I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place in regards to my new, part time, care sector job. I have fibromyalgia, spinal inflammation and sciatica. Fibro was onset with pregnancy 5 years ago, but after just moving to a new town and moving in with my partner I decided try and venture back into part time work. Applied for a domiciliary care job just yards away from the house thinking it might be the perfect opportunity (I previously worked in a home for 4 years).
I explained my health conditions to the one client who is doing the hiring in house, expecting my condition to be respected. However I'm just about to begin Week 4 of this job and I feel completely disrespected with the silly hours I'm being given and the extra hours I'm given without my consent. They have major staffing issues and I'm paying the price.
In my first week the rota was changed 3 times behind my back and I was asked, often on the same day, to work treble shifts, citation: training; by mid-week my fibro had wiped me out and I text to explain this, but no easements came. Same the following week which completely wiped me out and I tried to quit, to which my client declined and asked me to stay. In the 3rd week hours lessened a little, but then I was put on shifts covering another staff member who handed in a sick note and asked to take on extra dinner calls.
Hours were when then discussed and I was offered one night shift and various short dinner calls from Week 4, which I agreed could work quite well. It's now week 4 and I've been rota'd on various afternoon calls, a early morning call and an evening call in the same day, more afternoons and a nightshift - consuming no less than 6 days on paper and 8 days in reality (sleep prep).
There's no confidentiality as all communications go through each the client, her husband and an assortment of the other staff on shift. Texts are not responded to, payroll is outsourced to an accounting company, and I'm asked to cover hours on the spot in front of other staff. When I said I had family coming to visit in April (travelling 240 miles to see me) and requested we work together on the rota to ensure I could spend time with them, the response was "well cant they just stay at yours whilst you're at work". They openly slag off another member of staff who has epilepsy and frequently handed in sick notes. She done that this week, leaving me over worked, but the complete disregard to confidentiality makes me uneasy. I am also deemed the outsider to this new town and I dread to think what they say behind my back.
I feel bad, my client is wholly bed bound and her husband is going through his own serious medical issues at the moment, but I'm not even physically capable of the hours they are asking from me and despite articulating this clearly, I'm being completely ignored. I'm due into work within the hour and I dread trying to broker this talk for the 3rd time in as many weeks. :'(