My 17 yr old DD is being asked for a sick note.

[gingerhobo48]

She has a little P-T job at a well known retailer working weekends. She hasn't been there long and is still in her probationary period. In the 3 months she has been there she has had 2 bouts of D&S which has unfortunately coincided with her working days(we both had it last time)and another episode which has been triggered by anxiety and stress as she was unable to find cover (she was returning to 6th form)She had agreed to work extra shifts. When she phoned in, HR said they knew she was lying and wanted a sick note. She has had severe social anxiety in the past and she was seeing a CAMHS counsellor for over a year.
She had a meeting with a senior manager to discuss her attendance and punctuality and they are extending her probationary period by 3 months.
She tells me HR are still asking for a sick note. How do I get one? I guess I will have to pay for one as her symptoms have now passed but will a Dr even agree to writing one? As you can imagine this is causing my DD a lot of worry. Has anyone experienced anything similar from their employer?

She is working today, I will speak to her about what she wants to do later.

I think it would be better if she went back to her contracted weekend hrs (8 over 2 days) and not put in for any extra shifts.

This is her final year of A levels and she really needs to be concentrating on that.

I think the best thing is just to help her manage the anxiety and realise that, at this stage in her life,, this is not at all a big deal. She's getting a bit of money and learning about work, not trying for the perfect career.

I agree, EarthBoundMist.

This smacks of bullying IMO, and since she has suffered from social anxiety it would be especially hard for her to cope with it on her own. Does her employer know about the anxiety?

No, she really doesn't like to talk about it.

She only has a problem with this one woman in HR and I'm not sure why. The supervisors and the managers seem to like her, she has made friends and generally she is getting on well.

At the height of her anxiety she was almost refusing to go to school, it's a wonder she completed her GCSE's.

She managed to say a little bit about how she feels/how it affects her to the manager yesterday. He said he had direct experience of anxiety (one of his daughters has had it) so he totally empathised.

I can see how at face value it looks like she is not trying and can't be bothered but this really isn't the case.

This job really is helping to build her confidence, I have seen such a change in her since she has been working.

She can build on that hopefully and see what she has achieved and how she will learn more over time. There's no need for her to push it.