Everything you need to know about stress leave

Ever felt like work stress is just too much to handle? You're not alone. Let’s face it – most of us have been under stress at some point in our working lives. Long hours, heavy workloads, tight deadlines, workplace conflict - they frequently send our stress levels into the stratosphere.

There comes a time to say: “Enough’s enough – I need to chill out before I burnout”. But sadly, for whatever reason, we don’t get this far before having a nervous breakdown – or worse – getting seriously ill.

The numbers are telling - 40% of all work-related sickness in the UK is caused by stress. Blimey. That’s four in ten absences caused by stress! Worse still, stress is preventable, we can tackle it.

That's where stress leave from work, sometimes called mental health sick leave, comes in. It's essentially time off when your mental wellbeing takes a hit, making it tough to do your job properly. Think of it as a crucial reset button for your mind.

In this guide, we’ll cover everything there is to know about stress leave. So relax, unwind, and leave the stress behind.

What is stress leave from work?

Before we go further, let’s get to grips with the basics. Stress leave from work, sometimes called sick leave, is time off to focus on your mental wellbeing when stress makes doing your job feel difficult or impossible. It’s about genuinely needing space to recover and reset your mind.

Now, what throws you into this stress spiral? It could be anything from juggling impossible deadlines and crazy workloads to feeling like you've got zero control over your tasks. Maybe it's job insecurity or those tricky workplace relationships that just drain your energy. Whatever it is, if it's messing with your mental health, stress leave is designed to help.

While similar to sick leave in that it allows you time off for health reasons, stress leave focuses on mental wellbeing. It's different from annual leave, which is for leisure and rest, or compassionate leave, which is for dealing with family emergencies. It's easy to confuse all these different types of leave, so let's clear them up:

• Sick leave vs. stress leave: While both cover health-related absences, stress leave specifically addresses mental health, focusing on the impact of stress.
• Annual leave vs. stress leave: Annual leave is your well-deserved break for holidays and relaxation. Stress leave is about actively addressing a health issue.
• Compassionate leave vs. stress leave: Compassionate leave is for dealing with family emergencies, while stress leave is about your own mental health recovery.

It's important to remember that you have legal rights concerning stress leave, including the right to Statutory Sick Pay and appropriate documentation for extended absences.

Understanding your legal rights:

Figuring out your legal rights for stress leave in the UK can feel like another layer of stress (which is ironic). Here’s what you need to know:

• Statutory sick pay (SSP): If you’re off work because of stress and meet the eligibility criteria, you may be entitled to SSP, giving you a bit of financial support during your time off. We’ll look at eligibility a bit later on in this blog.
• Sick notes: If your stress leave extends beyond a certain period, you'll need a note from your GP or another healthcare professional. Just to cover all the admin bits.
• Reasonable adjustments: Your employer has a legal duty to make adjustments to your workload or working environment to support your return to work.

The symptoms of stress

Stress isn’t always obvious. It sneaks up, settles in, and messes with your mind and body. Ignoring stress is like ignoring a flashing warning light in your car – it's not going to fix itself, and it'll probably get worse. Your mental health is non-negotiable. If you feel symptoms of stress, do something about it – because the problem won’t fix itself.

So, what does stress actually feel like? It can manifest in a bunch of ways, and sometimes, it's tricky to pinpoint.

Some of the symptoms may include:

• Anxiety: This isn't just everyday worry. It's a persistent feeling of unease, often paired with physical symptoms like a higher heart rate, sweating, or difficulty concentrating. You might find yourself constantly worrying about deadlines, performance reviews, or even just the thought of going to work.
• Anger: Are you snapping at colleagues or family members more than usual? Do you feel a constant sense of irritation? Stress can lead to increased irritability and anger, particularly when feeling overwhelmed. You may find yourself getting angry at unreasonable deadlines or lack of support from management.
• Loneliness: Even in a busy workplace, stress can make you feel isolated. You might withdraw from social interactions, feel like no one understands you, or struggle to connect with others.
• Sadness and depression: Persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or a lack of interest in activities you once enjoyed can be signs of stress-related depression. You might find it hard to find joy in anything, and your mood may be consistently low.
• Grief: Changes at work, such as restructuring or layoffs, or personal losses can trigger grief. This can manifest as sadness, anger, and difficulty concentrating.

You might get up and dread work. You might find it hard to motivate yourself, lack energy and drive. These are all symptoms, indications that something isn't right.

If you recognise these signs in yourself, it's important to take action. Start by talking to someone you trust. Sharing your feelings with a friend, family member, or therapist can provide support and a different perspective. Consider reaching out to your employer as well. While it might feel difficult, speaking with your manager or HR department can open up a conversation about potential solutions and support within your workplace.

Don't hesitate to seek professional help either. Schedule an appointment with your doctor or a mental health professional. They can help you understand what's happening and suggest coping strategies or therapies that can help you manage stress effectively.

Remember, you're not alone. Taking care of your mental health is just as important as taking care of your physical health. Don't hesitate to seek help when you need it.

Do I need a sick note for stress leave?

When we're dealing with absences related to stress, it's important to show sensitivity and compassion. Some long-term stress leave from work will come as a consequence of a serious condition and need considerable recovery time.

We need to have empathy towards every case – and combine it with a good understanding of employment rights. 

So let's break down the sick note requirements for stress leave in the UK:

• Short-term absence (seven days or less):
  • If you're off work due to stress for seven days or less, you don't need a formal doctor's note.
  • However, your employer will likely ask you to "self-certify" your absence when you return. This means you'll confirm in writing that you were absent due to sickness or stress.
• Longer-term absence (more than seven days):
  • For absences longer than seven days, you'll typically need a sick note from your GP or another healthcare professional.
  • This note serves as official documentation of your absence and often includes:
    • A diagnosis or explanation of your condition.
    • Recommendations for adjustments your employer can make to support your return to work.
    • An indication of how long you may be absent for.

Will I be paid during stress leave?‌‌

One of the biggest concerns when considering stress leave is, understandably, the financial aspect. So, will you get paid? In short, yes, just like any other sickness related absence, you’re legally entitled to sick pay. There are a few details to note though, so let's break down the details: 

Statutory sick pay:

Just like any other illness-related absence, stress leave falls under your right to sick pay. Here's what you need to know:

1. Check your company policy: Start by reviewing your company's employee absence policy. It might have specific sections for stress leave, which could offer more generous terms than the statutory minimum.
2. Statutory Sick Pay as a safety net: If your company policy doesn't cover stress leave specifically, or if it's less generous than SSP, you'll fall back on Statutory Sick Pay.

Eligibility for Statutory Sick Pay

To qualify for SSP, you must meet the following criteria:

• Employee status: You must be classified as an employee.
• Duration of illness: Your illness has lasted for a minimum of four days in a row.
• Earnings: You earn more than £113 per week.
• Notification: You notify your employer of your sickness within seven days.

How much will you get?

Your employer is legally obliged to pay the minimum of £89.35 per week, for a maximum of 28 weeks. Beyond that, it’s their decision if they want to continue with Statutory Sick Pay.

These responsibilities are best covered in your absence policy. We've got a free absence policy template here you can download.

Keeping in contact‌‌

Remember, you’re on stress leave from work for a reason. You need to cool off. You need time out. Which means no work-related calls, emails or anything of the like - give yourself the best chance to recover.

That being said, while on stress leave from work, it's important to prioritise your well-being, but occasional check-ins with your employer can be beneficial.

Give them the chance to keep you updated with any changes at work. At some point, they might ask you to get involved in an absence review, something which aims to:

• Understand the reasons for your stress leave
• How long you might be off
• Look at how to avoid future stress
• Look at the future of your role, including the possibility of dismissal

How to prevent stress‌‌

Returning to work after stress leave can feel daunting, but it's a good opportunity to help create a healthier work environment. When you get back to work you might find yourself in a return to work interview. Nothing to be afraid of here, it should be a good thing. It's to help your employer understand what triggered your stress leave in the first place and how to put plans in place to prevent it from happening again.

Some helpful workplace strategies include:

• Flexible working hours: Offer flexible start and finish times to accommodate individual needs and reduce the stress of travelling during rush hours.
• Management reviews: Regularly review management processes to make sure they are up to scratch and actually support employee wellbeing.
• Outlets for employee feedback: Regular catch ups or anonymous surveys are great ways to get feedback from employees and see what’s potentially causing stress to build up.
• Regular performance reviews: You can keep an eye out on how employees are doing and if their performance drops, it might be an early sign of stress. Give them a break or offer them support if this is the case.
• Keep workloads manageable: We’re all human! Don’t expect 20 hours worth of work from an employee who works eight hours a day. Keep the workload manageable and you’ll have much happier, stress free teams. 
• Adequate breaks and holidays: Encourage your employees to use their holidays and take a bit of a break! 

Remember: healthy-minded people are productive people. For tips on how to prevent fatigue, depression and general unhappiness in the workplace, check out our piece on avoiding burnout.

Some final thoughts on stress leave

No one benefits when stress levels are going through the roof. If anyone in your company is suffering, try to help them, nip it in the bud before the stress leads to bigger health concerns. And when someone does become ill due to work-related stress, be sure you respond with empathy, and in accordance with the rules and requirements to help them recover fully and, hopefully, return in a sustainable way.

But here's the thing, it's not just about reacting to stress leave. We've got to build a workplace where people actually feel good. Think of it as planting good seeds instead of just dealing with weeds.

Remember, get people talking. Not just about work, but about how they're actually doing. Regular catch-ups are a must, but let's make them real, not just ticking boxes.

Try to give your team access to what actually helps, like counselling or mental health apps. It’ll also help to get managers clued up on spotting stress, and how they can support. Let's give everyone some training on how to handle stress.

Basically, stress leave isn't just a band-aid. It's a chance to make things better for good. And honestly, happy people are productive people. It's a win-win. 

So remember, looking after your team's mental health? That's not just a nice thing to do, it's good business.

How Timetastic can help you avoid stress

The last thing we want is people off due to mental health issues. We have a responsibility to the team here and want Timetastic to be a calm, enjoyable place to work, so people can focus on the task at hand without any form of anxiety or stress.

Here's a few of the steps we use to help keep stress levels down:

• We don't set unrealistic goals. Working to tight deadlines, panicking, stress, it can be terrifying and leads to errors. We leave plenty of slack in our goals.
• We don't set undue expectations. Nothing worse for stress than not meeting someone's expectations.
• We accept things slip. Unplanned events happen, people have off-days. It's not the end of the world.
• We take regular time off, everyone should be nice and fresh. We keep an eye on this using the Burnout Board in Timetastic.
• We don't blame. In fact we don't really look back retrospectively, the future is a positive place. Dissecting and sulking over a missed deadline, something that didn't work, a lost customer, a scrappy bit of code - it doesn't help anyone.
• We talk. Is everything ok? How's the workload? Do you think we need to break that task down? Have you got any holidays booked? Have you been out recently, the weather is lovely?
• Support. Support comes in a myriad of forms. It could be training, time off, being a sounding board for ideas, listening to problems, empathising, putting yourself in someone else's shoes. What can we do to change, how can we make this better.

You might have guessed we, at Timetastic, are strong believers in a healthy work-life balance – and that time spent out of work is just as important as time spent at work. Time off, holidays, rest and recuperation are essential, so booking them shouldn’t be a headache. That's why we made a simple staff holiday planner, the only headache is deciding what to do with your free time. Have a trial on us – it’s totally free to see how it works.