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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Had a panic attack on a work phone call

102 replies

Beingmumistressful · 08/01/2023 21:31

I received a work phone call this afternoon, i’m the on-call press officer this weekend. It was a broadcast journalist who was calling with a few questions and then said he was putting me live air to answer his questions live on air as a company spokesperson via phone. I then had a complete panic attack while the phone line was live on air. He had rang me through the out of hours weekend press line, with an enquiry that I was not aware of and had no time to look into and then after answering one of his questions he said he was putting me live on air then just went and did it, absolutely no time to look into his enquiry or anything. I’ve never experienced anything like it in 19 years in PR. The panic attack was while the phone line was live on air. I informed my boss straight away after, he’s since listened to the ‘interview’ (if you can even call it an interview as the journalist just thrust me straight on air with no warning or time to look into his enquiry) and has called it a “car crash of an interview” (for a few reasons but also because I had a panic attack). I’m pretty sure the approach that the journalist took is a breach of OFCOM rules but I will check that with our legal team tomorrow. My manager is talking about potentially suspending me for bringing the company into disrepute (by having a panic attack!)! Aibu to think they can’t suspend me for this (having the panic attack)? I’ve never experienced anything like it in all my years in PR and communications.

OP posts:
Original poster
Beingmumistressful · 08/01/2023 21:58

5128gap · 08/01/2023 21:57

If your boss had a shred of competence he could have easily saved the company 'reputation' by contacting the journalist apologising that you were taken ill and offering to do an interview himself.

Show quote history

My boss did eventually respond to the journalist a few hours after I had this panic attack and after he had looked into the journalist’s enquiry.

OP posts:
MegBusset · 08/01/2023 21:58

I wouldn't expect any decent journo to do this, it sounds like very poor practice.

I wouldn't expect any manager to start threatening suspension at this stage, that's supremely unhelpful and also would require input from HR etc. Quite reasonable to want to investigate what happened and look at any wellbeing support and / or training needs etc might be needed.

Sympathy for your crappy day.

HimalayaSalts · 08/01/2023 21:59

Disappointing that the manager wasn't on your side, I would personally start thinking of getting a job somewhere else when all this clears up. You'll get through it, much worse things happened and employers stuck by their employees.

Original poster
Beingmumistressful · 08/01/2023 22:00

If they suspend me I’ll contact ACAS for sure.

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ShakespearesBlister · 08/01/2023 22:01

Not good. I'm struggling to see how this would bring the company into disrepute though. Surely you'd have to have acted deliberately in a way which could be perceived as damaging for it to be considered disrepute? You didn't deliberately flunk it. You weren't asked questions and were just thrust on live. Seems more unprofessional on the journalists part.

saltinesandcoffeecups · 08/01/2023 22:01

Oh no… First off sorry that happened OP.

I think the reason why your boss thinks it was a car crash is because most in this situation would have continued to engage on air while giving the “We don’t have any information we can share at this time. But we have a team investigating the situation” variation of answers until the journalist gets bored and ends the interview.

So yeah, totally reasonable for you not to be ready to discuss specifics , but a little less so to be not ready to field questions and dodge.

I mean this sincerely when I say good luck next week. It will likely be a bumpy one.

Original poster
Beingmumistressful · 08/01/2023 22:02

The journalist was asking me questions which my only response was “please email your questions over to us and we can look into them and come back to you”.

OP posts:
awLspo · 08/01/2023 22:02

'"5 seconds was an estimate, I’m not 100% sure of exactly how long it was. I explained that he should email over his questions and his allegations so we can look into them and respond and then had a panic attack and hung up the phone"

What did the panic attack involve? What did you do in air that was so terrible? Sorry I'm just confused, it sounds like you said the right thing and then hung up.

saltinesandcoffeecups · 08/01/2023 22:04

Beingmumistressful · 08/01/2023 22:02

The journalist was asking me questions which my only response was “please email your questions over to us and we can look into them and come back to you”.

Yeah, that’s not great. That makes look like you have to have time to prepare your answers. While that may be true, I think it’s not great to share that live.

Original poster
Beingmumistressful · 08/01/2023 22:05

awLspo · 08/01/2023 22:02

'"5 seconds was an estimate, I’m not 100% sure of exactly how long it was. I explained that he should email over his questions and his allegations so we can look into them and respond and then had a panic attack and hung up the phone"

What did the panic attack involve? What did you do in air that was so terrible? Sorry I'm just confused, it sounds like you said the right thing and then hung up.

Started breathing really quickly and crying. And then couldn’t breathe properly and like my head was hurting and everything was spinning and felt like I was going to faint as couldn’t breathe properly. It was pretty clear to the journalist that I was having a panic attack. I did hang up the phone when starting to have a panic attack.

OP posts:
5128gap · 08/01/2023 22:06

Beingmumistressful · 08/01/2023 21:58

My boss did eventually respond to the journalist a few hours after I had this panic attack and after he had looked into the journalist’s enquiry.

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Then presumably it's all sorted then. It's hardly the first time an interview gets cut off. Lines go dead all the time. No one needs to look bad.
Years ago (and I've tried to surpress this memory!) I walked off a stage where i was addressing a 100 or more people, because I felt a PA start to come on and thought if I didn't get out I'd faint or be sick. I just walked off mid sentence, no explanation, nothing. My lovely boss was very understanding and smoothed everything over. Yours sounds very unreasonable and unsupportive.

Original poster
Beingmumistressful · 08/01/2023 22:07

I put the phone down when I felt the panic attack coming on.

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Original poster
Beingmumistressful · 08/01/2023 22:08

i never intended to have a panic attack but equally I’ve never been thrust onto air like that either.

OP posts:
hotpotlover · 08/01/2023 22:09

I don't think your manager can suspend you for having a panic attack.

The company needs to have a meeting with you to find out how they can support you.

Original poster
Beingmumistressful · 08/01/2023 22:09

I was eventually sick (literally threw up) but that was just right after I had put the phone down so not while on air

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Original poster
Beingmumistressful · 08/01/2023 22:10

As soon as I started not being able to breathe properly (and felt the panic attack coming on) I put the phone straight down.

OP posts:
saltinesandcoffeecups · 08/01/2023 22:10

@Beingmumistressful I really am sorry. I hope this turns into a funny story someday. Right now it doesn’t feel like it, I know. Do your best to keep it from getting worse in your own mind and approach it as a learning experience in the morning when you talk to you boss.

Notjusta · 08/01/2023 22:10

Wow OP. I have run press offices for many, many years and never experienced this! I'm presuming it's not a major broadcast station?

Be kind to yourself - it was really unprofessional of the journalist and not at all what I'd consider normal practice.

Do you ever do any media interviews? Have you been media trained?

Alexandernevermind · 08/01/2023 22:12

It sounds more like live bullying then a consenting live interview. I think you need to complain to legal about the interview and HR about your boss! This bulling and goading thing is a crappy cheap, unintelligent journalism tactic made popular by ITV's This Morning.

Original poster
Beingmumistressful · 08/01/2023 22:16

Notjusta · 08/01/2023 22:10

Wow OP. I have run press offices for many, many years and never experienced this! I'm presuming it's not a major broadcast station?

Be kind to yourself - it was really unprofessional of the journalist and not at all what I'd consider normal practice.

Do you ever do any media interviews? Have you been media trained?

I’ve ran press offices too as a head of PR but decided that was no longer for me after having a child so stepped down and now I’m a senior PR manager.

I’ve never experienced anything like it until today and like you I definitely don’t consider it normal or good practise.

I do media interviews occasionally and have been media trained but it’s different to just being thrust on air like I was today.

OP posts:
ClangingBell · 08/01/2023 22:19

Do you have a history of panic attacks and is your employer aware of them? If so, it seems like a reasonable adjustment that you should not be put in situations where you unexpectedly have to make press appearances. I’d be raising with them whether they had made the right adjustments for you. I think it probably does bring the company into disrepute if their PR rep has a panic attack live on air, but a good part of that disrepute is because the company should have ensured you weren’t in that situation.

GonnaBeYoniThisChristmas · 08/01/2023 22:21

What do you mean by “you had a panic attack”. Sounds like you made a reasonable statement (eg email over your question) and then what?

GonnaBeYoniThisChristmas · 08/01/2023 22:21

Have you had any training in handling unexpected and difficult calls?

bananafish · 08/01/2023 22:23

Oh, how awful for you! What sort of station does that? Glad that you were able to hang up within seconds, but you shouldn't have been put in that situation.

Your manager is being a grade A twat. They can't suspend you or say that you've brought the company into disrepute because you didn't.

Hope your complaint to the editor brings some resolution. If it's the BBC, then I hope they're in breach of their guidelines. I'd be fuming if someone put me on air when I had clearly told them I didn't have the information to hand.

Sure it will have smoothed over by tomorrow. I'm on back up for my on call press officer today and I absolutely would not berate you for that response and in fact, would be chewing the station out for being so bloody unprofessional.

ArabellaScott · 08/01/2023 22:28

Beingmumistressful · 08/01/2023 21:52

That was just what my boss described it is. I don’t agree that it was even an interview in the circumstances. My boss claims me having a panic attack has made both the company and me look incompetent and therefore has brought the company into disrepute.

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Well that sounds like nonsense - it would have been far worse to comment without investigating first.

Panic attack or not, it sounds like you were sensible in not saying anything.