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Post by Deleted on Mar 21, 2011 12:59:57 GMT -5
I can understand why an AA may be very stressed out. Our department head has an AA and IMO you have to be close to a saint to be able to work for this woman. When someone is never happy with what you do (even though you were just following their directions), yells at and berates you on a daily basis, it takes a toll on a person QUICKLY.
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spartan7886
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Post by spartan7886 on Mar 21, 2011 14:19:26 GMT -5
We have an individual at my work who, rumor has it, is taking stress leave at the moment. It is a stressful job, no doubt about that. Among the general populace he may be looked at weird, but I think his career will be ok because he can say "I was stressed, I took leave, I went to this 4-week retreat to learn to deal with stress, and now I'm back, better prepared for my job".
If you take a leave of absence for stress, and come back to the same environment with the same skillset for dealing with stress, I don't understand why you would think managment won't foresee the exact same situation happening again down the road. If you show the initiative to deal with the problem and not just the symptoms, I think people will be more inclined to give you another chance.
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Post by dragonfly7 on Mar 21, 2011 16:07:37 GMT -5
Karma for you, Michelyn, for sticking up for AAs.
If vacation leave is available, I think an employee in any stressful position should use it before an extended leave of absence becomes necessary for physical/mental health.
My last position was as a combination receptionist/sales associate at a place that held children's events, and I never voluntarily took explicitly stated "stress leave." However, I have been sent home. At one point, I was assigned making the staff and event schedules since I had been there a year longer than anyone else, including the new manager. When an employee didn't show up for work three Saturdays in a row and the manager refused to do anything about it, I definitely lost my temper. Obviously, I was asked to leave for the day and was later emailed and instructed to take 2 1/2 days of sick leave before I came back. When I returned, the manager started doing the staff schedule and tried (and failed) to get some changes made by the corporate office to avoid the reasons the employee didn't show up for work. I took a week off as soon as the summer was over, and then used my vacation to have a three-day weekend couple of months after that. This was generally a very supportive office team otherwise.
And even if the AAs duties aren't stressful, the environment can be stress-inducing, especially if the AA has high levels of empathy. I spent one summer as a file clerk in an accounting office during fiscal year turnover, and as a result, I now completely avoid the finance industry in my job search.
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crockpottin
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Post by crockpottin on Mar 21, 2011 19:22:23 GMT -5
I agree with many of the previous posters-if she's stressed enough out to be considering an extended leave, then what she really needs to do is figure out what it is about the situation that is so unbearable. Crappy boss, nasty coworkers, or maybe the type of work in general just isn't a good fit? Without knowing the real issue, this is just going to be an ongoing problem for her. All that being said, I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing to take a "mental health" day once in a while (assuming you don't tell your boss that, can't imagine it'd go over well ). A small break can go a long way when you have a stressful job.
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midjd
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Post by midjd on Mar 21, 2011 20:00:17 GMT -5
LOL Sroo! I don't think there's anything wrong with taking a mental health day. However, I can definitely see where taking a stress LOA without making any efforts to alleviate the stress (other than not going into work) could be detrimental to one's career. There are some jobs that are enough to drive anyone insane, but there are also a lot of people who could be stressed out working for the Dalai Lama The trick is to figure out some coping strategies while looking for a different job.
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share88
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Post by share88 on Mar 22, 2011 3:25:54 GMT -5
How does one even get a "stress leave"? I think all LOA at my work must be approved by mgmt and I know of no reason why why they would approve such a thing.
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mmhmm
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Post by mmhmm on Mar 22, 2011 8:48:46 GMT -5
How is her stress manifesting? What she's asking for is a "medical leave of absense". Normally, these do not mention the condition, only that a leave of absense in needed to see to the problem. They're written by her primary physician, or a specialist (in some cases). I'd suggest she talk to her primary physician and see what he/she suggests. If a leave is needed, the physician can assist her.
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mmhmm
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Post by mmhmm on Mar 22, 2011 8:50:51 GMT -5
I'm on medical leave right now. Should be able to return in about three weeks. Ulcers, coupled with stress. Now, I'm administrative, and that might make a difference, but it sure shouldn't! This woman is as entitled to maintain her health as anyone else! As I said, the place to start is with her primary physician.
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mmhmm
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Post by mmhmm on Mar 22, 2011 9:10:48 GMT -5
Thing is, if you go to your primary physician, and he/she agrees a medical leave is in order, his office will jump through the hoops for you. Mine did.
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mmhmm
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Post by mmhmm on Mar 22, 2011 10:14:41 GMT -5
Absolutely agree, Snerdley. That's why I so strongly suggest going directly to her primary physician with this. That way, the information doesn't get to your co-workers. The only thing my co-workers know about why I'm away is what I've chosen to tell certain friends. Nobody knows the whole story because it's private to me, and will stay that way. Even the company Human Resources department cannot get any information from my physician, other than that I am out on leave at his professional discretion. It's really a good thing; especially, for those who are burnt out and feel they have noplace to turn.
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Clever Username
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Post by Clever Username on Mar 22, 2011 10:54:11 GMT -5
I was in a similar situation. My job became a downward spiral and at some point I stopped trying to improve it. I focussed instead on replacing it. I had a pretty narrow focus within the company to move jobs, and that didn't pan out. I had a few good leads outside of work, but none of those were panning out either. Eventually they let me go for a bogus reason. I applied for UI, I had to fight for benefits, but they were eventually approved (employee always wins, imho). A few weeks later, I got the job I'm in now.
Ever seen Shawshank Redemption? Ya gotta get busy living or get busy dying.
But yeah, I know exactly where she's coming from. It's terribly stressful to be at a job you hate. In my situation, it was barely to the left side of "stessfull enough to quit." Sounds like her case too. Help her find an outlet. IIRC, The book Fight Club and two preceding it were written in MS Word hidden behind the work the author was supposed to be doing.
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