Is Getting signed off of work and visiting another country illegal?
Posted by Independent-Bar209@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 104 comments
Soz a bit of a random question but if you're signed off from work , you're unfit because of mental health reasons or whatever , can you still go to a different country/holiday ? Or is this fraud illegal ?
Fine_Analyst_4408@reddit
It's not fraud or illegal and a holiday can be good for your mental health. Having said that, if your work finds out about it then they might claim it is proof against your condition. Most people get caught out by posting to social media or their friends and family doing so. It might be worth visiting your GP to discuss as you might need evidence that your holiday would be beneficial for your recovery. Getting approval from work is one thing but if they so no, you're kind of screwed.
Alone_Storage_1897@reddit
Caught out sounds fraudulent, going abroad to recuperate is the modern version of the seaside cure in Victorian days. Don’t overthink it. Do what you need for your own MH
GourangaPlusPlus@reddit
I see what you're saying take the Royal routr and stay in Bognor Regis
PerryDactylYT@reddit
Good old Bog
TheRealVinosity@reddit
Bugger Bognor.
fairysdad@reddit
Don't need to tell me how to have a good time
maccon25@reddit
just don’t post instagrams if any colleagues follow u lol
LittleSadRufus@reddit
If you're signed off for mental health / stress it makes perfect sense and I can't imagine you'd need any extra evidence or approvals. Going overseas while off work with flu would be problematic though.
geekroick@reddit
Being unfit for work doesn't make you unfit for other things by default.
Winter_Parsley8706@reddit
This. I was made to feel so guilty when I was off sick with mental health (I literally tried to kill myself) by my own family and my now ex boss. People have zero understanding.
Antisocial-Metalhead@reddit
I was at a friend’s anniversary celebration whilst signed off due to my C-PTSD. My husband was doing the photography for the party.
If he hadn’t already been committed he would’ve stayed home with me. I went because there was no else I could be with to keep me safe from doing something stupid/harmful, that’s the side of mental health that people don’t want to acknowledge.
AdStreet8083@reddit
Absolutely this. It pisses me off to no end when someone says they can't go to the shops because they're off work sick.
-TheHumorousOne-@reddit
Some workplaces sadly expect being bed ridden is only when you're sick enough to not be able to come into work.
HanAVFC@reddit
I was once pulled into the office at work for posting on social media whilst I was off sick the post was the back of my then two years old head, at her grandparents house playing my brother's drum kit captioned "Glad xyz has had a good day with grandad whilst I'm poorly" 🤣
SpitefulEgg@reddit
I got yelled at once because I'd called in sick but a coworker told the manager they'd seen me in town. The pharmacist is in town, I was collecting my prescription.
Bowtie327@reddit
Depends on what “sick” is, anything Viral or Bacterial? Stay tf in bed no one wants your disease
Mental health, fair game
AdRealistic4984@reddit
Very true. Also, someone with low energy, no zest for life, anhedonia, no enjoyment, could really benefit from going on a holiday. Anxious types, of course that’s different, but I think people forget healing from depression often looks like trying to have fun!
ThatKidHazlitt@reddit
Exactly that, however I dont think its unreasonable to expect an employee not loudly broadcast on social media if they have colleagues.
My work have had a similar situation, someone was signed off with stress and attending lots of festivals/socials.
The conversation was to encourage things to support their mental health, just to be mindful of how it can appear
PabloMarmite@reddit
Fraud in law requires you to financially or materially gain from dishonesty, so it’s not fraud. But your employer might have an issue with it.
Independent-Bar209@reddit (OP)
Being signed off work ? You get sick pay no ?
PabloMarmite@reddit
You haven’t dishonestly caused a loss, you’ve got the pay you would have gotten anyway.
Your employer may consider it misconduct anyway.
Daveddozey@reddit
If you take a salary to work m-f 9-5 but never actually work because you’re simultaneously doing another job m-f 9-5 that would be fraud right?
PabloMarmite@reddit
Could be depending on the circumstances if you could prove that the individual never intended to work the first job, but more likely to be a civil breach of contract. Either way, that’s not what’s happening here. Fraud has a very specific set of legal circumstances, and this isn’t it, despite the downvotes.
Daveddozey@reddit
I would think it’s fraud by false representation. I admit my understanding of the legal definition of representation is limited though
PabloMarmite@reddit
It’s not. What loss has occurred by the company when an employee goes on sick leave?
Daveddozey@reddit
Salary
PabloMarmite@reddit
That’s not a loss, that’s something that’s paid as a contractual arrangement. That’s why the remedy would be related to the contract. A loss, and subsequent gain, would be something that directly occurs as a result of the false representation (eg someone taking money to sell something that doesn’t exist).
This is not fraud.
woman_on_the_move@reddit
Legally speaking the note is intended simply to advise that for the duration of the note you are not fit to do your work. It does not make travel wither it is in this country or abroad illegal.
That said, fit notes are pretty easy to get and workplaces are on the lookout for employees who they feel may have obtained them fraudulently. This is particularly if you are on long term sick for a condition that is more difficult to evidence back pain or mental health.
Id say as a previous tu rep, that people could help themselves by being careful with what image they present online. In general people have worked for shorter periods and should be cautious about contacting colleagues socially during this time. The simple message has to be that you are focusing on your recovery and if an international trip is part of that then so be it.
Travelling is my thing so my boss wasn't that surprised when I took a trip to iceland between my chemo treatment and surgery! I wasn't about to ask for permission!
192to144@reddit
You can go and do what you like
foggington@reddit
Not at all mate. I went away while off work and was open about it with my employer and occupational health team.
Morganx27@reddit
It's not illegal, but views of it may well depend on your employer. I'd probably recommend having a doctor sign a letter that says it's okay for you
Character-Bid-5089@reddit
Depends why u have been signed off and why u are going abroad i suppose. If it was booked before u were signed off it might look like u have just done it to go on holiday.
Maleficent_Cheek_380@reddit
When I was off sick I went to Ukraine and nyc
Violet351@reddit
If your’e signed off because you can’t move then yes but if it’s for mental health a holiday would improve that. I know someone that hurt their back and was reported for being outside of their house walking round but they produced the advice from their doctor which said they needed to walk to improve their medical condition
therealonnyuk@reddit
If you're off work because you have a knackered back then you probably should publicise your jet ski adventures, but if you're off work with stress or some other non physical ailment then you could easily justify regular walks in the park with a golf bag for company. It's all relative I think, if you think that you'd be taking the piss by going on holiday while off sick, then you probably are but if not, crack on, and don't tell anyone anyways if you don't have to
DeemonPankaik@reddit
I think it's ok for some physical issues too
Like a builder can't work if they've broken their arm. But that doesn't stop them going on a cruise.
Rosekernow@reddit
I had the interesting experience of breaking a leg while working two jobs. First fortnight, I was signed off both. Next month, I was allowed back to the desk job and still signed off and getting sick pay from the physical job which required me to handle livestock including cattle and help with lambing. They didn’t give a toss that I was able to work my other job, and they wouldn’t have minded if I’d been on holiday either.
therealonnyuk@reddit
Yeah, that's what I was essentially getting at, whereas going off with the flu for a week and conveniently finding a cheap Mediterranean cruise for the same week at short notice might ring some alarm bells 😂
JeffSergeant@reddit
If you are not actually ill, pretend to be to get signed off work, then that is fraud. If you do something that proves you misrepresented your condition, then that could be used as evidence of fraud.
E.g if you claim to be so depressed you can't leave the house or speak to people, but then go on a speaking tour of America, you're going to have a bad time.
BunglingBoris@reddit
Of course it's not illegal.
Of course your employer is going to be severely pissed off.
cgknight1@reddit
Not if you tell them and they agree it is part of your recovery.
If a staff member with member health issues approaches me to say going on holiday would help them, sounds like a great idea.
Having mental health issues doesn't mean you are just on the floor rocking side to side.
geesegoosegeesegoose@reddit
Rocking back and forth is clearly the superior form of rocking, anyway.
N9242Oh@reddit
No. Had a colleague in the NHS do this. She was off sick for mental health and her family were in another country. If your employer has a problem with you attempting to live life whilst off for mental health then I can see why they haven't sufficiently supported you in the first place. All the best.
anguslolz@reddit
It's not illegal but if you brag about it on socials where co workers can see it or you get caught out it probably won't make you popular in the office. Rightly or wrongly.
Boating_taxonomist@reddit
Being unable to work doesn’t mean you can’t do other things (it depends on the thing, environment, the duration, etc, especially when it comes to being signed off for your specific job) but unfortunately people absolutely do treat it as if that’s how it works. It’s really awful the way people judge people with disabilities or chronic health conditions (or even short term ones); either you’re fine and can work or you can’t/shouldn’t be able to do anything at all (preferably you’re only “really” disabled if you’re sat in a room staring at the walls 24hrs a day). I can’t work because of chronic health issues and I tell hardly anyone I’m on benefits because I don’t know if some random person will decide that because I can do an hour or two of low level activity on one or two days of the week, or yeah, because I go on a nice gentle holiday, or any sort of regular thing in the moments I feel not as bad, it must mean I’m faking it. It’s a real problem about the way people see disabled and chronically ill people and the media at the moment are really stoking up a lot of anti-disability rhetoric which is making is worse (stuff like, ‘look at all these people on pip because of a bit of self-proclaimed anxiety’ -bullshit).
starsandshards@reddit
Yeah, as a disabled person I'm fed up of this mindset. I work full time from home because of my disabilities and have asked for 13 days annual leave as I'm planning a bigger holiday than usual for a significant birthday, and my MD said "if you're so disabled you have to work from home, how can you manage a holiday?" which absolutely fucking floored me. People are so mean and ignorant.
czavjdlqgjdqjdg@reddit
Not illegal, when I was signed off sick due to stress and mental health, my manager told me to a book flight somewhere sunny they also paid my full wage to ensure that I was able to do so
Defiant_Put_7542@reddit
No. Being too ill to work does not mean you are too ill to live. Nor does it mean that you are not allowed to do nice things, especially if they help with recovery.
RamblinBukowski@reddit
Not sure I agree, I mean we have pretty good time off laws in the UK. Maybe OP is in a unique situation where he is genuinley mentally ill enough to not work but still has the energy/confidence to go on a holiday but I can't even imagine what that looks like. Unless it's some corporation that treats their employees like crap in which case go for it.
Beautiful_Hawk548@reddit
Fun thing about mental health, it's almost impossible to imagine what it's like for someone else every single time but that doesn't mean we just disallow things we don't personally "feel" is right. It could easily be the work itself which has caused mental health issues like stress or what have you. I don't think I'd be booking a flight in that situation but I know some people who find travelling to be a great relief and stress easer so I guess they'd feel different.
Also, our time off laws are meh at best. Compare them to the US and we look great, compare them to most of europe and we look terrible.
OutdoorApplause@reddit
Not illegal but how your employer treats it probably depends what you've been signed off with. Stress? Sure a holiday would probably help. Pneumonia? If you're well enough to travel you're well enough to work.
BroodLord1962@reddit
No it's not fraud or illegal. Going away while off work through sickness is a good way to recover
Thenedslittlegirl@reddit
I went on holiday when I was signed off following a bereavement. Be open with your manager and say you feel like getting away will help your mental health.
trippykitsy@reddit
If you register as unfit for work, but youre fit for a holiday, then you are fit for work and performing fraud. Someone was on the news recently who got a massivr fine and lost all her benefits because she had pictures posted of herself at a resort.
We live in the UK where there are very negative views against "shirkers". Most people would want you to have to eat cardboard for breakfast if you're unemployed.
GL17CH3D_R4M_5YN7H@reddit
Incorrect.
Please explain to me how attending a festival overseas will take away my epilepsy, C-PTSD and chronic pains? Explain to me how sitting and watching bands is capable of fixing my body, stopping constant seizures or dealing with trauma.
I'll wait.
GeneticPurebredJunk@reddit
You’ve clearly got a very narrow understanding of what fit to work looks like.
I developed PTSD due to a family death that mirrored my place of work duties.
I was physically unable to work at my place of work during a long period due to my flashbacks and responses to every day aspects of work.
Going on holiday, I wasn’t exposed to those triggers, so I was fine.
Equally, after dislocating my shoulder, tearing my rotator cuff, developing bursitis and a frozen shoulder, I couldn’t do the physical labour of another job, and despite me trying yo get back to work with alternative duties, my workplace OH kept me signed off.
A frozen shoulder doesn’t stop you from flying, walking, or being abroad, but it did make me unfit for work.
It’s not black & white like you seem to think.
fickle_tartan@reddit
This is just straight up bullshit tbh.
Shit like this comment is exactly why we have such a horrendous culture of people working through illnesses or not taking time off when they absolutely need it.
trippykitsy@reddit
i really couldnt care less about what people do. we all only live once. i am stating what the companies and government recognise as fit for work.
fickle_tartan@reddit
Then maybe stop complaining about how people dislike "shirkers" while accusing OP of being one?
Once again, absolute bollocks.
trippykitsy@reddit
people dislike "shirkers". this is just the attitude in this shitty country. constantly fingerpointing ay the unemployed and disabled instead of the precious hardworking billionaires. notice how i put it in speech marks? like i dont care for using it as a real word?
fickle_tartan@reddit
You're literally doing this, just because you put the word "shirkers" in quotes doesn't mean you weren't calling OP one implicitly.
You're complaining about the problem you are perpetuating.
MountainMuffin1980@reddit
That was very different. She was claiming a lot of benefits and and claimed she had anxiety and pain so bad she couldn't leave her house. Yet was quad biking and surfing and scuba diving in...Spain I want to say.
Getting signed off for stress and taking a beach holiday to recuperate is completely different. If OP was claiming they were in physical pain but went on a rock climbing holiday though...
trippykitsy@reddit
Yeah, they would still need lots of evidence that their holiday doesn't contradict their diagnosis, especially if the work gets hold of any photos of OP having a good time. It's an uphill battle.
MountainMuffin1980@reddit
Yeah that's fair
DameKumquat@reddit
Depends what your work is. If you're off because you can't walk or stand all day, or sit even, a break to lie on a beach might be fine - especially if pre-booked. Or to visit family. If you go clubbing on the holiday, then expect questions.
trippykitsy@reddit
They specified mental health rather than physical health. It's hard to get time off work for mental health and most workplaces will have a keen eye for the first thing that contradicts such a request. If you have said your anxiety is so bad that you cant leave the house, then a 5 day trip with your mates might be argued as something youve said is impossible.
Diplomatic_Gunboats@reddit
Illegal? Generally no. Specifically for mental health? Almost certainly not. Just make sure your doc has cleared it.
For physical disabilities, yes it could in some cases lean into illegal depending on the circumstances. Being signed off long-term sick with a bad back and then going on an extremely rigorous activity holiday? Well your employer might allege fraud, but they are almost certainly going to just fire you for gross misconduct, not try and pursue a criminal fraud conviction against you. If you are claiming benefits etc though, the government is much more likely to given their duty towards reclaiming fraudulently paid benefits.
ADHDJ86@reddit
I know a girl was signed iff being unfot for work after being electrocuted in work that then caused nerve danage.
She was seen on a live stream at a rave in Holland, was fired. Took them to tribunal and won.
Being UNFIT to work doesnt mean you are unfit to do other things
GL17CH3D_R4M_5YN7H@reddit
Oh I can relate to her so hard. I have various disabilities and I've had people chew me out because I go to a couple of festivals each year, one that is abroad. They constantly look through their able bodied lens and don't consider that we aren't doing everything the way they do.
I sway dance for my favourite bands if they play and that's the most I push my body. I sit down and enjoy the show from there, I literally do not have the strength to do more than that.
An entire group of people in my town spread rumours that I didn't really have epilepsy because they hadn't seen me have a grand Mal seizure, and I can be around strobe lights. They all apologised profusely when I had one in front of them, but they'd been seeing me having focal and absences for years they just didn't want to validate it as legitimate.
These festivals are my only real lifeline to the world, they're the only place I get to feel almost normal, and without that I'd be entirely hopeless, to a life threatening degree.
The people who want us to suffer locked inside in a bed, they don't even want to treat us with humanity because somehow I have less value because I got stuck with this failing body. They always forget they could join us at any moment and be treated with the same hate they give out.
Eukonidor_Of_Arisia@reddit
Hearing this as an honest question breaks my heart a little bit. To think that people in this country are so beaten down and defeated, that this is the kind of thing which goes through their minds?... Seriously?
At this point, the UK is just a Dickensian workhouse with a flag. I thought we as a people had more spine than this. Gutted.
mighty_atom@reddit
What time are you comparing to? We have some of the better annual leave entitlements globally. There wasn’t any legal right to annual leave before 1998. Now we have 5.6 weeks.
Also if you think in a Dickensian workhouse you could get signed off on full pay because of your mental health, I’ve got news for you.
Veenkoira00@reddit
Surely it depends on the nature of illness and on what the doctor recommends.
VardaElentari86@reddit
No, and it can be beneficial.
My caveat would be not to plaster it all over social media or go on about it once back at work - rightly or wrongly, workplaces can be bitchy and plenty of people will feel you got a 'free' holiday (eg doing it on the sick rather than taking annual leave)
CoffeeIgnoramus@reddit
Simplest way to think about it, is:
If you could work, then you should be in work.
The problem comes with being able to prove that you'd be useless at work but somehow able to travel, because if your boss finds out, that's what they would question.
pip_goes_pop@reddit
Well put. Also if the holiday you go in was booked 6 months ago, then an employer is going to be very suspicious that your mental health episode happens to correlate exactly with it!
TavernTurn@reddit
If you are off sick at work, then the correct thing to do - which will cover you legally - is to email your relevant manager and ask for permission to leave the country, with information about your destination and flight numbers.
When you receive written permission then you’re good to go. I deal with this a lot at work. People lose their jobs for assuming they can just head off because they can’t technically do their job, so they’re off the hook. That’s not the case.
AffectionateDot4758@reddit
I went on a cruise when I was off sick and also recuperated in Spain after an operation, all with my workplace having this knowledge. It depends why you are off I guess
Traditional-Treat613@reddit
Its not illegal but I would avoid posting pictures of yourself on social media all smiles and having an amazing time. That doesn't go down well particularly when someone you work with sees the images and shares them with senior management/HR.
ItsMompsy@reddit
Sean is that you? 🤣
Alert_Mine7067@reddit
GPs recommendation to take some time off and take a holiday, to get yourself feeling well again.
Your employer may become suspicious and take action if you've already requested time off for a holiday which was declined, and then became sick within the time period you'd requested off.
Terravisu@reddit
Had a colleague in hospital for a few weeks with a serious back issue think sepsis too. She was off for almost 9 months but a few months in posted on Facebook a skydiving experience and various holidays and festivals drinking. That obviously did not go down well. A holiday to relax after to aid recovery I can understand just don't advertise it.
Nice_Back_9977@reddit
I think its fine. When I needed some time off to focus on treatment for a mental illness I had a chat with my boss about how just sitting at home and only going out for my appointments wouldn't actually help at all and what were his feelings about me meeting friends, exercising, going for day trips etc. and he totally understood and agreed, just asked me not to post stuff on social media (which I never do anyway) to avoid awkward discussions/questions from other staff etc as he was the only one who knew why I was off.
--BMO--@reddit
My old workplace was all bullies and bitterness towards the end and I let it break me. I got signed off and continued my counselling night class so I could go into another field.
My manager pulled me into a meeting thinking he had a real “gotcha” moment, I brought occupational health with me and she tore him a new one, she asked him why he thought I’d want to still be in a room full of caring people who just want the best for for me, compared to being here, being driven out by him and his clique. I’ll always be grateful for you Pat, you always had my back.
Actually bumped into my old manager in B&M the other day, think he was annoyed I’m doing well, nobhead.
Sparko_Marco@reddit
Not illegal but could look dodgy and work may not be happy about it and then look for other ways to sack you, especially if you have less than 2 years working for them. It's a big risk to take.
Also if you have requested that time off on leave and been refused and then go on sick to get the time off then that's gonna look proper dodgy and make it seem like your faking it.
Adorable_Orange_195@reddit
There should be a policy or clause on the contract around this. So it depends on the work policy / contract for your employment.
Whumpitup@reddit
Check your sickness policy before you do anything, I have seen people sacked for this because of their employers Duty of Care. Let me explain:
When you're off work sick your employer still has a duty of care to you and that normally translates into there absence policy. There will be some reference somewhere to highlight this fact and here's how it works: The company can, should and will hold regular phone calls with you to fill their duty of care - Make sure you're ok, update you and receive an update.
This is where your problem lies. See they can call ypu into work for an update / to do a risk assessment / to offer changes to work to help you get back to work and they can do this by either calling you or sending you a letter with a date to attend the workplace to undertake said review. They only have to give you 48hrs notice of this and you are required by your contract to attend that call / meeting.
This is where I have seen people managed out. The company has found out they have gone abroad while ill and sent a letter with a date to attend the workplace. Obviously that person hasn't gotten the letter but that's not on the company. So they don't turn up which starts the disciplinary process and off we go. Not attending has been used for gross misconduct.
I can only attest to how it works with some of the bigger companies but I have absolutely seen people get canned for this.
Just be wary of the absence policy and if you do go away get a letter from your gp stating it will help with recovery.
insomnimax_99@reddit
It’s not “illegal” per se.
But:
If you’re seen as doing something that is incompatible with your health condition (eg, base jumping if you have a broken back) then your employer can take disciplinary action against you for lying about your health
You may be contractually obligated to undertake occupational health assessments, even when off sick. Refusing to take an occupational health assessment because you’ve gone off abroad may result in disciplinary proceedings (at my company, people who are off sick need to get authorisation to go abroad for this reason).
MeltingChocolateAhh@reddit
It's not illegal, but it is frowned upon and could leave you deep in poop, depending on the circumstances.
Sick leave exists for you to recover and bring yourself back to a point of being employable again in the workplace. Your new duty becomes recovery to be able to fulfil the duty you were hired to do.
Annual leave exists for you to take time away from work. You don't have a duty while on annual leave, usually.
If you go on holiday during sick leave, and that holiday does not contribute to your recovery in any way, and you haven't shown adequate recovery after it, then you should be docked annual leave at the minimum.
It is a grey area because all of this depends on what you have been signed off for
BillWilberforce@reddit
Don't post your holiday to Instagram/FB etc. or brag about it at work.
I remember about 18 months ago or so. People getting fired after they'd said to work that they couldn't stand for 5+ minutes. So had to go off sick. Then posted themselves attending 3+ nights at the Oasis reunion gigs in a standing room only section.
MesoamericanMorrigan@reddit
Here I am feeling guilty booking my first ever concert ticket at 33 in the ambulant disabled section
MesoamericanMorrigan@reddit
I haven’t been anywhere since 2018 and I only went abroad because I became homeless suddenly and family offered to ‘take care of me’ (ended up being a nightmarish 6 weeks sharing a house with a psychotic alcoholic and crackhead and having to share a room with my brother who came on to me drunk twice and going stretched without electricity and running water).
The last time before that in 2025 I tried to go on a short euro break but had a surgery rescheduled to 48 hours before I left. Stitches got infected, was stuck in a cold rat infested tent etc
I never went in normal happy family holidays growing up
I have wanted to go Japan my whole life and genuinely feel like my time is running out to attempt to book and go as things happen with my health, what’s going on in the world/aviation industry right now and I think in the newer future, travel is going to be really heavily restricted
I’m desperate to go on one good big holiday before I die (I’m 33 but honestly feel like I need to do my bucket list right now)
I only leave the house twice a week to go in a field of horses half a mile from my house. Apart from that I don’t really see people or do much. Maybe 6 months apart I might go to a nice cafe but my ice is so isolated and lonely
All that said I had a universal credit review recently, my savings are nowhere near the upper threshold but I was nervous about having a bank account labelled ‘Japan 2027’. It’s only got £300 in it so far but felt so guilty like I’ve done something wrong for planning to take one week abroad for the first time in nearly a decade
I am very nervous about trying to travel with mobility equipment. I can have meltdowns just trying to take a local bus by myself if anything uncertain or unexpected happens, so plan to find and even pay someone to come with me if I have to
No_Chemist2922@reddit
All good if you don't get caught.
MermaidPigeon@reddit
I went away for a month when I was off sick and didn’t say anything, I didn’t know I was meant to 😅 nothing happened
smushs88@reddit
All good, as others have said you’re signed off from being fit to work, that doesn’t mean you’re not fit to go abroad, or to the shops etc.
ByteSizedGenius@reddit
I have done this. I was actually encouraged by a medical professional. I did not tell my employer and all my SM is private... It was fine.
290Richy@reddit
Depends where you work.
Where I work someone went off with depression and went abroad a couple of months in. Everyone was fine with it because getting away is good for your mental health.
However, I think the problem comes when you call in sick for a week and someone sees you on the log flume at Alton Towers then you may be in the mud. (I someone who this happened too by the way).
Available-War932@reddit
Not illegal by default, but it can be an issue if it looks like you’re not actually unfit for work.
MrMonkeyman79@reddit
If your sick note is genuine and you aren't faking symptoms to your GP then its not fraud.
Your employer isn't necessarily going to be understanding of this however. Despite the technicalities of employment rights, optics matter a lot in the workplace.
YouCantArgueWithThis@reddit
If you are off with mental health reasons, you are not expected to just stew at home and be miserable. It's not the flu, it's not a broken leg. While with these you just wait until you are better, with mental health issues, you often have the capability to help yourself: going out, meeting friends, gym, hiking, swimming, yoga, games - whatever makes you feel better. In my eyes, going on a holiday is self care.
Unlikely_Plane_5050@reddit
Depends why you are signed off and what you are doing. If you say you have a broken leg and get seen on Facebook playing tennis that is fraud. Mental health is a bit more gray because it depends exactly what you have said and why about how the symptoms affect your fitness to work. And you will get people from r/pip saying it's fine to go anywhere signed off but realistically if you have told work you are too anxious to go outside and then are seen at Disneyland most people would also see that as fraud.
RecentTwo544@reddit
As far as I'm aware, and to note I'm not an expert, it would actually be illegal for your employer to fire you for going on holiday when signed off work for mental health reasons.
If you are severely stressed for example and you're signed off, you're specifically supposed to be mentally recuperating, and if a week getting off your tits in Ibiza does the trick, then that's exactly why you were signed off work. Though as an aside, I strongly don't recommend that specific example.
"Fraud" doesn't really come into it unless you're claiming benefits - for example getting PIP for a back injury then posting videos of you skiing down expert runs in the Alps.
Your employer could of course dismiss you for gross misconduct if you were lying about your reason for being signed off, but you're not gaining financially from being signed off.
ValerianKeyblade@reddit
It's not illegal, but I wouldn't encourage it under most circumstances. What are the circumstances for being signed off of work? If it's for stress, I'd say a holiday abroad is more reasonable than if you had said to the GP you felt too physically unwell
Timely_Egg_6827@reddit
Bit of a grey area. If a holiday can be seen as recuperative, then yes it should be fine. A change of scenery can help with a reset - just curate your social media. I did one before coming back from a bout of ME/GAD as if I couldn't cope with low-grade, low-stakes stress then no way would I be ready for work. If you are off work with a broken leg and the holiday is sitting on the beach, then that doesn't mean you could be working - if you go climbing or windsurfing, questions might be asked.
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