ADVICE PLEASE!!

Zee_2305

Hi, I recently started a new job, it's at a call centre. I have social and generalised anxiety disorder, currently awaiting assessment for Autism and I have chronic pain. I am currently scheduled to work 3 days a week, 9-5. I have requested from work that I have my schedule reduced to 2 days a week instead as I am struggling with the back to back days of work and the workload. The main things that I struggle with is the physical face to face interaction with other people, such as co-workers, sensory overload and travelling on public transport. I understand that the transport isn't anything to do with my employer, but I am just trying to explain the full extent of how and why I am struggling at work and why I am requesting for 2 days instead of one. Having 2 days at work instead of 3 would leave me time to recuperate and actually be able to concentrate and focus at work instead of being so chronically fatigued and anxious that I can't cope with day to day life anymore. Ultimately, if I don't get supported, I will not do things to the best of my ability and then I will be penalised.  I am also a uni student so I only have weds, thurs and fri available to work. My team leader asked me to get a GP's letter to send to the panel who makes the decision about employee's work schedules and other things, they meet once a fortnight. During this meeting with my team leader, it was also implied that I wasn't being 100% honest and I was told that they can't take my word for it that I have these disabilities and they need to ensure it's a 'want and not a need' because it needs to benefit the company as well. He asked me how I was able to come in full-time for the training and how I am able to currently work 3 days a week. As I am a university student, and the training was during a time when I didn't have to attend uni, plus my partner was going through the same training as me which alleviated my anxiety for me a little bit so I was able to just about cope with the full-time working. Now we are out of training and my partner works completely different days to me and university has started too. I have always struggled with attending university, it's very anxiety provoking for me and I am extremely mentally and physically fatigued after attending. In regards to the 3 days a week, I tried to do 2 weeks of this 3 days a week schedule but I began to struggle when university started hence why I requested for the reduction in my working days. I felt as if I was being interrogated in this meeting. I told my team leader I had previous letters that were written by expert consultants in my conditions such as psychologists and chronic pain specialists, but he insisted it needed to be from the GP and my conditions needs to be explained specific to a work environment. I went ahead and asked the doctor to write the letter for me. The doctor said they would need a list of questions from my place of work to answer. I told my team leader who asked for some questions from the panel, I then sent these off to the GP who said that they are unable to answer the questions and that my work place should have had an occupational assessment done for me to find out the answers to their questions. Work have said that they can't do an occupational assessment for me. They have also said I am not allowed to attend the meeting, but I can write a statement detailing my conditions but there is no guarantee that this is going to be agreed to. I suggested remote working as that would support my disabilities and eliminate most of the barriers in the work place and benefit the business as I could continue working 3 days a week, but they said they wouldn't be able to do that until my probation is over at the end of November. I'm at a loss of what to do next. I am going to severely struggle to work the next few weeks while they decide if it's beneficial to the business to support me. I will either have to compromise in my work, my education or in coping with my daily life, which includes showering, eating, and other basic life activities. I feel as if I am going to lose my job one way or another which is so disheartening for me as someone who always struggled with getting jobs due to my disabilities, I worked so hard for this, but I feel as if they think I am just looking to play truant from work or something and I don't get why they won't consider the documents that I do have from actual specialists in my conditions that state my diagnosis if they needed medical backing. I want to work. I want to earn my own money. I want to fully participate in a work force. Someone please give me some advice on what I can do.