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Original poster

Working from home stopped

17 replies

Littlebosleep · 14/09/2023 22:38

Ive been working in an office for around 2 years part time 2 days in the office 1 and a half days working from home.

When I first started the job they had me in the office all my days because the manager hates people working from home and used the excuse (even tho he works from home 4 days comes in just 1) that I wasn't trained up to work from home - despite him never providing me with any training.

After a year I spoke to occupational health about me also being able to work from home like my colleagues. I'm disabled with ms which makes me tired and I struggle a bit with my movement. They said as a reasonable adjustment I should be permitted to work from home. The past 6 months with this arrangement has been great.. but now the manager has finally won and we have been told no one working from home anymore.. I'm really worried that I just won't cope getting to work an extra 1 and a half days a week. I feel it was discussed with occupational health as a reasonable adjustment and now it has been taken away from me. Work do not permit me suitable movement breaks or a decent enough chair. I'm expected to work without any breaks for 4 hours without leaving my desk. It's hard enough on the days I'm in the office without now needing to do it all the time. I've even been seen by the company physio about the pain my chair and desk set up causes. I now feel like leaving because as a disabled worker they have now put more barriers in place for a job which did used to support my needs

OP posts:
Original poster
Littlebosleep · 14/09/2023 22:41

I should say I work 4 hours.. 30 mins lunch (at my desk as there is no other break area) then work another 4 hours so 8.5 hrs a day

OP posts:
IVFfirsttimer91 · 14/09/2023 22:41

Does your MS class as a disability? If so it’s a protected characteristic and reasonable adjustments should be provided for. Go above your managers head to the boss. They could be in hot water if you go down the discrimination route.

Iizzyb · 14/09/2023 22:42

MS is a disability x

IVFfirsttimer91 · 14/09/2023 22:44

@Iizzyb thanks, I wasn’t sure. In that case @Littlebosleep speak to citizens advice and I hope that you can find a solution xx

Original poster
Littlebosleep · 14/09/2023 22:44

Thanks I don't want people to think I just want to work from home out of convenience, but I walk with a stick, I take 8 different types of medication a day, and I have a blue badge.

OP posts:
fruitbrewhaha · 14/09/2023 22:46

This is really not on. Talk to acas.

IVFfirsttimer91 · 14/09/2023 22:56

@Littlebosleep definitely not on then. I really really hope that you can get this sorted out. Your manager sounds like a total asshole.

LonelyFlans · 14/09/2023 23:13

'Everybody' working in the office shouldn't include you though, as wfh is reasonable adjustments due to your disability.

Is it a big company? Have you spoken to HR?

foxxymoron · 14/09/2023 23:16

As PP said, if you're not in a union speak to ACAS. As a disabled employee you're protected by law and your employer has to make reasonable adjustments.

WFH issue aside, this part of your post took my breath away:

Work do not permit me suitable movement breaks

Unexpectedlysinglemum · 14/09/2023 23:23

Have you spoken to occ health again?

HowDoesThisWorkPlease · 14/09/2023 23:57

This is shocking!

Why have they not allowed better desk/chair/breaks?

RosaKim · 15/09/2023 00:16

Your boss is a prick. Hope you get it sorted op.

IrisEmily · 15/09/2023 00:30

You are covered by the Equality Act and your employer is obliged by law to consider reasonable adjustments. They need to have very good reasons for turning down proposed reasonable adjustments, eg detrimental impact on the business, and especially good reasons for turning down recommendations for reasonable adjustments from their own OH team. I would go back to your manager and ask on what grounds they are withdrawing an arrangement which was recommended by OH and considered reasonable for a lengthy period and now is not. What has changed? Are they saying it is impacting performance, team working or what? Then you know on what grounds to challenge it. If they say performance, has your manager addressed any performance concerns with you before this point and suggested a move back to office based working to offer supervision and support performance improvement? I would guess probably not from what you have said already. You have a strong argument against the withdrawal of a reasonable adjustment put in place as a result of a disability. I would then put in a flexible working request to change your contractual base from your office to your home on the basis of your health condition and as a reasonable adjustment. You have made it work for 6 months and you probably have good evidence for it working effectively which you can cite in the application. This would then be a contractual change and not just an ad hoc arrangement that can be changed on your manager's whim.

Original poster
Littlebosleep · 15/09/2023 17:12

Thanks for the replies. The boss has always wanted everyone back working in the office, now we are short staffed as 1 left with notice, 1 left without notice and 1 has gone on long term sick so we are now snowed under. This work could still be done from home but we need a minimum of 3 in the office, up until now we have managed with alternating who gives up their work from home day so we have the minimum 3, or at worst 2.. but for a day a week for the past 6 weeks I have been on my own. One week I was on my own 2 days and the boss is offering no support.

Just me being the only person at work! It's been horrendous. The clients we look after have been giving me a really hard time on these days regarding phones not being answered to the point of even asking if they are working, even if I answer a phone the others will still ring, constantly. When I go on my lunch I know I'm leaving phones ringing out. The work is time sensitive and needs actioning quickly, it's terrible the backlog is now nearly 2 weeks late as it's impossible to keep up.. I was trying to cope but now being told any possibility of working from home has been stopped is making me even more stressed. I'm receiving emails from bosses telling me this n that needs to be made a priority... everyone's work is a priority. I can't do it all.

I dread going to work. My son is telling me to go off with stress as I'm not sleeping and I do suffer with anxiety but now I've been prescribed medication due to work. But if I go off work I'm just leaving the team even more short staffed.

Stress is horrendous for my condition it increases my pain, dizziness, Im getting chest pains, I feel sick and dizzy. I feel like I'm drowning and now working home has gone it was the only little thing I could hold on to that made things that little bit easier.

OP posts:
EmmaEmerald · 15/09/2023 21:55

I think you should go off sick, it's clearly affecting your health.

workoholic · 16/09/2023 23:57

Put lots in writing about how you need to work from home due to your health - are they putting reasons why in writing or only verbally? Print that evidence and take it home. Get as much as you can.

Then option 1) Go on stress leave and when you do put in a grievance that you are feeling discriminated against for your medical disabilities, and receiving no support. While off look for a new job.

Option 2) raise a case that you have been pushed out due to disabilities.

Either way, can get paid to go I think.

Whatever happens, you should be looking to leave. Sounds like a toxic environment and you only live once, its not worth working like that. Search remote jobs from home.

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