Please help me think through what to do! (illness/ treatment by work)

[dancingqueeen]

I would really appreciate some help/ guidance so that I can figure out the best way to tackle this situation. In the long term I want to find a new job, because I'm unhappy with how I'm being treated, but in the short term thats not really an option (trying to get pregnant, and the recession)

I've been ill on and off since October, but the doctors finally figured out what it was and I'm now slowly getting better, but have been warned not to push too hard as it might make things worse. The dr recommended part time working to begin with, and then gradually increasing. I agreed Mon Weds Fri with work, but they said subject to me doing 4 days after a month and then full time after that or they would have to 'review my employment'.

I feel I have been presurised (bullied) by HR (and to a degree, my boss) throughout my illness, with comments about my career being damaged, pressure about how stressed my boss was because she was so busy in my absence, comments about it not being a good idea in this economic climate to be ill. The pressure to return was part of the reason I came back sooner than I maybe should have. I'm now under pressure to move back to 4 days as the month's up. I've had comments about 'its a full time post so we'll have a business decision ot make'. So, in light of this, I offered to work from home on Tues and Thurs afternoons, so I could meet the 4 days target and help the team meet hte work load. HR's response : "no, the team's not very busy", my boss flatly refused to discuss. (It is perfectly feasible to do my job productively from home). I feel cornered, like they're just feeding me lines to try and obstruct my ability to keep my job (because company as a whole is starting to make redundancies, but I work in a specialist team that shouldn't be affected). If the teams not very busy then surely it would be a sensible (cost saving, I'm only being paid for the days I work)solution for both parties. If on the other hand they're busy (and my to do list is already huge), surely me working from home 2 afternoons is a sensible . Has any one got any views on this, and how I could tackle it? Am I likely to cause bigger difficulties for myself if I take my complaint to the head of HR? I'm worried that his main prioirty will be to defend his team member...

Also, my illness is a chronic illness (although you can go into remission/ not have any symptoms, and I do seem to be recovering), and someone told me that I might have better protection as this could count as a disability? are they right/ what could I do about this?

When you say your boss refused to discuss you working from home, what is he/she saying you should be doing instead?

One point to make is that if you are signed by your doctor as being fit for work, on the basis of starting part time then gradually increasing, wanting you to move up to 4 days after a month and then later increase to full time is not unreasonable. That is gradually increasing. The comments they are making and the way they are handling the situation are not appropriate, but the actual fact of them wanting you to increase your hours gradually is perfectly reasonable.

They are not being consistent at all about what they want you to do - saying that you should be increasing to 4 days but then saying the team isn't busy enough to justify paying you that amount doesn't make any sense.

I would suggest you push them to organise a 'case conference', where you, your manager and whoever is dealing with it from HR meet to work out what the next step is, and get some consistency in the response you are getting. Involving the Head of HR might be an option - you are not getting much joy with whoever you are dealing with at the moment.

In terms of whether your illness might constitute a disability, yes it might, I'll do a link in a minute to definitions. You do then get better protection, they must make reasonable adjustments to allow you to do your job, and are likely to handle your case more carefully as they will be a bit paranoid about claims.

If you think increasing to 4 days after a month is too quick an increase, what kind of timescale are you thinking of? Have you talked to your doctor about his/her recommendation? What about Occupational Health - is there a company doctor or similar you are seeing?

Have a look here about disability, there are some links with examples of words used as well as this basic definition. Basically it's about an impairment which has a substantial impact on ability to carry out normal tasks.

Thanks Flowery. I accept your point about the gradual increase. They told me this timetable was set for 'business reasons'. Unfortunately I can't make my body recover any faster than its doing, I would say I'm coping a bit better at 3 days but 4 days wuold be too hard yet. My proposal was that by working part of the time from home I could meet their 4 day target now, and then build up to doing that day at work as soon as I feel ready, and then maybe when it comes to doing the fifth day initially do that from home. I'm still hoping to get there, just not quite at the speed they wanted unfortunnately.

I have offered to ask the specialist to do a report (they only have a doctors letter which dates to before my doctors visit), or to go to occupational health or a doctor of their choice. The HR lady rejected my offer.

thank you for the disability link, I'll have a look

Well them taking any firm stance or action without getting a specialist and/or Occ Health opinion would not be reasonable at all, and would in fact be pretty daft of them tbh.

They sound all a bit of a muddle, so I do think a meeting with all involved is the way to go.

Thank you Flowery, that has been really helpful.