Hi, my name is JeannieF!

JeannieF
JeannieF Online Community Member Posts: 2 Listener
in Start here and say hello!
Hi, I’m new here and found you whilst looking for advice. 

I have fibromyalgia/MS/chronic fatigue and all of the other issues that come in that beautifully wrapped up bundle of joy. 

I’ve had my condition for over 20 years but of late my condition affects me more and more. I work part time and have been with the company for 7 years. It’s a small company. I’ve been working from home since covid struck and I’ve been able to not only do my job but thrive and take on more responsibilities since working from home. Now 4 years later, my boss wants me to return to the office. I know this will be detrimental to not only my health but also to the company as at present I am able to work earlier or later if the work load demands it and this would not be able to continue if I return to office working. I also know that I would definitely have more absences due to managing my condition. My boss knows about my condition as I disclosed it when he interviewed me and I even gave him the ‘advice for employers’ about my condition but he threw that straight into the recycling and said, “I don’t need to read that”. That was 7 years ago. I have been able to do my work from home for 4 years but now he is saying the business can no longer facilitate me working from home. Nothing has changed. The only reason I think he’s being funny with me is because he thinks he can, I declined some overtime for this coming Easter so I think he’s just throwing his weight around because he didn’t get his own way but he is expecting me to move everything back into the office and work fully from there in two weeks time. I would love to go back to the office but I know that he won’t stand for me calling in sick on a regular/irregular basis and I know that had I have been working in the office there are many occasions I would not have been able to attend. I feel he is setting me up to fail. My thoughts are to issue a formal request to continue working from home permanently as a ‘reasonable adjustment’ to my contract? My problem is that I’m not sure this will go down well and not sure he’ll even read it let alone approve my request. The medication I am on I cannot take if I have to drive and I have to drive to and from the office so I wouldn’t be able to take my necessary medication, I know that if he forces me to return to the office that it will be detrimental to my health and also to my position in the company as a consequence of an undoubted and unavoidable increase in absences. It’s a small company and all employees work from home some times which will continue but he wants me, the only one with a disability to work from the office entirely. With it being a small company there is no HR dept, I am the HR dept when it suits him. I don’t think he’d want to lose me but I know he’s the sort to spite himself just to be right. Not sure what to do for the best. Any advice would be greatly appreciated please. 

Comments

  • Hannah_Alumni
    Hannah_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 7,866 Championing
    Hello @JeannieF

    Firstly, I am so sorry that you are going through this. When reading your situation there were parts that resonated when I was working on location and having difficulty with getting managers to understand my disability. 

    If you feel there is going to be any decisions made on your behalf from someone who you believe doesn't have your best interests in mind, is there anyone else that you can speak to? Or could you CC your boss's boss into the request? I would also encourage you to look at ACAS or a union if you are not part of one already? For further support <3

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