Where do I stand with my employer?

[Needadviceagain]

I have recently been diagnosed with m.e and had a month off of work a couple of months ago but other than that, my absence record has been ok. Although only recently diagnosed, my doctors investigations started around a year ago so is very much a long standing thing and will probably be around for a while yet! I have had no concerns raised re my ability to do my job (in a school). I work very part time and I can just manage this with careful planning/pacing. Am awaiting an appointment with the specialist m.e team for more advice.

It sounds really pathetic but my boss is about to ask me to start doing something which I feel will be detrimental to my health. I overheard him telling someone he would add it as one of my jobs tomorrow! Its only 15 mins but quite heavy lifting and moving 6 person tables around. I'm physically able to do this but this kind of heavy lifting is pretty much guaranteed to lead to a crash the next day. This will be a thing they want me to do every day for the foreseeable.

Where do I stand with saying no? Will they argue that I'm incapable of doing my job? They wouldn't ask someone with a busted up shoulder to do it but they've very much taken my diagnosis as me just needing a little nap and I'm right as rain.

There's nobody else avaliable anymore to do this job at the time it needs done. Do I just do it for a couple of days and end up signed off again? I want to work. I have held this job for 5 years now and have always been able to do it but adding this on is too much.. im dreading tomorrow

Your employer needs to make reasonable adjustments in order for you to do your role, which could mean allocating certain duties elsewhere. There is no black and white definition of what is reasonable however and employers do not have to make every adjustment requested.

On the face of it, asking somebody else undertake a task that takes 15 minutes sounds like it should be reasonable. You say there is nobody else, but this is a school, so there hopefully is somebody around, who used to do this task?

If as you suspect you are asked say No I cannot do that because of my ME. If there is a viable alternative offer it e.g. I could do XYZ job to release A (a colleague) who could do this.

Ask for a referral to Occupational Health.

If they persist, see your Dr and ask for a fit note that clearly states you are fit for work but cannot do lifting. A key purpose of the fit note is to keep people in work when an adjustment to their role would enable them to keep working.

Fitnote needs to state what activities you can do. Have you requested a phased return, which can include lighter duties as well as shorter hours.

Thanks for everyone's replies. The person who was doing the job left last week and the position hasn't been readvertised. I've literally just seen occupational health who are writing their report this week. There won't be much in the way of different duties in there as my job as it is now without this extra bit is manageable so this element wasn't really a discussion. We focused more on allowing a break and sending notes from meetings outside if my hours rather than me going in for extra... I had a phased return but have been back to my full (part time) hours for over a month.

I will try to contact my gp to see about him doing a fit note. Didn't think of that. I am absolutely fit to do my job. Just not extras!