Feeling a bit unwell from the heat today and took a few hours off. Reflecting on how not a lot of people, including myself, have that option when needed.
When I was a full time employee, one of the worst parts of getting sick wasn’t the illness itself—it was being forced to go to a doctor or chemist to get a note justifying my absence. I’d spend what little money I had when I should have been in bed recovering, and every part of it screamed one thing: They don’t care about me or trust me. It felt dehumanizing.
For me, this goes deeper than just being sick. I’m a gay man living with PTSD, anxiety, and depression. I shouldn’t have to tell everyone I meet that I was sexually abused as a minor—multiple times—but experiences like that affect how you see the world. They affect how you experience work environments where trust, empathy, and basic kindness are absent.
Employers demanded I show up to work but not with my health struggles, mental or physical. They wanted me there, but only on impossible terms—terms that ignored my reality.
Now that I’m self-employed, I have the freedom to prioritize my health without jumping through hoops. But the truth is, those past experiences still affect my long-term health. And it’s frustrating to know that so many people are still stuck in systems like this, where empathy takes a backseat to control. Even government jobs will demand sick notes of their employees, regardless of the impact of obtaining one will have on their health.
We can—and must—do better. Trust your employees, and co-workers. Let them take the time they need to recover without judgement. Stop treating sick leave as a privilege to be earned and start seeing it for what it is: a basic human right that goes beyond the concerns of work.
[#]workplaceculture #sickleave #employer #employee #australia #smallbusiness #hr #workplacerights #sicknotes #illness #health #mentalhealth #wellness #corporateculture #mindfulness #lgbt #lgbtiqa #pride #auspol
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