Last september everything came to a head and due to my failing mental health I tried to commit. It failed and I’ve been off work ever since.
Next June will be my 10 year anniversary with this company. I thought I was, well, not “liked” but at least somewhere above just “tolerated”.
Well, that’s one fantasy out if this world.
I probably will be fired because of my prolonged absence. I used to dread that option, but now I welcome it.
For a decade I felt unheard & unseen and when I spoke up about it, people convinced me it was all just in my head.
But it isn’t. I really am as loathed as I feared I would be.
Then again, I loathe myself most of all, so I “understand” the situation.
I wouldn’t reach out either if the roles were reversed.
Obviously it varies depending on the country, but in the US if you no-call/no-show multiple days in a row, forget months, you’re done. You’re out. Buh-bye.
https://sbshrs.adpinfo.com/blog/how-to-handle-no-call-no-shows-and-job-abandonment
The fact that you can be gone for 2 months and still be employed there says a lot about how much you’re tolerated.
I handled the virtual paperwork for all leaves of absence at my last job, and there were multiple cases of medical leaves being extended indefinitely. There was something like several months to a year of extended absence before the company would even be allowed to consider firing, and other restrictions over handling medical LOA could make it almost impossible to get in contact with the employee to verify their recovery status.
Should a business be allowed to stop paying for medical coverage they promised to someone who in turn has a medical accident that puts them in a coma? Can the business legally or ethically assume they will never return or provide additional value to the company? Does your business give a shit about ethics?
You could view it as the employee gaming the system or taking advantage of a loophole, but the gray area definitely leaves more than just OP confused about what to do. In the longest case I remember, the reason they were able to stay employed for so long was nothing to do with how the employee was tolerated before leaving. From conversations, I got the impression that management would rather not have them return anyways
Well sure, if they apply for the medical leave, that’s different from a no call/no show.
I got the feeling that’s not what happened here.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Without more info from both sides, this could go both ways, and most likely is a little of both.
Ultimately the onus is on the employer to have contacted OP to check on them.
I can totally see a toxic workplace excluding people they simply don’t like. Seen that happen a lot of times. The typical cool crowd culture often would exclude the people they deem as “weird.” But this is extreme to totally cut someone off.
On the flipside, it’s entirely possible OP is a self-fulfilling prophecy that seeks this drama even where it isn’t happening, and other people may have determined OP needed space, or grown tired of it and blocked OP out of mind to save their own mental health. Some people can be a huge burden, especially when they aren’t trying to help themselves but merely complain all the time.
Shrug. Who knows. I could see this being a lot of things.
OP, you gotta worry about you. I guess move on and find some happierness.
Although America makes it hard (healthcare, car, cost of living), you must move on, find something else, leave that place behind, you won’t miss it. 2 decades ago, I quit my very first job at a large multi national corporation because I hated it so much - I just stopped going one fine day, no notice or resignation letter or even a text to my supervisor. No place is worth losing sanity over. Self love / self preservation over everything else. Hugs to you.
How long before they noticed?
Who even knows, I never looked back
Are they still paying you?
No, once you’re medically absent for a month, you get 60% of your wage from the govt. You can be fired at any time once this threshold is passed and they don’t have to pay severance since it’s considered “quitting”.
My car and health insurance also depend on my employment. Losing those will diminish my chances of either some recovery or finding another job since I live in the middle of nowhere with terrible public transportation infrastructure.
They can fire you at any time after a month of sickness without paying severance? Do you live in South Africa or something? My word…
Finally some peace and quiet to concentrate on other stuff 👍 Maybe even apply to a job you could like more and that pays more.
