Please read this first
I am a counselling psychologist, not a solicitor, and nothing on this page is legal advice. It is a general observation from my clinical work, written to encourage you to get proper advice from a qualified employment lawyer about your own situation. Employment law is complex, it changes, and it differs across the UK; only a solicitor who knows your circumstances can tell you what applies to you.
Over the years I have seen a particular, painful pattern often enough that I now raise it with almost everyone who comes to me exhausted by a toxic job. It goes like this. Someone is being worn down at work — bullied, undermined, overloaded, treated unfairly. They reach the point of taking stress leave, or they are already signed off and at home. They are frightened, ashamed, and desperate for it all to stop. And then, often in the gap between one session and the next, they resign. Sometimes in a single email, sent late at night, simply to make the awful feeling end.
The relief is real, and I never want to take that lightly. But I have watched too many people discover, weeks later, that by resigning in that moment they walked away from something they did not know they had: the chance of a fair exit. A negotiated settlement. Compensation for how they were treated. Money and protection that might have given them room to breathe and recover, instead of falling off a financial cliff at the very moment they were least able to cope with one.
So this is the one thing I now ask everyone in a toxic work situation to do, before anything else: please take legal advice first.
Why resigning in the moment can cost you
I cannot give you the law, but a qualified employment solicitor can explain things that are very hard to see from inside the distress — and that often look quite different once someone neutral lays them out. In general terms, and only as a starting point for a proper conversation:
None of this means you should stay somewhere that is harming you. It means the way you leave matters, and that a short conversation with someone who knows the rules can protect options you would otherwise lose for good.
Taking advice is more accessible than people fear
Many people assume legal advice means an immediate bill they cannot afford. Often it does not. A great many employment solicitors offer a free initial call — frequently around half an hour to an hour — to hear your situation and tell you whether you have anything worth pursuing. There are also excellent free sources of information:
— free, impartial advice on workplace rights, and the body you would usually contact before any tribunal claim.
— free guidance on dismissal, resignation, and your options at work.
— the official guidance on employment rights, dismissal, and tribunals.
To make the most of a free call, it helps to do a little preparation first — jot down a brief timeline of what has happened, gather any relevant emails or messages, and write out your questions. You can even use an AI assistant such as Claude to help you understand the unfamiliar terms you are reading and to organise your thoughts beforehand, so that when you do speak to a solicitor you can use the time well. It is not a substitute for advice from a real lawyer, but it can help you walk in better prepared.
Why this is so hard to do — and where therapy fits
If taking advice is so sensible, why do so many people skip it? Because by the time a workplace has pushed someone to stress leave, they are rarely thinking clearly. Chronic stress narrows our thinking and pulls us towards whatever ends the pain fastest — and a quick resignation can feel like the only door out. Shame plays its part too: many people feel they have failed, and want simply to disappear rather than "make a fuss".
This is the part where my work genuinely can help. Therapy will not win your case, and I will never advise you on the law. But I can help you steady yourself enough to slow down — to sit with the fear without being driven by it, to make the call you have been avoiding, and to make decisions in this chapter that your future self will thank you for rather than grieve. Sometimes the most protective thing I can do for a client is simply to say: before you send that email, please speak to a solicitor first.
A solicitor I trust
I cannot recommend a lawyer for your specific case — that is for you and them to judge — but if it is helpful to have a name to start from, one employment solicitor I know and trust is
Angus Menzies
at Horsfield Menzies, a London employment-law firm. Angus works mainly with employers — which means he understands exactly how the other side thinks, and is extremely well placed to act for employees because of it. He knows me, and is keen to support anyone I refer, so do mention that you found him through me, Dr Louise Legg. As always, it is worth checking how he charges and whether he offers an initial call — and, of course, you are free to approach any qualified employment lawyer you choose.
The short version
If you are about to take stress leave, or you are already signed off, because of how you are being treated at work: you do not have to decide your whole future tonight. Hold off on resigning, look after yourself, and get advice from someone who knows the rules — even a single free call. It costs little, and it may protect a great deal.
And if you are in distress right now, please reach out for support. You can contact your GP, NHS 111, or — if you or someone else is in danger — 999. You can also call the
Samaritans
on 116 123, free, any time.