn't want to stand in the way of her getting a new job?
I have worked in HR for years - if she has worked in a professional role (which it sounds like she has) responsible employers will not 'hold it against her'. This is a common myth and feeling like her illness may diminish her employability will not help her stress levels.
ACAS advise that 'stress' not be stated on a Fit Note as a reason for absence at work as it is a symptom NOT an illness. It may be more beneficial getting to the route of the problem re depression, anxiety etc.
Tell her to focus on getting well and one long term sick absence will not stop her getting future roles for the rest of her life. Put it in perspective - any employer that discriminates in this manner is probably not worth working for anyway!!!!
Are sick days no longer requested on application forms then?
They shouldn't be because it would be unlawful to do so.
When the Equality Act 2010 came into force it made it unlawful to ask health related questions during a recruitment process until a person has been conditionally offered a job.
But they can be mentioned on a reference as long as the company can prove what they say is true
So you could be offered a position dependant on references and fail as a result of this
From one HR bod to another I couldn't agree more. Most employers are capable of putting things into perspective; one prolonged period of sickness absence does not automatically mean that the individual won't be suitable to carry out the job. We would always carry out an assessment with the individual so that we can make a more informed decision.
She doesn't need to state this current illness on any application form and it's illegal for employers to ask health related questions until post offer.
To be honest most employers only write standard references now. As a referee, I personally wouldn't bother telling an employer that an employee has had significant amount of time off work due to sickness. It's just not worth the potential problems we could face.
Yes this is true, and whilst we don't share poor attendance records there are still a number of employers who are happy to do so.
What if a potential employer asks the previous employer for this specific information. Or is that no longer allowed?
When I used to do recruiting, shortlisting and interviewing in 3 public sector orgs, it was one of the specific questions we used to ask at reference stage. If the sick time was too much or not disclosed, we would not offer the position.
They can ask all they like, but the employer will only disclose what they want.
I've had HR people ringing me up asking for more information and I've simply told them no. It won't effect the person being offered the job (well not for most jobs).
In fact I think it is illegal to actually give a bad reference
No it's not.
It is illegal to give a false reference, and for that reason it's common sense to only disclose facts. But as long as you stick to the facts, it's not illegal to say "Jane Doe was late 10 times last month and she had a written warning for her tardiness", or even "John was put on a performance improvement plan to address his issues with proofreading work before sending it to clients".
Both could be considered bad references, but as long as the information is factual (i.e. not slanderous or libellous) then it's perfectly legal.
Many companies however, stick to dates only for references to cover their backsides. And it's not true that if your referees only give out dates of employment that it looks bad and it's a de facto poor reference. Any hiring manager worth their salt will know that many companies have dates-only as a standard policy regardless of the employee's performance, and they would use other references or other measures of performance gleaned from the interview/hiring process to assess the candidate's suitability for the role.
She may need the sick pay, Or may not be able to sign on if she leaves voluntarily
Just people.
Just a quick point on that one if she is sufffering from stress and that could easily turn into depresssion the days of "pull yourself together"or "Toughen up" as anybody who has suffrered dperersssion in any way will well know is a useless saying
Her HR dept has a duty to deal with it as all companies have a "duty of care",if her company is a fair sized one ask to be refferred to occupational health, for an asssesment of the work related stress issues.
It needs treating as an illness not being told pull yourself together.;-)
Just because you cannot see the damage as with a broken leg does not mean it does not exist,and i thought we had moved on in mental health sigh sadly not.:(