Looking for work while off for stress

[GeorgieGirl]

Hi,

Does anyone know if I can look for work while off work for stress?

I can't stay in my current job, the atmosphere is too hostile and it's making me poorly.

I've signed onto some employment sites but one has called me and wants to see me outside of my normal work hours (not sure if that makes a difference).

This is my first week off sick and my doctors say that I can't get a doctors note before first signing myself off so I'll be sending in my form today and will probably hand in my notice on Monday with immediate effect and will get temp work but I'd like to kow there's something in the pipeline before handing in my notice.

Any advice would be grately welcomed :o)

[Weird Al Yankovic]

Well, if the cause of your stress is your current job then to get a new job would be ceasing your current employment and your condition too.

Sounds reasonable enough.

Good luck.

[GeorgieGirl]

Thank you for responding, I'm seeing the agent tonight so I'm pleased someone responded so quickly and sorry about the weird face, typed a smiley but it went wrong.

Hey, does anybody else find it hard keeping 100% professional in the office?

Unlike a lot of people I find it hard being a different person at work than I am at home. I'm just me and now and then it gets me into trouble.

My best friend, who I worked with a few years ago, is a completely different person at work, all out for herself and I honestly didn't like her at work but she's the best friend anyone could ask for outside of work. Me, I'm just myself and if someone is rude to me I'll be civil but not kind or polite and I'm quite outspoken and seem confidant too and i've been told that intimidates people but I don't know how to change myself to always watch my back and keep my distance from colleagues and just go to work, keep my mouth shut and my head down i'm so damned opinionated!!

Does anyone else have this problem or does anyone have any advice as to how I can change?

[poppynurse]

I know what you mean (hence me standing up fro myself against a bully). I'm trying to think before I speak these days but it's hard! I know what you mean about appearing confident - I come across as really confidant but it's just a front (although the more I act confident the more I feel it if you know what I mean). I'm rubbish at confronting folk though and am working on this, making a conscious effort to address things as they arise in an assertive non agressive way, hopefully it'll get easier as time goes by...

[zazen.warrior]

Just adding my post to support you, I do know exactly how you feel, I have just this past week returned to work after being signed off for a month with work related stress, I have decided to leave as soon as I find a new job and I'm not really too concerned what that is as long as it gets me away from where I am now.

I have found that just making my decision to leave has calmed me down considerably in that I'm now thinking 'Oh get on with it, you won't be in a position to do anything to me for much longer' rather than seeing the misery streatching out ahead.

Oddly the new calmer me seems to be stressing out my line manager which is quite interesting to observe. Yesterday she barked at me 'why are you looking at me like that!!!' when I wasn't actually looking at her at all just sitting with an impassive expression on my face looking in an entirely different direction...

[bed32]

If you are genuinely off work for stress, and the doctor has signed you off, then I don't see that your employer can complain. The problem would be if they could argue that being able to go to an interview meant that you were actually well enough to work - and I don't think that follows at all.

If you are thinking about leaving your work because the conditions are unbearable then consider taking some legal advice first, certainly before handing in your notice

[cal37]

You are entitled to seek new employment at anytime and your current employer can not penalise you for doing so.

Good luck