The Student Room Group

Job making me ill

I have been in my job for 4 years. It has always been quite demanding and I cope very well. There have been times where I have had a mental breakdown because the workload has gotten excessive. When I have made management aware I have been told it was due to poor time management when the reality was bullying as they were overloading me with work which was psychically impossible to complete in the timescale. Even when I warned them how ill I felt they were not interested.

I am at breaking point again and have had enough. It is a permanent job but I keep staying because people tell me it is permanent and there is a recession. What they don't realise is the job makes me ill and there is no chance to progress. I want to hand in my notice and do temp work as I can gain skills and develop.

My brother said don't hand in my notice soon as its coming up to Summer and they will be busy and will give me a bad reference for leaving during a busy time. I don't see why my health should suffer and stay when they don't care. Anyone got any advice?
Original post by Anonymous
I have been in my job for 4 years. It has always been quite demanding and I cope very well. There have been times where I have had a mental breakdown because the workload has gotten excessive. When I have made management aware I have been told it was due to poor time management when the reality was bullying as they were overloading me with work which was psychically impossible to complete in the timescale. Even when I warned them how ill I felt they were not interested.

I am at breaking point again and have had enough. It is a permanent job but I keep staying because people tell me it is permanent and there is a recession. What they don't realise is the job makes me ill and there is no chance to progress. I want to hand in my notice and do temp work as I can gain skills and develop.

My brother said don't hand in my notice soon as its coming up to Summer and they will be busy and will give me a bad reference for leaving during a busy time. I don't see why my health should suffer and stay when they don't care. Anyone got any advice?


I can understand feeling worried about leaving your job in a recession but ultimately, if your job is making you that ill to cause you to be on the brink of a mental breakdown then it's just not worth putting yourself through - I'm surprised you've stuck with it for 4 years to be honest. Did you ever mention your concerns regarding the demands to your manager? I understand if you chose not to for fear of losing your job - it's a shame that things like this can't be openly discussed.

When you say you want to do temp work, do you have something lined up? If not, do you have someone who can support you financially? If you leave a job 'without good reason' then you won't be eligible for benefits because the DWP see it as you voluntarily making yourself unemployed. BUT, if you see a doctor about how you're feeling and get evidence of stress/anxiety/depression caused by your job then you will be able to make a claim for unemployment benefits - so basically what I'm saying is if you decide to quit then make life easier for yourself and either get something lined up OR make sure you have evidence of your mental state which has been caused by your job so that you can get financial support from the jobcentre whilst you look for a better job (edit: you have to show evidence of visiting a doctor BEFORE you leave the job).

Life is too short to do something that makes you ill - do what is best for you and don't let people scare you, there are ways round things and things will get better. Best of luck :smile:
(edited 8 years ago)
Sounds like it is time to move. You should have no fear of this. You have a job paying you money so there is no issue with looking for other work whilst you continue in your current role. One tip though. If you are asked why you are looking to move, answer with regard to career opportunities, new challenges - that sort of thing.

Anyway, whatever you do do, do something!

Good luck!
Original post by Anonymous
It is a permanent job but I keep staying because people tell me it is permanent and there is a recession.

There is no recession anymore. The tories are in power.

The job market is at the best it has been for a very long time and the unemployed are at their lowest. If you want to switch jobs, now is a great time to go hunting. Apply for jobs in your spare time and see if you can get one.
I was under the impression it was very hard to give a bad reference as you have to be careful not to say anything which you can't prove so unless you have written warnings on your file or something you should be fine for a reference, personally I wouldn't leave your job until you have a new one lined up - but that doesn't have to be something on the same 'level' it could be a lower paid job for a while to get yourself back on track emotionally

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