Compassion

By zawbentley - 26/09/2009 07:01 - United States

Today, I called my boss to let her know that I was suffering from severe depression and that my doctor suggested I take a month's leave. Her response? "Glad you are getting help, however we can't hold your job. No need to come to the office, we'll mail your stuff to you." FML
I agree, your life sucks 40 975
You deserved it 6 517
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Top comments

BakerMan_fml 0

Go sue happy. You got the doc's note already right?

87 14
Twinklestar 0

Well unless you had something written from your doctor saying you needed to take leave, your boss had no obligation to hold your job for you. It's most likely going to be an ongoing problem and if you need to take that much leave for it it's most likely going to effect your performance again.

32 3

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Twin_Uzis 0

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1 32
JustSoLost 8

# 31 People don't get depressed just because they want 'attention'. The don't have a choice. It's an illness that can get really bad. People with depression need to seek out for help. Some people, friends or family around them just don't notice because the person with depression tries to keep it from other people. I know this because I have experience with it, my friend went through depression. Your so self absorbed for saying 'You deserve it for being a weak little attention *****.' You need to get your facts straight. Its not polite to say things when you don't even know what the situation is. Please keep your inappropriate comments to yourself.

11 1
SlyTendencies 1

Sorry, but people can choose how they want to act. His comment was insensitive, but it doesnt make actually wrong. But sure, we should all have your mind set so we can keep paying pharmaceutical companies to produce drugs that dont solve anything whenever someone decides to broaden the definition of "disease." What a copout.

1 18
_Mazza_ 0

Today, one of my employees called me up to tell me he wasn't coming in for the rest of the month. He was easily replaceable, and I couldn't afford to let his work pile up, so I hired someone new. MLIA.

2 11
AKC1 0

You need to get familiar with the Family Medical Leave Act. Depression is one of the covered conditions. If you've been working there for a year, and the company has a certain number of employees, they can't fire you. You may be off without pay, and they may require you to use up accrued sick time, but they can't fire you.

4 1
JoeyImage 0

this one wouldve been worth reading if the last line said "I'm my own boss". lol

6 0
TheOthin 0

Maybe they were justified in firing you, maybe they weren't. Either way, YDI.

4 13
PoeticPixie 0

So? It sucks that you're depressed and all, but you can't expect your boss to just wait around for you to feel better. And I doubt your therapist, or psychiatrist or whatever would tell you to take a month's leave. That's not really a depression cure, but an overstressed, overworked cure. If you were depressed, your psychiatrist would give you medicine and tell you to keep to your normal routine. I know, because I, and several of my family members, suffer from depression, and our psychiatrists have never told us that taking a month off from our job will help us not be depressed. In this economy, there are probably 50 people lined up waiting for your job, and you honestly expected your boss to hold it for you? Get real.

9 11
diet_otaku 0

i went on FMLA for 6 weeks because my depression was so bad i was having suicidal thoughts on a daily basis. i had to enter partial hospitalization treatment which obviously prohibited me from being able to work. the leave itself isn't the treatment for depression, the leave allows you to GET treatment for depression. and if your daily routine is what's CAUSING your depression (such as a job that makes you suicidal), then popping meds and keeping that routine is not going to help at all. and honestly, everyone acting like the company would fall apart if one employee took a month off needs to quit being so melodramatic. they can certainly afford to be without one person for a few weeks. people take 2 and 3 weeks' vacation all the time, how is medical leave any different? at my job, half the employees didn't even realize i was missing. seriously, it has nothing to do with what OP is requesting leave for or how long, what that employer did is still illegal under FMLA.

6 4
Puolukka 4

#37, your psychiatrists must royally SUCK then. My 16-year-old brother is suffering from depression and he's been, I guess you could say hospitalized, for the past 4 weeks in a psychiatric clinic where they do NOT just stuff him with medication but he instead gets therapy and has seen several psychotherapists as well as psychiatrists and they are trying to determine what actually caused the depression or if he may even have an underlying personality disorder. Granted, since he's still in school he's going to the hospital school, but if he was a working adult he'd have to take time off work as well...

6 1
lem0n_fml 0

37, not every doctor treats depression in the same way. Some hand you a bottle of pills and send you on your way, and some don't believe in using drugs to treat depression. It all depends on the beliefs of your doctor. So don't assume everyone is going to have the same experience as you.

5 1
hilsonshipper 0

That's terrible and insensitive of your boss. FYL times a million. So glad you're seeking help--I know it's a big step to take. And by the way to all you people saying she should get the f over depression and that she deserved it, I want you to spend one day in the hell that is being depressed. It IS an illness, it IS NOT something you can turn on and off like a lightswitch, and it IS serious.

8 2
himynameisadam 0

You live in the U.S. and here, there's this thing called the Family and medical leave act which says you're allowed to take up to 12 months of unpaid leave due to medical reasons or if an immediate family member is gravely hurt or ill and you need to help them. You can read more about it here http://www.dol.gov/esa/whd/fmla/ . I'm guessing you'd need a doctor's note or something though.

1 6