Not being supported at work - advice please 😞

[Doggomom91]

Hi everyone. I'm 30 + 2 and I told work that I was pregnant in October last year. I had a maternity risk assessment (that I had to ask for) and it was established that I would need a referral to occupational health to ensure that I have the correct and comfortable equipment to work with (I work from home most of the time and at the time had a decent desk and a rubbish chair). Because I felt relatively 'normal' throughout the first part of my pregnancy, I didn't feel the need to chase my manager to see if this referral had been done and just assumed there was a backlog.

Fast forward to late November and I'm getting terrible, sharp back pains. I was seeing a physio through the NHS and made my manager aware. In December I told my manager that I was feeling really uncomfortable on my office chair and asked if he could chase occupational health. He agreed and his manager also reminded him. In January, I asked again what was going on and advised I had started having pelvic pain. My manager said "we already did the risk assessment". I advised that an outcome of this was a referral to occupational health, he did not seem to believe me so I screen shotted the assessment and send it to him. It turned out he never made the referral but there was no apology. He did it later that week.

We are now in mid February and I only had my occupational health assessment last week. They sent a report to my manager earlier this week recommending a new chair and some other bits. I break up in 9 weeks. My back pain is gone but has turned into horrendous pelvic pain where I can barely walk at times. Sitting hurts, standing hurts, walking hurts, sleeping hurts. My manager has now gone on annual leave and he hasn't ordered the equipment recommended by the report. I went over his head to his manager (my old manager) but I was fobbed off with "give him a chance, he's new to management". I also went to HR and occupational health directly and told them that I am not being taken seriously and asked to be sent a copy of my report. The first part was ignored and I was just sent a copy of the report which doesn't even cover half of the issues I'm having.

I don't know what to do and I really don't want to go off sick and be forced onto maternity leave early. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can be heard? Sorry for long post, just need to vent and at my wits end!!!

If you’re that uncomfortable can’t you buy yourself a new office chair that would E more suitable? There’s no point continuing to be uncomfortable for the last couple of months just to prove a point.

To prove a point? The chair I've been recommended specifically for the type of pain I'm experiencing is £480. I have tried 3 different standard chairs including one I collected from the office myself, my husband's and my old one. None of which are suitable. I don't have £480 to blow on a chair when I'm 10 weeks away from child birth I'm afraid.

Can you work from home until the recommendations from occupational health are implemented?

It doesn't have to be difficult. Send an email to your manager with a copy of the occupational health report saying it is too painful for you to work in your existing chair and that as you want to continue to work you will be remaining at home until the new chair arrives. Copy in H.R.

Thank you, but I'm already working from home. I wish that was the solution but I don't have what I need to be comfortable/not in pain 😞

Firstly have you spoken to GP or midwife about your pain, as it could be SPD (? They change the acronym) and other types of support could be helpful like physio, or using pelvic support band that helps with the weight.

Then you could email manager/HR and say you need a new chair, can they send one or should you buy and expense. You dont need occupational health referral for that.

There's no physical with OH, it's a phone call or teams appointment go through what adjustments might be useful, which whilst they might include a new chair could include assuring you are taking regular breaks for movement etc.

So whilst you wait the appointment have a think about what will be helpful for you and see if you can start to make those adjustments regardless.

Are you sure this chair is going to solve all the issues?

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I am diagnosed with PGP - hence I'm seeing a pregnancy physio. I'll update my post.

With my work you do need an occy health assessment before getting any new equipment if you have any diagnosed health/postural issues. They won't order me a standard chair in case it doesn't suit (which it won't, need lumbar support and soft material etc due to pain).

I had the occy health appointment and yes it was over teams (it did used to be face to face before COVID though). They were quite thorough but still missed some of the things I mentioned unfortunately!

Nope, not sure at all. It's trial and error unfortunately with pain of this level.

A £480 chair is not going to fix your PGP. Nor will it make you any more comfortable. I had it from 7 weeks with my second child. You just gotta ride it out. Only 10 weeks to go

It all sounds absolutely horrific, I remember having a trapped nerve and couldn't walk for weeks. I hope you get some relief.

I'm sure someone will be along to correct me but is your WFH by choice, or contractual? And if the former , are they really obliged to order you special equipment? Did they send you all the equipment needed when you started if not why would they suddenly be responsible for it?
Try contacting ACAS, or Pregnant then Screwed?

No you're right, I'm not naive to think that. But it will hopefully contribute make sitting less agonising than sitting on a rock hard chair with no lumbar support when feeling like I've been kicked in the crotch by a horse repeatedly 😆

If you went into the office would there be access to more suitable chairs?

I feel like quite a few people are missing the point that you are not being treated seriously during your pregnancy - you require adjustments, as evidenced by your GP and OH, and they haven’t implemented them.

Are you a member of a union? My profession has a very active union that would be chomping at the bit to get involved in something like this.

Make sure you’re documenting everything - every conversation (including the one where you were told to give your manager more time because he’s new in the role - how is that your problem??)

I have awful pgp with my current pregnancy and was advised by nhs physio to avoid sitting on certain desk chairs and instead try the fitness ball as much as possible. I now can barely walk and have crutches but sadly my work isn’t able to accommodate any changes and I’ve had to go on sick leave.

Your manager sounds inexperienced and occupational health don’t seem to want to chase things. Personally I would speak to your gp about a sick line and ask for
amended duties to be added to the form.

I had SPD. It doesn't go away at all and I ended up taking my maternity leave early at 8 weeks and the pain was unbearable unless I was laying on the sofa.

Oh god SPD is awful. I had it with both pregnancies, I ended up leaving work so early with DC1 because they wouldn’t allow me to WFH and I physically couldn’t get into the office. With DC2 my new company were more accommodating and I got all the equipment I needed. I do think a good chair and adequate foot support helps, it is annoying you are having to chase this. I don’t know if this is your first baby but just to reassure you that with both pregnancies I found that the SPD disappeared the second the baby was born!

It's contractual since COVID, they provided us all with standard equipment when COVID hit and for anyone that had any postural issues they had to have occy health assessments. This included pregnant women. They are obliged yes, we have a whole department that does this within occy health.

Yes contacting ACAS could be a good idea. Not heard of pregnant then screwed, will have a look thank you. I'm just not being heard at all and appreciate it's getting later and later and will come a point where there is no point in asking for help anymore. I just think it's so wrong that it's like this.

Then I would actually keep pushing through HR, and if your managers manager said that on email, send to them aswell.

You could go so far as to say your are considering a grievance given the amount of time this has gone on for and you are struggling every day. That would kick HR up the arse at least.

Fyi I found a pelvic support band and swimming were the most effective ways at managing my pain. I swam, gently, right up to 5 days before birth.

In this case they definitely have an obligation. Unfortunately, apart from contacting your union (if you're already a member), or maybe any ERG's (employee resource groups) if you have one nothing's going to make the equipment appear ASAP.

Unless you really cannot afford it, buy the chair then expense it/raise a grievance? Or see if you can rent one?

Even if he does put in the order you cannot guarantee that it'll arrive on time to be of any help.

I had spd too, couldnt walk at all for a few weeks, i found sitting on pregnancy ball helped when wfh. Chiropractor was amazing but pricy, worth it if you can afford it.

The work thing is crap but like others said Im not sure how much the chair is really going to help.
Take lots of breaks and keep moving

Yeah the chair won’t help. I had this, and my company were amazing, sent me all the gadgets, chair included (and stand up desk etc.). The yoga ball was the best, but it’s definitely crap living with the pain. I finally understood how my poor dad felt with chronic back pain, luckily I only experienced it for 6 months.

As you’ve said ‘Sitting hurts, standing hurts, walking hurts, sleeping hurts.’There is no way a chair will help any of this. If you don’t think you can work, then I would definitely go off sick.

Have you tried just sitting on a both ball rather than a chair? It’s the only thing that has helped with my pelvic pain. At this point in pregnancy I’d not bother following the referral tbh.