Hello, Can i get fired for being depressed?!
Question: I have taken a few days off work now and plan to get a doctors note tuesday as soon as the doctors are open again but my mum thinks im going to get fired. Im worried as i cant face work as its a stressfull emergency service role but i dont want to loose my job. I just need some time.
Some advice please :)
Answers:
if your depression is seriously affecting your job performance, yes. if it's causing you to take more time off than you're supposed to have (check your employee handbook for your particular company's policies), yes. that said, you may want to talk to your company's HR and see if you might be eligible for some leniency; if your depression is going to require that you take off more & more time, inquire about the possibility of getting some flex time, or, if more drastic measures are required, a sabbatical or leave of absence.
Other Answers:
If it is effecting your work they can
you can't be fired for 'being depressed' but you might find if the depression is affecting your ability to do your job that that might become a reason for concern with your employer.
Yes
I am not sure but here are some ways to help, I dont want anything bad to happent oy you dear:
All workers encounter turmoil in their careers. Perhaps it's a merger, a change in top management or a feeling they're about to be fired. One choice we all face in these circumstances is how to deal with stress. Will it consume us, or will we overcome it?
In my situation, an impending merger in 1984 of my employer, Getty Oil Co., with Texaco Inc., created much upheaval. I was the human-resources manager in Getty Oil's international division and had a long career with the company. Two people reporting to me each had more than 30 years' service. We were all terrified of losing rewarding careers in which we helped build Getty Oil into the 35th largest company in the U.S.
I survived this merger and learned that when well-managed, stress actually can be beneficial. Here are 10 strategies for controlling stress in your work life:
1. Start with your next thought
Viktor Frankl's concentration camp experience, described in his 1959 masterpiece, "Man's Search For Meaning," shows that no matter how desperate our circumstance, we choose our attitude toward it. We shape this attitude with each thought. Had I believed "This merger stinks," I probably would have developed a headache. Thinking "I'm going to learn from this," planted future success.
You can choose to be happy. Dozens of studies show that after we adjust to them, external circumstances have little bearing on happiness. A 10-year study by the National Institute on Aging found that people who were happy in 1973 also were happy in 1983, regardless of changes in their lives.
2. Stay in the "efforts" business
To cut stress, focus on efforts and actions you can control, rather than results, which may be out of your control.
Recently, I needed to make a tough phone call. I hovered over the phone while butterflies danced in my stomach. Then I realized all I needed to do was make the call. I couldn't control the results. Relieved, I reached for the phone. Focusing made the difference.
3. Take control of your time
A study on happiness which involved several hundred thousand people in 16 countries revealed one of the most common traits in happy people was personal control of their lives. During the Getty/Texaco merger, many wondered when they'd be fired. Personal control was at a premium.
"One way to feel more empowered is to master our use of time," writes David G. Myers, author of the study of traits of happy people. "For happy people, time is 'filled and planned.' For unhappy people, time is unfilled, open and uncommitted. They postpone things and are inefficient."
Set deadlines to focus yourself. "Establishing pre-set deadlines for oneself -- and then meeting them -- can lead to the confident feeling of personal control," adds Dr. Myers.
Make lists and use them to structure your day. Take control in small ways, prioritizing, straightening your desk, cleaning out folders and getting rid of clutter.
4. Be positive and accept your mistakes
Maintain a positive perspective and believe things will work out, even if it seems they won't. Adopting this perspective reduces stress.
Realize that failures are but successes in process. Mistakes are a byproduct of rapid growth. Because they attempt more, successful people may fail more often than others. But failure can be your best teacher. Berating yourself when you stumble only adds to your stress.
5. Tap the power of intention
Stress can magnify obstacles, but when you believe deep down you'll overcome them, they'll diminish. Focusing on positive aspects of your life helps. During the Getty/Texaco merger, for example, I still found a myriad of things to enjoy. Concentrating on them was far more productive than worrying about the merger.
Problems and accompanying stress diminish when I focus at a deep inner level on new goals. Suddenly, I can see myself working toward new goals.
You also can try on new roles and start making your life the way you want it to be. It may feel awkward at first, but soon these new roles will fit. You'll be better able to meet challenges and add to your joys and freedoms.
6. Exchange worries for warm thoughts
Worry is focusing on negative goals or what you don't want to happen. When you worry, you build negative mental images that can create feelings of tension and irritability. Focusing on being chewed out by the boss distracts you from doing good work. By not worrying, you don't allow problems to interfere with your performance.
Dwelling on impediments can make them seem worse than they are. Pushing them aside can reduce their significance. Don't focus on problems as you go to sleep. Instead, make a habit of thinking good thoughts.
7. Embrace humor and pleasure
Highly successful Dallas-based Southwest Airlines Co., rated by Fortune magazine as the best U.S. company to work for, requires job candidates to demonstrate a sense of humor. This gives new meaning to Shakespeare's adage, "No profit grows where pleasure lacks."
Humor is a mark of psychological health, and researchers believe we can laugh ourselves well. Studies suggest humor can relieve tension, headaches, backache, boredom and depression by increasing production of endorphins, the body's natural painkillers.
8. Use recovery
If you're facing serious stress, get appropriate help. Find a coach and support network, or join a free or low-cost recovery group that can help you manage your stress.
9. Maintain physical health and enjoy the benefits of nature
Walking, jogging or other exercise releases stress. Being outdoors and appreciating nature can be incredibly refreshing. I jogged and played tennis frequently during the Getty-Texaco merger. Many days I couldn't wait to exercise and calm down. Being in good physical condition will help you fight the damaging effects of stress.
10. Find your 'why' to live for
In the book "Flow," (1991, HarperCollins) author Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi claims that the least stressed people are ones who work all out on a project they've selected. They give themselves to it with precision and grace. For example, every week, whether he was sick or exhausted, Johann Sebastian Bach wrote a cantata. Some were flops -- dismissed by critics as "little more than wallpaper music." Similarly, a researcher at the University of California-Davis studied 2,036 scientists throughout history and found the most respected ones produced more good and bad works than less successful scientists. They simply produced. They loved their work and took childlike delight in it.
In "Man's Search for Meaning," Dr. Frankl describes how concentration camp prisoners who couldn't envision an end to their confinement fared worse than other prisoners. Those who found goals to live for also found the strength to live.
jobs like that usually support something called stress leave. You should talk to you boss and let them know you are seeking medical help. If you do this, you can not be fired for medical reasons. You could sue for unlawful dismissal but it probably won't come to that.
Depends where you are.In the U.S. there is a Disability Law(and yes a mental illness is protected under this law) that protects workers from being fired due to a disability and in fact forces employers to make "reasonable" accommodations.
It is a Federal Law that no Employers can get around.
If you are in the U.S. you might want to do some research on this topic,and let your Employer know that you know about the law,then if they fire you contact a Attorney asap.
yes, it happened to my friend, she missed too many days for their liking and they fired her on the grounds of that, and the company she was working for was supposed to be for people with disability's.
Hi,it's not unusual to be that way sometimes in your life.
everybody has there ups and downs.You need to ask yourself why you feel this way.I think it could be something other than a work related problem.People tend to notice it and you should seek professional help if you can't cope.
If a certain job is stressful hunt for a job that will suit your lifestyle. It is not difficult. If you do not want to loose this job then stick to it and find ways to make it joyful.
no not leagaly
You can be as depressed as you want (or are forced into). AS LONG AS IT DOESN'T AFFECT YOUR JOB RESPONSIBILITIES. then they can can you. Being depressed is a medical condition, but not an excuse for non- performance. It is miserable though. For example, can you be fired for not meeting the job requirements of a position (even if it is a due to a medical or physical condition?) Absolutely- who wants to pay someone who can't do what's expected? Common sense here.
If your job has Family Medical Leave then you should be able to take that and get some time off to get your mental health better. Ask your employer about the leave and talk to your doctor about it when you go. As long as you atleast get a doctors note for the time you have missed then you shouldnt get fired unless this happens often.
no but if your depression starts to affect your performance you can be terminated
IF YOUR CONDITION IS NOT INTERFERRING WITH YOUR WORK NO.
IF IT IS MAYBE. JUST EXPLAIN IT WITH HONESTY & CANDOR THEY
WILL PROBABLY SIDE WITH YOU.
Source(s):
" HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY ! "
You can only be fired for being depressed if you allow your depression to affect your work performance.
OK, first off, let's face reality - if you are taking days off work, your depression IS AFFECTING your work.
Second, while they may not be able to fire you strictly for your depression (and they may be able to, since your position is stressful) they can certainly fire you for malingering. Malingering is taking too many days off work! They can also certainly fire you for not doing you job up to par!
Now, a hard question for you- if your position is a stressful emergency role, and other people are depending on you to perform your job completely and competently, and lives are possibly at stake (as I assume they are in an "emergency service role"), why on earth would you wait for something to go terribly wrong? Request a less stressful position within that organization, or go find another job before someone gets hurt (or worse), blames you, and gets you fired.
Go immediately and talk to your supervisor and tell her you are seeking medical help for depression which is consuming your thoughts. Say you will bring in a note from the doctor but you really have to take an medical leave.
do something that makes you happy.
Source(s):
find a fun hobbie.
YES IF IT TAKES YOUR EFFORT AT WORK ON A DOWNFALL. AND IF YOU ARE DEPRESSED TAKE OFF. I'M SURE THEY'LL LET YOU BECAUSE YOUR MENTALLY ILL AND IT'S VERY HARD 2 WORK UNDER SUCH CONDITIONS.
Legally they cannot fire you unless it is affecting your work or harming others around you. I know how you feel, because I went through the same thing. I didn't take time though and I made myself worse. The best thing to do is talk to your manager. Find a date and time you aren't working and your manager isn't busy to have a one on one. Explain to them what is going on and that you may need some vacation time for yourself, to prevent your work from becoming less than admirable! THe doctors note will also be good. More than likely they will respect you for letting them know instead of damaging the business with a crappy job at work, and honesty is always respected. Time for yourself is important, particulary with depression. I am sure your boss with understand.
Well Maybe They Can !
But if we can get you out of the depressed State of Mind I Guess we can keep you from getting fired too ! Cant We ?
Please Email Me ! I Know I can help You !
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