To feel suffocated by this ?

[shimney]

I work in a call centre. Therefore every minute of my day is accounted for ie timed toilet breaks ( and having to tell colleagues via a messenger platform when I'm going to the toilet )

I work 12.5 hours with one 30 minute break.

I am 6 months pregnant and feeling sick 24/7.

I dread the days I work , I get myself really worked up and stressed I am starting to think some of the nausea is down to being anxious. I dread the phone ringing.

Before anyone says can't you re train and do something else I just want to say I am a healthcare professional so I am already invested in this profession , I chose to work in a non conventional way to the usual way HCPs would work, as in I could work on a ward / clinic / community etc but stupidly I chose a call centre .

I hate it and feel like I have ruined my life. I have been here years and feel I have lost clinical skills.
How can I get out of this situation?
I have a job lined up loosely after maternity leave but my company policy states we have to return for 12 months or pay back the maternity pay. The maternity pay is only full pay 2 months and half for 4 months . I feel trapped . Not taking the pay isn't an option as my husband wage would not cover our outgoings . The thought of going back there after maternity leave is making me ill .

What are your healthcare qualifications? Are we taking cater, nurse, gp, specialist doctor, surgeon....?

Are you a 999 or 111 call handler?

There are lots of different job types that need healthcare skills, in the NHS and private care. Depends on your qualifications though.

I am a nurse ( adult registered ) hold a nursing degree.

No not 111 but similar !

If you went back part time, would that help, and would they still make you pay back some/all of your mat pay?

Or you could take out a loan to pay what you owe your current employer, and get a job as a private/agency nurse to pay off the loan

You are only liable to repay the amount over the SMP so it might be worth working out the actual amount you would owe. You might be able to start saving now towards that amount. Roughly it’s 4 months salary less 6 months SMP if you take 6 months.

If you start saving now how long would you need to go back for to cover the rest eg could you go back for 4-6 months then move to a new job?

The first 6 weeks of SMP is 90% of your average earnings then £151.97 after that. So you won’t have to repay as much as you might think.

My friend had to pay back a generous maternity package as she couldn’t hack going back to work once little one arrived. She paid it all back but on some sort of plan.

You'll still receive your statutory entitlement if you don't go back after maternity. You have time to make cutbacks to your budget to cover the short term shortfall.

Or you can take the additional payment and then repay it when you resign.

You're in a far better position than most, you have another household income, and there are plenty of jobs available to you. Get through the next few months and things will seem a lot brighter.

The NHS is desperate for nurses and you would get hired in a minute. Contact the RCN and tell them you want to come back to front line clinical care and what do you need to go back to that.

Was going to offer sympathy if you work for 111 as it’s the pits, the 12 hours with 30 minute break all day and toilet breaks being timed, the relentless calls overwhelming the system.
I don’t blame you for feeling anxious, I did every time I was due to go into work.
But I went back to clinical practice.
Such a relief to get my hands on an actual wound on an actual patient was fantastic!
Bar the mat pay issue, I would encourage you 100% to go back to clinical!

I take it you are not working in NHS?

No It's a private company and the conditions are very much the same as 111

@imaginethemdragons it's horrible . They won't even give me set days for childcare so I keep wasting money on nursery fees for my toddler . I'm so fed up there can't face going back after maternity . I was offered a clinical nurse specialist post with 3 set days a week have been encouraged to contact the matron after maternity.

@Auntienumber8 yes they have said I could pay it back monthly . I think I will have to do that.

@MrsFin they said I can return part time ( I am part time now 25 hours per week) but they said I can do less and I won't have to pay it back. So I could technically get another job and work there 4 hours a week if it was accepted

That sounds like a good option then.

@MrsFin yes it's just whether or not they accept it . They have been funny since my return , refusing to give me set days for childcare . So I'm not sure if they would accept a further part time request .

Aren't you supposed to be given 30 mins uninterrupted break per 5 hours worked?

Check what you would have to pay back as it would not be the full amount,.only the over and above smp so possibly calculate it to see.

@suspiria777

Aren't you supposed to be given 30 mins uninterrupted break per 5 hours worked?

If you work more than 6 hours a day, you are entitled to an uninterrupted rest break of at least 20 minutes.

So do you work 2 days a week of 12.5hrs each? I agree about the breaks - it sounds inhumane - how do full-time staff cope or are they all part time?

Hi yes 2 days of 12.5 hour shifts. Full time staff do 3 days .

The break is paid . But it's only ever been the one . In previous jobs with 12.5 hour shifts I have had 2 x 30 min break.

It would be around £5/6 k . Could pay £100 per month would take a while