Work being unreasonable, handed a work place adjustment form & told to get a doctor to look at it.

[TCrystal]

Hi so I’ve returned to work after being off with muscular/skeletal pain for 2 weeks. I’m 28 weeks pregnant and expressed my concern about travelling in rush hour traffic and that i start to get cramp half way through the drive. So asked for 9-5 to be 8-4 instead and basically got told they can’t just accommodate everything for me because I’m pregnant.

I don’t feel safe at work, I work in retail and asked to be moved onto lighter lifting but they’ve tried to get me on bakery which is harder than the department I’m already on. I feel like my head department manager isn’t very sympathetic and she basically told me that I have to work within the business needs and where I’ll fit?

i now feel anxious and will a doctor even look at a form my work place has given me regarding work place adjustments?

But why?

If that’s the option I have to take if they won’t allow me to do 8-4 instead of 9-5 to avoid traffic & lighter duties on a less stressful department and queue busting then I don’t think I’ve got much choice. My doctor can only give advice on what they think is best for me

Heavier lifting loads of racks I’ve said why. There isn’t going to be someone there to pull them all off for me to just “pack”. I don’t think people get it unless they work in that area.

I’ve done 2 previous risk assessments and not one of the changes has happened with lifting/chemicals/freezers - I’ve done it regardless when I shouldn’t have.

Why on earth would you do this though? Just say no. Go and find a manager and say I can’t do this so someone else needs to come and do it.

Exactly. I’m glad I don’t manage you. No one is telling you to lift hot trays of Cornish pasties. You work in the bakery but don’t lift heavy stuff; you work on the tills, but stand up every other customer; I really can’t see what is difficult about any of this apart from you.

@Cowlover89 yes so at 36 they will want to sign her off on maternity. Sick will cover her until then. Hopefully she doesn't need the money for the remaining 4 (potentially 6) week as it will be smp (I assume supermarkets don't do enhanced) and then that will eat into her maternity allowance.

Is there actually a business need for a role which does these things only, at the times you want them, though? Is there an 8-4 shift doing these tasks? If not, will the business be able to cover the times at either end of your proposed shifts properly? Is there actually enough work to do in crisps and snacks to keep you employed fully? These are the things the business will have to look at to decide whether the adjustments are reasonable from their point of view - it is a two way process.

I don’t understand really why it’s an excuse?? I have said since day 1 the later I go on in pregnancy I’ll want to be on shop floor with light duties at my own pace & help with queues on tills

You don't get to just say from day 1 what you will and won't do though, it doesn't work like that.
Your employer have provided some adjustments to your work day, they don't have to just do whatever you want because you are pregnant. 'Light duties at your own pace' is expecting way more than reasonable adjustments!

@Hufflepods if there's any company where you can dictate 'I'll do what I want, when I want' I'm looking for a job there!

Ok excellent that's clear.

Now, are you saying their suggestion of bakery won't work because the work load is too much manual lifting?

Its like for every suggestion, you have a reason it wouldn't be possible.

You can't do 9-5 as the commuting hurts your foot. But won't take a break in the journey yourself because it makes your day longer.

So they suggest 7-3 but that's too early because you get tired (understandably tired).

You want to know what you are doing 3 weeks in advance but you are only going to be there for 4 weeks.

You can't stay in one position for long day they suggest a mix of duties, some sitting, some standing, but that's too much variety for you.

You can't use a bread machine in case you cut your fingers because your are tired.

You can't do anything that involves you bending right down.
Or lifting
Or sitting
Or standing.

Most of us on this site have been pregnant. Many of us have had very difficult pregnancies (me included).

If you had a PE then yes you should take it easier, but thankfully you didn't. If something is painful, then stop and tell them, and if you've been advised not to lift by your dr/midwife then don't. Otherwise there's a certain amount of just gritting your teeth and getting through the last bit of pregnancy.

At least it's your first and you don't have to deal with a toddler as well as work, or do it all with a 2yo perched on your bump.

It shouldn't just be about what adjustments they can make to help you, but what ones you can make to your own life to help yourself. Drive to work early and have a nap? Have a nap at lunch? Register to do things that you've been told not to do? Go to bed earlier.

I totally get it when pregnancy complications totally incapacitate, but honestly that doesn't seem to be the case with you. I think you just want to be done with work now and want them to sign you off on full pay.

Could you break it down this way?

I basically want a simple adjustment, an hours difference in travel

I need to avoid rush-hour traffic

& a mix of shopfloor light duties

What would you not be able to do on the shop floor?

and tills

What would you not be able to do on tills?

as and when they need help.

That part won't work. What if they don't need you? What if they need you in one function all day? But you could say:

Not more than x hours sitting
Not more than y time without a break
Not more than z time on my feet

Your original manager seems to have let you think you could design your own job at this stage. But that isn't how it works. Your managers can remove some parts from your current job, if that works for the business. They can ask you to take on alternative duties if that works for the business.

You could give the role you've thought of there as an example. But it is your managers' job to staff areas that are short staffed, so if that's the bakery and tills in some combination, they just need to make sure that fits all of your health needs.

They should offer you work avoiding rush hour traffic if that's necessary for medical reasons - but it doesn't have to be at the time you want.

They may be awful people but they are doing what they are supposed to do here

I honestly didn’t think it was unreasonable rather than me signing off with stress and anxiety

It's not unreasonable as a suggestion if it works for the business. But your employer's job is to offer you work that's safe for you, not a choice of tasks that might not help them.

I so wish there was a like button on here!

I think you are quite contradictory, thats why. You said you arent sleeping well, but you've asked to start at 8 instead of 9, they've offered to move you depts to accommodate that, you've refused. I think, if you were being honest, you just want to get yourself suspended/signed off on full pay? Thats how its coming across. Your employer isnt able to bend over backwards to your every whim, it sets a precedence. Imagine if your colleague was in your shoes telling you they refuse to do more than light duties and till work leaving you to pick up the slack? Go on early mat leave. That is your option.

If you need to avoid rush hour than ask to start work later and reduce hours?

Yes, I’m not just being awkward and not wanting to learn I’ve gone in today and asked for opinions of what exactly “packing” involves. It involves lifting trays that are heavy - I’d happily lift a tray of Cornish pasties like someone else has said 😂. This was a massive iron tray that’s heavy without stuff on it.

Yeah, that’s another option I can take via GP

Another option is actually shorter hours which could work better for me. I’ll again ask the doctor.. I’d rather not sit at home for weeks actually

What was the diagnosis if it wasn’t a PE?

This is an excellent peice of advice OP

I agree with what you are saying, I totally agree - if the bakery is as they say only packing and that’s it not requiring heavy lifting of iron trays, I’m not weak any means but I don’t want to injure my arm/chest after being in hospital for it. I will mention this to my GP though.

As it stands on the note I’ve been given to give the doctor it says; “phased return to work - adjustments no heavy lifting, amended duties (Bakery, pizzas, shopfloor & Queue busting self scan and tills)
working hours due to trouble sleeping and rush hour traffic

then says “please indicate you feel that these would be suitable and provide any comments”

then it says Altered Hours “Earlier starts 8-4 to relieve stress of traffic and strain in legs”

Im all fine and well to do as stated on that Note - however the manager I spoke to seemed VERY against the hours written down. It’s probably for me a mix of mixed communication, then when I expressed to my own manager how I felt the lead manager handled it she then told the lead manager who basically was checking up on me because I was genuinely really upset. (This manager is known to be abrupt and quite direct - which admittedly I didn’t really need after a shit 2 weeks off sick - I probably am more emotional than normal..)

They more or less said “Pleuritic pain in nature” Hurt me to bend forward, breathing in hurt and I had an agonising pain that wouldn’t shift in my shoulder I was given cocodamol to take. on my notes there was no real advice given and another A&E doctor said Muscular/skeletal pain probably from everything shifting about so I’m trying to be careful so maybe that’s why I’m thinking about it more in depth than maybe need too. I don’t really know

They have never agreed for me to start at 8. It was outright refused and a phased return to work slapped infront of me to go to the doctor with. This is my point only when I broke down in tears infront of my own manager because she’s off for 3 weeks holiday and she went and told the lead how she made me feel did the lead manager come and say “I don’t want you to feel we don’t care, I just don’t want to agree to anything and it’s better you get advice off your doctor - I didn’t want to offer you say 6am/7am in the bakery but maybe that might work for you if you get to leave earlier”

I get what she’s saying but like you say It is contradictory.. I’m not really happy waking at 5am with hardly any sleep.. the more options they throw at me the more I’m here thinking about it. Maybe the best option is a phased return on shorter hours - only a doctor can help me at this point

I am basically checked out but it’s for multiple reasons I think and this is just adding more stress to the issue of not feeling listened to as such. All of our departments have been under staffed for a year, lots of long standing staff leaving, poor style of management & attitudes towards staff the list goes on. It’s a shame really.. the staff are really good. It’s a hard one to explain as it’s been one problem after another and lots of us under immense stress prior even before I was pregnant.

Couple of things:

Have they done a risk assessment? Mine is getting done every 3 months. Ask for another one to be done. I work from home.

How long is your commute in the car? It's just you say the bus takes 50 mins so does the car take less? Would you be able to take less of a lunch break/unpaid breaks such as tea breaks to start work later?

Manual handling - I would be asking for a refresher as you are now pregnant. Your body has changed etc. You would have done this as part of mandatory training etc and I'm sure at various times at the year. I do this working in an office lol.

I would be asking to speak to occupational helath as well.

How long have you worked at the company?