If you’re too ill to work, how can you wrestle a shark?
That’s the question that Paul Marshallsea’s employer asked after seeing footage of the Welsh man dragging a shark away from swimmers while on vacation in Australia.
According to the BBC, Marshallsea and his wife were both visiting some friends in Australia when a shark was spotted in the water during a beachside barbeque:
Mr Marshallsea ran into the sea where he was filmed dragging the 6ft-long (1.8m) dusky whaler shark into deeper water.
The charity’s former project co-ordinator, said: “If I hadn’t gone in to save the kids on that beach that day my wife and I would still have a job.”
Both Paul and his wife Wendy had taken stress-related sick leave from their jobs at Pant and Dowlais Boys & Girls Club, where Paul had served as a project coordinator, and were advised by their doctor to “go on holiday”:
“The stress of running this in your own community – it’s like a monster,” said Mr Marshallsea.
“We created a whip to hit our own backs. It grew so big and we didn’t realise. There was no stopping it…”
Of course, we don’t know the specifics about their stress-related conditions — but it seems fairly obvious from the article that the conditions were related to workplace pressure.
WHAT ABOUT GOOD DAYS AND BAD DAYS?
But does a struggle with workplace stress somehow disengage your ability to handle non-work stress? The trustees at Pant and Dowlais Boys & Girls Club seem to think so. Running into the water and grabbing a shark to save some kids is no small feat, after all. It takes physical skill, mental clarity, and a hefty dose of adrenaline, I’d imagine.
Just because Paul Marshallsea, at 62 years old, rose to the occasion during a single decisive moment and triumphed in the face of a very life-threatening stressor, does that mean he’s capable of working?
All of this reminds me of Nathalie Blanchard, the Canadian woman who was fired from her job for smiling while on sick leave for depression. After taking leave, she traveled to the beach with friends when her doctor told her to “try and have some fun”. Then, she posted a photograph of her — a smiling photo, that is — on her private Facebook page.
Somehow, her insurance company managed to find the photo. From the original CBC story:
When Blanchard called Manulife, the company said that “I’m available to work, because of Facebook,” she told CBC News this week.
She said her insurance agent described several pictures Blanchard posted on the popular social networking site, including ones showing her having a good time at a Chippendales bar show, at her birthday party and on a sun holiday — evidence that she is no longer depressed, Manulife said.
Is a photograph a de facto representation of one’s long-term mental state? Absolutely not. From my 2009 post about Blanchard:
But how much weight should something like a photograph taken in a sunny locale carry? I think it’s fairly obvious to say that even folks grappling with major depression smile once in awhile.
Sure, I personally struggle with anxiety, but I’m calm sometimes — placid, in fact, if you catch me at the right time.People dealing with agoraphobia are probably going to find themselves out in public on a good day. Does a photograph of an agoraphobic in a public area demonstrate that agoraphobia is no longer a problem? How about a photo of an insomniac, sleeping soundly?
Making mental health judgment calls based off a mere photograph — a single, isolated, and brief moment of time — is a slippery slope.
CAN A SINGLE INCIDENT UN-DO A DIAGNOSIS?
Even though the shark-wrestling incident isn’t a photograph, it’s still a “single, isolated, and brief” moment of time. It doesn’t tell us anything about how Paul handles stress at work. It doesn’t tell us anything about how unbearable his work load may have been. It doesn’t tell us a thing about his deadlines or his co-workers or his bosses.
And, of course, it doesn’t tell us anything about the physiological symptoms that he may have been feeling as a result from his workplace stress. (Let’s face it — at age 62, the physiological symptoms of anxiety [like chest pain or shortness of breath] need to be taken seriously and managed proactively.)
All it tells us is this: he and his wife were on vacation (per doctor’s orders, no less), and Paul was at the right place at the right time to perform a heroic act.
And because of that, he’s now unemployed. (Oh, and his wife, too.)
WOULD YOU FIRE PAUL MARSHALLSEA?
For those of you who, like me, suffer from stress-related disorders: What do you think about this story? I have panic disorder, but I can say that, on a good day, I’m capable of doing some awesome shit. Last year, I even I managed to stand up in front of an audience and give a TEDx talk!
But on a bad day, even the tiniest work-related tasks (like replying to a single email) can feel too burdensome to endure.
The parts don’t always represent the whole, you know?
Also, check out the original news footage of Paul Marshallsea wrangling the shark here:
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