u/ILoveJames4Ever

I was on medical leave for a week due to severe anxiety / panic attacks. My doctor has told me I need another month if not more off. I have gone into cycles like this in the past where I was into this state for years at a time, although I have not had one in years.

I currently hold an executive financial position at a company, and while I could get away with a week of being "unwell", I am terrified of handing in this month's medical leave. It will will be career ending, despite any employment laws, I will not be seen as a reliable anymore and my days will be numbered.

Of course this adding even more to my anxiety and panic attacks. I honestly, do not think I have a choice in the matter,

However, how difficult is it to get LTD for anxiety?

Also, if I am eventually terminated for taking this leave, how do I prove it was because of that?

I’m looking for honest advice because I genuinely don’t know if I’m overreacting or if the writing is on the wall at my job.

I’m a financial controller (head of finance) at a smaller company and also handle HR.

Over the last month or so, my relationship with the owner has changed pretty dramatically and it’s making me paranoid that I’m being pushed out or will eventually be fired.

Some context/things that have happened:

We used to have weekly executive meetings — he stopped those about a month ago. He used to take me and the GM out for breakfast every second week — also stopped around the same time.

He barely talks to me now and doesn’t even say good morning anymore, but still goes around chatting with everyone else.

The company has been under financial stress and at one point we almost couldn’t make payroll. I asked him if he wanted me to transfer money from the holding company or if he was putting money in personally. He told me to transfer it. Later he got angry and claimed I never asked him first. GM agreed that I asked him but put a procedure in for him to sign all transfers now.

He asked for $100k from the business to pay off his personal LOC and I said the company couldn’t afford it. Later he changed the story and claimed he only asked for $8,500 and that I refused. The GM backed me up and confirmed my recollection was correct.

A bonding company requested personal financials and copied him on the email. I responded that I would provide them by end of week and he said nothing. After I sent them he came down and said he forgot to tell me not to send them (which is something I have never not been allowed to do before) later sent an email cc’ing the GM saying I was not to do that again.

He also suddenly implemented a rule that all cheques now require two signatures instead of just mine. Which has been a control I have been trying to implement but he always says he trust me and asking for his signature is “beneath me”.

Overall it feels like he’s increasingly removing trust / control from me. He’s also brought in two consultants we cannot afford to pay which are heavily focused on my job and tasks. Stating they are just making job descriptions for the entire company. Which could honestly be true, as they do other things with other people but it makes me feel uneasy.

The reason I’m spiraling is because I’ve seen him turn on employees quickly before and fire people impulsively. He’s not really someone who seems concerned about employment law or HR process when he’s upset.

At the same time, I know the company is under a lot of financial pressure, so part of me wonders if he’s just stressed and tightening control generally.

I recently went on medical leave due to severe anxiety/panic symptoms and now I’m terrified I won’t have a job to return to. To add to this they also changed my email password on Monday when I handed in my sick note for the week.

Am I overreacting here? Or do these sound like legitimate warning signs that I may be getting pushed out? It’s hard for me to tell with my anxiety.

I work for a company with about 70 employees. I am the financial controller, and since we have no HR department, I kind of fill in and we outsource on larger issues. But if I am being honest, the owner of the company is kind of rogue and does whatever he wants anyway with no care for employment laws.

Two weeks ago I took two days off because I felt unwell. Then last weekend I thought I was having a heart attack and went to the ER and was luckily not. But told I had to take a week off to rest. I handed in my sick note on Monday and by 11am my email password was changed so I could not access it on my phone. Which is odd because I’ve been sick and taken vacation before and there was never any issues.

My doctor has given me another month off, but I was not planning on taking it since I cannot be without my pay cheque and I did not want to leave the company without. But now I am terrified I am going to get fired. Which does not help my stress level.

Am I overreacting about my email pw being changed ?