To the employers and managers and supervisors who have all told me that my (chronic) mental health issues and the treatment thereof is having a negative effect on my job and their perception of me in some way: go fuck yourself. To anyone who is suffering through our broken (mental) health care system, who is having their worth determined and livelihood threatened by how many sick days it takes for you to feel stable and healthy and whole: I love you. I believe you. Keep fighting. These people may not understand what is happening to you but there are countless others out there who do and we need to stand together and support each other. As I type this, I am in tears, fearful that one more sick day to see a psychiatrist or a GP or to adjust to a new medication will mean the end of gainful employment for myself, I draw strength from all of your efforts simply to survive. –Clever, witty signature
This article appears in Feb 2-8, 2017.
Thanks for going off your meds and reminding us all why we should never go off ours…
:):
I was off mine over New Year’s… well, I replaced them with “others”. Hell of a trip… I’ll know to take both the next time!
I’m not so sure the title or the signature are either particularly clever or witty…
It’s your job to work around your employer’s schedule, not the other way around. They hired you to do a job, and if you can’t do it, then they need to hire someone who can. Be thankful they put up with it as long as they have, because they don’t owe you anything.
I have a lot of experience dealing with various levels of management. A lot of people who make their way into management are borderline sociopaths. The higher up in the ladder the scarier they tend to be when you see what they are capable of. They tend to have very little compassion for their “underlings” – since they are focussed on their own advancement or at least clinging to what they have.
My advice would be to thoroughly document all of your medical treatments as well as your interactions with management just in case you need to file a claim for wrongful dismissal. Hopefully, things will settle down and you will never need such drastic action but you never know so it is always best to be prepared. In the meantime, you need to be your own advocate and take care of yourself – while being responsible and forthright with your employer.
Our health is the only thing of real value so we all need to do our best to stay healthy – mentally and physically. Good luck!
Although I believe mental health is a real and should be treated just like a physical ailment.. companies still need jobs accomplished. If you aren’t around to demonstrate your talents you are going to fall behind and its just a fact. Someone is picking up your slack and looking good while you are away and there isn’t any system anywhere to fix that. I allow my employees all the time in the world to take care of themselves ( I am military and we don’t work to profit so its easy), but if you aren’t here for me to see you work I can’t possibly write you up as if you were. The guy doing your job will get the good write up for covering two jobs.
This is a tough one. Mental health issues are real and there is absolutely a need for people to take time off and get treatment when they experience problems.
But how much time are you taking off? How much can an employer bear? If you’re taking 20 sick days a year and add that on top of your vacation time and your appointment time and all your other time, how much work is your employer actually getting out of you?
Do you think you just deserve to get paid 5 days a week to work 3 days a week?
At some point, there has to be a reasonable expectation that an employee can be present to do their job.
Employers aren’t charities.
I think another thing for people dealing with mental issues to think about is… physical ailments have a time limit under which you are expected to recover. If you DONT recover, which some people don’t everyone is different, you might lose your job and have to go on assistance programs. If you just cannot do what is required if you, within some sort of recovery time, how can a company possibly continue to support you? You need to find an alternate way of living. It’s not fair, much like someone losing a leg at war isn’t far, but if there is no chance of recovery in the foreseeable future, you are going to have to go.
Work toward recovery, show improvement (even if it’s a one step forward situation) work EXTRA hard to complete work! Come in late or weekends to make up time… and I guarantee that will be noticed and respected.
What is your mentality
” I am not completing work because of my mental health?”
Or
“I can compete my work DISPITE my mental health”
Yeah I’ve got lots of experience with this too…fortunately it wasn’t me, but someone I was close to.
I have nothing but sympathy for your situation…I really do. In fact I have more sympathy now for people with mental health issues than I ever did before.
The problem, though is this – your mental health crisis…after crisis…after crisis…after crisis….is causing what’s known as “frustration of contract” with your employer. Despite the fact that you are actually the victim, there is only so much the employer is required to tolerate when it comes to absences, so that if you don’t have a short term illness program or other sick leave or accommodation made available in your contract with the employer, the employer actually does indeed have the right to terminate you if they can show that they have made reasonable effort to deal with the situation but are being harmed by it (in a nutshell). They can’t shut down their business to accommodate chronically ill people, nor are the obligated to.
It’s just that simple! I know it sounds like I’m being harsh, but I’m just telling you the way it is in this country (certainly this province) right now.
I wish you well and hope you are able to recover.
Just because your illness isn’t responding to treatment doesn’t mean the mental health system is broken. Appreciate the effort your clinicians are making rather than griping.
Just because your illness isn’t responding to treatment doesn’t mean the mental health system is broken. Appreciate the effort your clinicians are making rather than griping.
Just because your illness isn’t responding to treatment doesn’t mean the mental health system is broken. Appreciate the effort your clinicians are making rather than griping.
This place just keeps getting better and better!
As you can see OB from the responses, quite the support here eh 😉