Would love to hear from HR specialists and people with disabilities:
I have a long-term health condition which causes chronic pain and also some long standing mental health issues (autism spectrum and a history of trauma which causes anxiety and panic attacks which happen in crowded and noisy environments).
I receive PIP and work part-time only to help manage my health issues. But I can have flare-ups at time, especially when excessive stress/noise becomes a factor. So I have to avoid public transport and noisy/crowded environments.
In the past I have had a couple of issues with employers and discrimination (such as micro-managing, increased workloads and targets, & attempt to remove flexible working arrangements starting as soon as I disclose a condition as a way to force me out of the job...) so I avoid as much as possible disclosing.
But I have reached a stage in my current job where there is a problem and I need to request reasonable adjustments and therefore disclose my conditions.
I had a major incident yesterday on a commuter train (became overwhelmed, could not find my way/right train, spent the journeys shaking, muttering to myself, could not even operate my phone to find my train details) and today I pretty much broke down in tears on the bathroom floor and talking to myself over and over. Basically I scared myself to death and I have to do something before this gets any worse....
When I was hired I was told during the interview that I would only need to travel to the office once every 3 months for all staff meetings occasions and that my role could be done remotely the rest of the time. I was also very clear at the interview stage that I was moving away to a different location within 2 weeks and would be almost 2.30 hours from the organisation's office (any trip means almost 5 hours on trains) so they knew that regular commute would be impossible before they offered me the role. Contract states ''hybrid working''.
Now the goalposts have changed and I am being pushed to spend more time in the office simply to ''show my face'' purely as part of the ''office politics'' and the organisation is planning more get togethers for staff. Yesterday my ''meltdown'' was the result of that pressure. The office is just one room: a small, noisy environment and I start being affected almost immediately. And the train finished me off and brought a set-back after no issues for months while I was working from home...
Longer term I am looking at finding a local/fully remote job and also doing some training courses online to expend the type of roles that I can do but in the meantime I need to do something to be able to keep this role for the next few months at last. I also have a long notice (3 months) so it is very likely I will have to be in this role for another 6 months.
Can I anyone help with the wording of my health conditions disclosure and reasonable adjustment for remote working request? or I would be interested to hear about people with similar health issues and their experience in similar circumstances.