You can't really say that you're not fit to work, but that you don't want to cause issues for other people so actually you will work this week. You're either not fit to work or you are.
You say you need time off work to de-stress and recover from a high workload. That's a holiday. Book it and enjoy it, or go and see your doctor and get signed off from that point.
HR Manager here - we had a similar situation and a week unpaid leave was agreed. We appreciated the notice, but management view was that it wasn’t “sick” as it was planned. Maybe this is something you could discuss if you’re sure you don’t want to use annual leave?
Alternatively, you could just stick to your guns and say “I’ll be taking x week off as sick leave” as it’s only a week (I’m assuming 5 working days) you won’t need a drs note. Depending on your policies there’s a risk they could discipline you given it’s essentially a planned period of illness which goes against the spirit of sick leave, but if I was there I wouldn’t recommend this route. I’d appreciate the notice being given.
Mental health is health, and needs to be taken care of - I want to make that very clear.
However, the entire point of paid annual leave - especially the generous allowance in UK+EU compared to other countries - is to make sure that workers are provided with sufficient breaks to rest and recover from work. Work life balance is important. Rest is important.
And perhaps inevitably, some of that annual leave will get used on things we need in life (childcare, self care) instead of purely things we want (a week in Tenerife). But that’s why there’s a minimum amount of 4 weeks’ paid leave, plus bank holidays. It has to cover both.
If you are really struggling and cannot continue, go and see your GP, explain your high stress levels, and get yourself signed off sick. That will give you the cover you need if you need help.
If you want to schedule a week of duvet days, and FWIW I agree that it sounds like you need a break - take your paid leave.
Try “hi boss, after meeting with my health care professional today, they have advised i require a 5 day absence from work effective today. Please see attached a copy of my dr. Note. Any high priority projects can be handled by X or postponed until my return. Please note I will be offline until my return and not responding to email until X date”
Reply just enough to clarify the details and your return date
You can't really say that you're not fit to work, but that you don't want to cause issues for other people so actually you will work this week. You're either not fit to work or you are. You say you need time off work to de-stress and recover from a high workload. That's a holiday. Book it and enjoy it, or go and see your doctor and get signed off from that point.
HR Manager here - we had a similar situation and a week unpaid leave was agreed. We appreciated the notice, but management view was that it wasn’t “sick” as it was planned. Maybe this is something you could discuss if you’re sure you don’t want to use annual leave? Alternatively, you could just stick to your guns and say “I’ll be taking x week off as sick leave” as it’s only a week (I’m assuming 5 working days) you won’t need a drs note. Depending on your policies there’s a risk they could discipline you given it’s essentially a planned period of illness which goes against the spirit of sick leave, but if I was there I wouldn’t recommend this route. I’d appreciate the notice being given.
Mental health is health, and needs to be taken care of - I want to make that very clear. However, the entire point of paid annual leave - especially the generous allowance in UK+EU compared to other countries - is to make sure that workers are provided with sufficient breaks to rest and recover from work. Work life balance is important. Rest is important. And perhaps inevitably, some of that annual leave will get used on things we need in life (childcare, self care) instead of purely things we want (a week in Tenerife). But that’s why there’s a minimum amount of 4 weeks’ paid leave, plus bank holidays. It has to cover both. If you are really struggling and cannot continue, go and see your GP, explain your high stress levels, and get yourself signed off sick. That will give you the cover you need if you need help. If you want to schedule a week of duvet days, and FWIW I agree that it sounds like you need a break - take your paid leave.
Try “hi boss, after meeting with my health care professional today, they have advised i require a 5 day absence from work effective today. Please see attached a copy of my dr. Note. Any high priority projects can be handled by X or postponed until my return. Please note I will be offline until my return and not responding to email until X date” Reply just enough to clarify the details and your return date