Please tell me if i am being U here Epilepsy, Suspension from work & a hard to work with boss

[KateSpade]

I've been debating asking about this issue for a while now, but as its gradually got worse and worse i really need some opinions.

Im sorry if its long, but please try & stick with it.

Right, so i joined a company at the beginning of november, and went out with my 'team' for a christmas night out in the middle in the spirit of socialising, ect. On this meal, my boss overheard me tell someone else i have epilepsy. They were asking if id driven here so to get to the point i said 'no i can't drive i have epilepsy'. I didn't think anything of it, until my next day back at work when my boss had reported that fact to HR, i was told it wasn't safe for me to work in the role I'm doing (admin role) and that they weren't sure what to do with me, but were considering suspension.

A couple of hours later i was told by HR that from this point onwards i was on medical suspension (full pay so it wasn't that bad) I was off work for 5 weeks and returned in the new year.

Now, since they found out about my condition, they have made the biggest deal out of it. They have bought me a gadget that goes off if it is tilted horizontally and rings through to my boss, HR and Health and Safety. If at any point this device breaks or stops working i am not allowed in the building if their is no-one available to 'buddy up' with me and sit next to me whilst i am doing my job. They have asked permission to write to my doctor to suggest more 'Epilepsy tests' as they put it. Up until this point i have been 100% co-operative. They also wanted a list of dates and times of the points i have ever, had a fit.

Their is a time during the week where i am completely on my own, apart from the security staff and HR. i understand the concern behind this point. however i am sat down all the time during my role and i the last fit i had awake was july 2012 and that is debatable as i was asleep in the car. Although not in a deep sleep. before that i cannot remember.

Now, since they found out i have epilepsy, they have done nothing but patronise me and treat me as if with 'kid gloves'. They have done nothing but call me in meeting after meeting to ask how my medical reviews are coming on, and if i have had any fits recently. I have only been back since the new year, but it is making me feel isolated and so, so patronsied.

(Their have been so many things, too many to mention)

Now this gadget that i have to wear is quite big, bigger than a cigarette packet and it goes off at every slight movement, it has to be sat on my waist, so clipped onto my trousers and it is uncomfortable.

over the past few weeks, i have got rather friendly with the HR director purely platonic and he has admitted to me that all these precautions are so that the company are not held liable if i have a fit and hurt myself in the building and sue them.

& the last little bit something slightly different but it has made me really frustrated.

Just as i started, quite a lot of people warned me about a certain person being really difficult to work with. She seamed to be really nice to me so i ignored what they said and continued to be nice & friendly in a professional way, rather than keep my distance.

Today, i had a meeting around a complaint someone had made about me regarding an admin error. I spoke to the person on the telephone and apologised and thought that was it. Now, it was a tiny, tiny mistake on my part i admit. But i have been actively working in the role for a grand total of 31 days. and most of them were 5 weeks ago.

So, in this meeting i was shouted at, patronised and told off for a good 45 minutes. i took everything on the chin and apologised profusely.

However upon leaving the meeting i ended up in tears, to which she reported me to HR and i got another telling off. Im not quite sure what for then, but it was obviously getting upset. I half expected the director who i thought was my friend to be neutral and here my side of the story, but he didn't at all.

Now: i clarified my epilepsy on my application form. & i was so upset in the meeting today, i couldn't get my point across at all and really embarrassed myself.

So, please tell me if IABU and offer any advice!

Thankyou for all the advice, it really has made me feel so much better/more positive. Now all i have to do is forget about it & enjoy my weekend.

We have a new lad in the office and yesterday I was told he has epileptic fits sometimes and given a card which explains what happens and what we should do, the card is from a society
.

No biggey this is what happens here is what you do

Op your employers sound shit, sorry but I want to give them a few harsh words, twats

We have a new lad in the office and yesterday I was told he has epileptic fits sometimes and given a card which explains what happens and what we should do, the card is from a society
.

No biggey this is what happens here is what you do

Op your employers sound shit, sorry but I want to give them a few harsh words, twats

This is exactly why my friend does not declare his epilepsy to his employers. He knows he should but he also fears how he will be treated, plus he hasn't has a seizure for 5 years. People have shockingly poor understanding of the condition. When I was at uni, one of my fellow students said her mum works with disabled people and she knew that you had to give someone who was having a fit a suppository -my friend was quite rightly horrified at this idea!
I don't know who you should speak to about this but you defo need to do something!

Some people require rectal diazepam for status epilepticusleonas. I think the media tend to give the impression that all epilepsy is like that.

OP your boss' behaviour is disgusting.

Anyone administering rectal diazepam would have received training. The drug is prescribed not just found in a handbag...

So many people have epilepsy and you don't know it. Maybe I'll wear a badge so that those that know me and respect me as employee and professional can suddenly correlate the two issues and see it's not an issue.

Penelope gave very good advice

They are being total unreasonable.

But I think they are doing it out of ignorance rather than malice.

There's lots of legal stuff you could do but I gather you want to get on with your job.

Tell HR you have to have an 'access to work' assessment. Someone will come out from the job centre and assess what you need to do your job.

They will write a report and from that point on the company is breaking the law if they don't follow it (they are breaking the law now, but you don't have the report).

They are NOT treating you appropriately. I have epilepsy, and have worked alone, in a petrol station no less ( totally illegal of my bosses but there you go). I have worked in a major supermarket chain, stacking shelves, moving pallets around etc, I have worked in shops too. In NONE if those places was I made to wear any sort of alarm. You CAN refuse.

Asking for details of your seizures is unacceptable, and you do not have to provide them - those details are for your personal use and your CONFIDENTIAL medical records. Unless the seizures happen when you are at work, or cause you to miss work, then it is, basically, fuck all to do with your employers.

I actually believe it might be pushing the boundaries of the Equality Act 2010 to require you to wear this 'alarm' if it is not a medical device your medical professional has advised you to wear. Your employers are sailing VERY close to the wind with their treatment of you.

Your epilepsy is in no way affecting your ability to do your job, right now, therefore it is nothing to do with your employers. Especially as you declared your epilepsy on the application form. Your employers cannot treat you any differently to the other employees, unless it is in an area in which you have requested an adjustment based in your disability (like I had to refuse to use the compacter in the supermarket job as it classes as heavy machinery). So unless EVERY employee has to wear this device, it is discriminatory behaviour towards you, because of your epilepsy.

Which basically means that they ARE in breach of the Equality Act 2010.

AussieMum78 - we are people with epilepsy not 'epileptics'. It may seem like semantics, but we are people who have a condition, our condition doesn't somehow make us 'other' and only identifiable by that condition.

I haven't worked in 5 years, but was looking to go back to work in a couple of years. Stories like this fill me with horror and make me think I'd be better of not declaring!

I would love to refuse couthy but I'm sure they'd suspend me again. They threatened to do it yesterday when it was broken before they realised I had holidays booked. They said 'ill have to make a decision & I'm sure that's not what you want'

I wish at the time I'd refused to give them any details, but I just wanted to explain that it isn't a big deal in any way & thought they'd agree.

Terrible behaviour on their part. Hope you can get legal advice and take it from there.

I have to carry diazepam suppositories with me for my son in case of a prolonged seizure, its not that uncommon.
You don't randomly give people having a seizure a pill up the bum though! ;)

ok, I have not yet finished your post and I am at your employer!!! Get thee some legal advice ASAP!! It is not required by law to disclose a disability, although it is encouraged to afford you some protection from discrimination. But, they CANNOT impose any requirements or restrictions on your such as making you wear an alarm. Any adjustments need to be made with your guidance and approval and if they are unsure they need to do an OH referral who will guide them professionally, and even then, they have to get your permission to refer to OH as it's an outside body. Of course, if they don't think you can do your job they can 'suspend' you, but they risk seriously being sued up the ass by doing that, as they have to have reasons for doing so such as, you have had a fit, it has been dangerous to you/others in the workplace and they need to manage that safely. Any other reason opens them up to huge breaches of Equality Act.

ok, I am angry on your behalf. I shall go read the rest of your post and the comments.

The more I read the more annoyed I feel angry for you. I'm a children's nurse so a job where I'm responsible for the well being of others and my epilepsy has never been an issue in the same way your employers are making it out to be. I was assessed by Occupational Health (OH) when I got my job and the only restriction I was given was that I couldn't do night shifts because of fatigue potentially triggering seizures etc. I had to give OH a general overview of my epilepsy, my medication etc and date of last seizure etc and I'm pretty sure they wrote to my GP for confirmation but that was it. I was told I was under no obligation at all to tell my Boss or any of my colleagues as I was protected by Confidentiality laws etc. I told one of my Ward Managers but that was it and even then I didn't tell her for months. When I did tell her it's wasn't an issue at all - she asked me if i needed any support in place, I said no and it's as just left and never raised again as being an issue.

What you are experiencing it complete discrimination and if I were you I'd put a stop to it ASAP. Definitely ring a Union or Epilepsy support line for advice and start taking action against your employers - they are being disgusting.

If they do suspend you, then you need legal advice pronto. I'll try to dig out the info I've got on organisations who can help advise you on issues caused by workplace discrimination due to disabilities. I'll post later, I need to go and have blood tests.

Good luck, and I'll link to the info later.

Kate - sorry to only just get back to you!

Without being too specific (as I can't guarantee someone from work isn't reading this!) I do something in the horticultural industry. Really nothing I do day to day is affected by the epilepsy. I don't drive, but then neither do others that I work with. I don't need to operate heavy machinery and I'm never in dangerous situations.

Work have been bloody awful and are being particularly nasty at the moment about letting me have time off for appointments. My neuro is pretty cross that I've had to cancel so many! They also don't appreciate that I do tire out quickly, epilepsy is tiring! The other girls might be able to work a 15 hour shift, with no breaks in a manual job but I will struggle. Apparently this makes me weak.

My first port of call would be Epilepsy Action.

It sounds like discrimination. Talk to the services suggested above.

they are totally out of line asking for this information and making you wear something.

I would contact ACAS they are really excellent and very knowledgeable. They will tell you how to deal with the situation and advise you of your rights and responsibilities and your employers

[[http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1461 ACAS]

crap ACAS

Bloody hell. I've never heard such nonsense I my life.

Speak to Acas, document everything, this is not right at all.

I have rang epilepsy action & they can legally make me wear an alarm, but not without providing evidence of a risk.

However, it does sound like they are in breach of the equality act with the way they have treated me.

We have a staff member at work (nursery) with epilepsy. 2 members of staff are trained to deal with fits if they happen, we all know what to look out for and are first aid trained and he knows when it's going to happen and can get to a safe place or say a warning to someone.

Apart from that he is left to do his job in peace.

I hope you get some advice to deal with the twats at your work OP.

My BIL has epilepsy although pretty well controlled and he is allowed to drive.
He worked in an oil refinery- one of the hottest places for HSSE issues. If he can be allowed to work near dangerous equipment I am sure you should be permitted to sit in an office without panic erupting.

To be fair- my BIL told as few people as he could (socially - work had to know) because people react weirdly.

Hope an epilepsy line can help and tell your employers were to get off...then you can find a more pleasant working environment.