Occupational Health

[funnelfanjo]

Up to my current job, I've always worked for large organisations that had some form of on-site Occupational Health provision, and anyone could make an appointment to see them at any time.

I now work for a new, smaller organisation. I'm currently off sick with stress, some of it related to my job. My GP asked me what OH had said, and it struck me that I had no idea who our OH was. We have Employee Assistance phonelines we can call for general advice, and I will be using their counselling service. However, this is confidential and separate from work and I think there are a couple of points I could do with talking over with OH as they are job specific and it may help with my return to work.

I asked HR who provided our OH services, they have provided a name but said all references to them must be initiated by HR, I cannot self-refer.

I must admit to being a bit taken aback by that, and maybe I have taken for granted the good practices of previous employers. Is it normal to have to beg HR for a referral to OH? Thinking about it, if I'd have been able to have a quiet word with OH before now, maybe I would be coping better and not ended up off work.

Freely available self-referred access to dedicated occupational health provision is a bit of a luxury and it wouldn’t be realistic to expect a small organisation to provide that really.

Do you have any reason to think you would need to “beg” for a referral? Can’t you just ask?

Thanks, looks like I had unrealistic expectations - I used to work at massive factory sites where there would always be a staffed OH, so I've been spoiled.

Do you have any reason to think you would need to “beg” for a referral? Can’t you just ask?

That's a good point - in my mind, HR are part of the problem. It's a long story, and I don't want to drip feed, but HR know I've been dealing with a stressful situation for over a year. There is (rightly) confidentiality around the situation as it's centred on another employee, but in putting up all the walls it's left me isolated. Apparently, HR asked and the other employee gave written permission for HR to talk to me months ago. However, HR haven't even acknowledged to me that the situation exists, so I've been gritting my teeth and staggering on.

It's built up to resentment and anger on my part towards HR - an over-reaction which tells me I'm not coping and thus need this time off to recharge.

I'm fortunate in that I've got other options for help, now I've acknowledged I need it.

Is your manager supportive?

Sorry OP, even in larger organisations I've worked for self-referrals aren't always allowed, often HR or the line manager has to make the referral (if it's an outsourced service the company usually has to pay per referral so it can be about controlling costs).

Perhaps your manager can make the referral on your behalf if that would be easier than speaking to HR direct?

You should be aware that most OH companies will expect to write a report in response to the referral, which will normally be sent back to the referrer, so to HR or your line manager (not necessarily repeating medical details but a summary of any advice or recommendations given). So if some of what you want to talk to OH about is things you would not want reported to your manager, you need to make that clear just in case....

My manager is very supportive - however they were not aware of the situation I was dealing with (they work in another country to me, I'm fairly self-sufficient in my role). I'm not sure who will do a return-to-work interview, but maxelly thanks for the heads-up on what could end up in an OH report that potentially ends up on my file.

It's all a well-intentioned but clumsily handled mess. Thanks for putting me straight on my expectations anyway!