5 Responses

1. Perhaps this sounds a little harsh but…

   That is a real shame but I can see the employers point. Mr Marshallsea did nothing to help his own recovery here, despite being involved in a morally sound act. But that isn't a matter for his firm.

   He may have only taken the holiday on the advice of his doctor but Im sure his arm wasn't twisted too hard to go and his expensive plane tickets didn't come on prescription.

   He also claims that he should have received a pat on the back for his efforts. Indeed he should. But perhaps from the children's parents and the lifeguards presumably already employed to take care of this sort of thing so that he didn't need to. Not from his employer. What concern is it of theirs?

   Mr Marshallsea deserves praise for his bravery and guts (although perhaps it's just stupidity) but jumping into shark infested waters to grapple with the beast doesn't sound like the actions of a man suffering from severe stress does it?

    

2. Never that straightforward…

   My thoughts, for what they're worth….

   If the couple hadn't been shown on TV but had told their employer they were taking a holiday while on sick leave to rest and relax, would they have been sacked?

   The charity they worked for doesn't seem to have had any process for dealing with this sort of thing – wouldn't it be usual to arrange some sort of meeting or disciplinary procedure to hear each side of the story before making the decision to sack them?

   If the issue was his ability to wrestle with a shark whilst suffering from stress, why was his wife sacked too?

    

3. Looks like the employer is at fault

   There is nothing that says you can't take a holiday whilst off with stress. In fact it's often recommended. There is also nothing that dictates what you can and can't do whilst on holiday (although, if there was, shark wrestling probably wouldn't have even been thought of!).

   Stress tends to affect people's mental state, and doesn't preclude them from physical activity.

   If what he's stated is correct that he just received a letter from his employers with no meetings he has a very good case. However, sometimes things aren't exactly as they seem and we don't get the full story.

4. Really interesting topic Rus.

   Really interesting topic Rus.

   I note he had been off sick with stress since April 2012 and this happened in January 2013 – I would think any employer would have grounds for considering whether the person was ever likely to return to work anyway after such a long time off.

   And I wonder why this two month holiday did not happen much earlier in his illness?

   It certainly sounds as though the employer does not have proper procedures to deal with this as I agree he should have had an opportunity to present his case, but I have every sympathy with the charity here.

   His wife was also off sick at the time – I wonder what was wrong with her?  And how travelling half way round the world, with all the stresses and strains that causes, was a help to either of the pair's recovery

   I wonder if he will take it to ET?

   Jenny

    

    

5. It’s easy?

   The best way to look at this is as if you were the employer…

   It was your money that was funding the sicky

   Your business that was suffering

   Your other employees who were being burdened because these 2 were off sick

   Some people are just chancers and think the world owes them a living.

   I have personally experienced lazy, feckless scroungers in almost every workplace I have ever been in and these to characters seem oblivious to their responsibility to the organisation that pays not only for the roof over their head but the tickets to Down Under!

   Good job I dont work in HR I would have sacked them months ago!