Longest time you've been off work?

[sojourner]

About 4 months in total since I left school at 16

 

[dlx1]

2 years but studying now

 

[Cheesypoof]

Full time through uni is damn impressive-I worked part time rushing covered in baby puke and playdoh to uni to be surrounded by glamorous types looking at me weird

didnt go to many lectures cos i was always out working.... I worked a lot in jobs because i get bored easily, and wanted to avoid study and take drugs/ drink instead.

 

[Kanda]

I took 2 months off in 2003 as I made myself redundant and took some time out spending it. Thats it in 19 yrs of working.

 

[moomoo]

What do you enjoy doing?

I used to be a secretary but have spent the last 7 odd years caring for my son at first and then my husband.

Don't know what I want to do! I'd like something with job satisfaction and the feeling that I have made a difference to someone as my last job was working for a major retailer and I was never very interest in how many car stereos had been sold in a week

 

[Rohen]

off sick for 7 months in one go

 

[soulman]

Worked for 24 years and now enjoying the fruits of my labour, and the fucking tax and NI that the state took off me every fucking month and spent on shit I didn't agree with. Looking at it like an insurance policy now. If you've paid in you'd be a fool not to claim cos there'll be no pension for us...

 

[loud 1]

2 years or more,made me an absolute loser.

i played games all day,just waiting for 6pm so i could ring me mates and get um round,when they said they were busy i would get all stressy and pissed off.

seems very sad now im a fully fledged promotion getting machine

 

[subversplat]

Two years out of work. It was great

 

[EastEnder]

18 months (mid-pregnancy until my son was 14 months old). I was too busy to think about it, but also made me realise I wasn't housewife material, as I got bored at home.

((((Magneze))))

 

[LDR]

I've taken six months off here and there but I save to allow myself to do it and the nature of my work means I can rejoin employment with no real problems.

It's my official last day at work today and then I expect not to work for a least another six months to a year.

 

[twisted_angel]

About 5 months last year...i hated it.

 

[portman]

Apart from a couple of months off sick back in the 80s (injury), I've never had any periods off or out of work at all. Until now that is... About two weeks from now, the company I work for will be in receivership and most of us will be kicked out then or very soon afterwards. Just hope I get a decent redundancy settlement...

Having worked at the same place for over 20 years, while I welcome a change of employment, I admit I'm not looking forward to the job hunting part one bit. Being the wrong side of 50, even though I have plenty of experience, I'm not entirely certain how much that is going to count for when prospective employers see my age. Sure there is legislation to prevent overt discrimination but if someone has it in mind they don't want to employ an older worker, I'm sure they'll find a way of getting around it.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

...About two weeks from now, the company I work for will be in receivership ... Just hope I get a decent redundancy settlement...

Isn't the thing about receivership that they won't have the money to pay you a decent redundancy settlement?

If they don't have the money to continue trading, surely they won't have the money to pay you redundancy?

A friend of mine had a problem with a company going down the toilet and didn't even get a final paycheque and knew she wasn't likely to get one either (but this was a small, dodgy company, owned and run by a dodgy character), so she walked out of the office with a computer "in lieu". That's probably illegal, like. And not at all recommended, don't be naughty, okay?

 

[portman]

Isn't the thing about receivership that they won't have the money to pay you a decent redundancy settlement?

If they don't have the money to continue trading, surely they won't have the money to pay you redundancy?

A friend of mine had a problem with a company going down the toilet and didn't even get a final paycheque and knew she wasn't likely to get one either (but this was a small, dodgy company, owned and run by a dodgy character), so she walked out of the office with a computer "in lieu". That's probably illegal, like. And not at all recommended, don't be naughty, okay?

The company is part of a group - we are going as part of the group re-structuring so presumably there is some money around. However, we have also been told that we will have to apply to the state for final pay/redundancy. Actually we have been told quite a few things which have been vague, misleading and contradictory. There is a meeting scheduled for this week with someone from the receivers who is supposed to explain to us exactly what our rights are and what we can (or more likely can't) expect. Should be interesting to say the least...

Meanwhile, as there is little work left this week, needless to say the job applications will be going out left, right and centre!

Will be walking out with as much as we can get away with - not computers but blank CDs and the like...

 

[softybabe]

I have worked since 18yrs and worked right up to one day b4 my son was born and went back to work too soon afterwards. I have never been between jobs, just work work work sometimes 2 jobs and study!! I want a rest!!! I want not to have to work so hard, I want to do something i enjoy and not just for paying the mortgage!!! It doesn't help that my boss is a bastard, I have come so close to resigning this past few weeks.

Working is poo!

 

[mrs quoad]

1.5 working days. I had to be sent home in the first place, and I nearly got sent home when I turned back up again

Not because I love work, but because I have trouble giving myself permission to be unwell I was tripping my box off with illness and pretty unsafe to drive, but had no perspective on how muppeted I was until I improved