Civil Service: Phased Return - how can I make it work?

[Usernamechanged24]

I have been a civil servant for over 20 years. Am returning to work after my first ever absence (unfortunately a very long one) . OH have advised, by way of a reasonable adjustment for my disability, that i should have a phased return over 6-8 weeks. They have suggested that i build my hours up over this period until i am full time.

HR initially welcomed this and said that as it was a reasonable adjustment they would pay my full wage (for 6-8 weeks). Today I have been told they have changed their minds and I will only be paid for the hours I work.

I understand that this probably seems reasonable : you should be paid for what you work. But I just don’t know how I am going to make it work/ survive. The amount I will earn will be very low , even if I am allowed to top it up with a reduced benefit rate , and won’t be sufficient for me to pay travel costs to and from work plus housing and food: let alone other bills.

I asked if I could return on full time hours but they said no because OH have advised I won’t be able/ I need to phase back in. What am I going to do?

I have been on nil pay for a year. I have used up all my savings and have borrowed to the max. I currently live from benefit payment to benefit payment , have maxed out credit cards and overdraft. I feel so fed up : just like giving up.

WWYD? Has anyone been in a similar position? If so how did you make it work. Thank you.

@ByQuaintAzureWasp at least read all the OPs posts, things have moved on considerably.

@Usernamechanged24

Keep on going, you’ve been pretty amazing up against all of this

Job (1) Loss of funding for a post is quite believable in the current climate
Job (2) ‘reflecting’ following an offer about your confidence is very suspicious along with everything else so far
A Subject access request would mean anything on record regarding you must be provided - but your line manager would be pretty stupid to document remarks about you (they have however already demonstrated much of their stupidity)

Do try applications further afield - though there has been nothing to back up any so called concerns about you

(You have been consistently mismanaged and your line manager has not demonstrated how you are unemployable - especially as you have not failed to conduct the work that they have failed to task you with)

“in the new year he will be starting the redundancy process”.
They can try that - but you as an individual are not redundant, your role can be - and they should have done this long ago when your role supposedly ended
Get copies of the departments policy on restructuring, and subsequent staff surpluses —— this policy will ultimately go on to people becoming redundant and leaving the department, but that’s a long way down the process - and the department must manage staff through the process

For your back leave do the same with policy documentation
(Noting that HR is unlikely to be true HR in a government department these days, but centralised people that can advise managers & staff with reference to policy - some are very experienced former HR, others less so)
This back leave is another example of mismanagement by your LM - I believe that I recall in one of your early posts that they just expected you to leave via sickness, and have failed their obligations

For printers, it may be just new network printers which means you need the network name / address for the printer - ideally on a sticker, however traditionally in our department printers are labeled with a code number for the printer which then has to be preceded with the local network addressing, so usually a locally produced sticker or paper on the wall gets produced with the full print address.

But it may also be a change in printing in some departments to a managed print service, under which staff should be given an RFID tag or card and/or a PIN
This is something else that should be notified, and a tag/card/pin provided
(For ours we have an RFID tag, and on first use need to activate the tag at the printer and giving it our work email address - you then receive an email to complete the process. To print we then print to a print service such as ‘follow me’, and can walk up to any printer with the tag to run the job

((((You should have been notified of the change and had a re-induction back to work including all changes ——- log this as another management failure)))

You are fully into formal grievance territory - seek out the department policy for grievances and initiate one via your managers senior management

Hi,

I just wanted to update and thank you all for your ongoing help and support. So the good news is this week I have been offered two posts and have another two final interviews scheduled for later this week. I have a meeting scheduled for Friday with my current line manager to discuss my release. I am hoping that he won't do anything to prevent my release (but as he has said he has no post available for me and was starting the redundancy route I think that would be difficult for him to do? Please keep your fingers crossed).

I am nervous about starting a new role (both roles that have been offered are new subject matter areas so will be a steep learning curve) . I am also feeling bit exhausted- I haven't taken much annual leave since I started my phased return to work , as I wanted to show that I was keen and committed. I am hoping my manager may let me have one week annual leave before I start my new role (hopefully at the end of February).

Anyway I wanted to thank you all for the advice and support you have given me over the past few months- it truly means a lot. I know it's not over - he may still block me from taking up the roles (he blocked two previously but surely can't keep doing that?) and I will need to work on my confidence in the new role (it has taken a battering over the past year) but as of today I am feeling more positive/hopeful. Thank you!!!

@Usernamechanged24 i am so pleased to read your update.

Congratulations on the job offers. I appreciate why you are nervous but go for it.

WRT your manager, I would be very clear that you have accrued holiday and you are going to take some of it during your notice period. If you can take two weeks to give you a proper break.

If your manager tries to block you in anyway then lodge a grievance with your HR director. It is unconscionable he has been trying to exit you and also blocking you moving to a new job.

Everything crossed for you that you get the new role OK.

i’ve RTFT and honestly cannot believe how appallingly you’ve been treated. From what you’ve written this is an egregious case of disability discrimination. I think if you’re manager tries to block this move you should consider a formal grievance. Check your home insurance policy to see if you have access to a legal advice line through that.

Also your Union rep being so hopeless. WTF?!?!

I know it’s hurtful but they very clearly want you out of the department. They decided long ago, before you even returned to work, that you cannot cope with the stress of work at your grade or for some other reason you can’t do the job. Hence the “confidence” comment about withdrawing the last offer. Hence trying to get you to take medical retirement.That is the discrimination .

If this latest offer is again withdrawn then as well as the grievance, you absolutely must look for roles in other deptmartments as they aren’t going to ever support you continuing where you are.

the more charitable spin is they may just have been trying to avoid the expense of redundancy - for which with 20+ yrs service you would get a substantial payout. They may realise they botched things up when you were off sick and your role disappeared and they didn’t include you in whatever redeployment process that should have involved. if they do offer redundancy then I would still consult a lawyer if you can. Given I think you have a case against them for disability discrimination over the last year during this botched return to work, you might be able to use that to negotiate a larger payout if you agree not to pursue any future claim for that against them via tribunal. A lawyer can advise though.