Problems at work

[Jeffscott69]

Hi all,I am back on formal monitoring at work,I have lupus,on methotrexate injections,I feel

Very ill a lot also have connective disease,I take constant sinus infections,my body gets very sore,I have lot of hosp apps,my work got HR in to see me,iv to arrange hosp apps after work,very difficult to do!,if I'm off in next 6mth I will go down capability route,could loose my job,I'm worried sick,occ health said im covered under disability equality act,consultants at hosp said they will write to my work as I min serious meds and have chronic illness,I feel ill with stress what my work is doing to me,can anyone please help,don't know what to do.iv asked to be referred back to occ health,my doc wants to sign me off with stress at work but off again,I will loose my job.

[misty14]

Hi Jeffscott

Sorry to read you are having major problems at work because of your ill health.

After Christmas contact the Citizens Advice Bureau who have employment advisors and they'll be able to help you deal with your works HR dept. They don't sound very understanding!.

Also you may have to think about cutting your hours , your in a perpetual stress cycle that needs breaking!. The CAB will also look at your circumstances and see if there are other benefits you could claim that would replace your drop in earnings if you do have to cut your hours. They will also help you claim.

I hope you can have a break this Christmas and enjoy it ready for the new year. All the best. X

[Jeffscott69 in reply to misty14]

Thankyou so much for your reply.x

[misty14 in reply to Jeffscott69]

Hi Jeffscott

Another thought is that the CAB website is very good for information and it has links to other good sources of info on there. It has an employment section you might want to look at. Just think whatever you do will help your health by cutting stress which is so important!. Good luck X

[Jeffscott69 in reply to misty14]

Thankyou,I will AV a look,am off now as I work in a school,dreading starting back the 7th,basically if I'm off in next 6mth,could loose my job,worry awful

[smudge1980]

Hi Jeffscott, so sorry to hear what your going through at the mo. My situation is very similar. I was managing to work with help from my line manager. We put in place things like extra breaks, using hols & time owing to go home early if I was having a bad day & a few other things that helped me stay at work. All was agree with oph. My manager went on maternity leave & everything fell apart. To get to the present day, I've absent from work for fourteen mths now. I've had three oph referrals & my company just don't get Lupus! I've even sent in info about lupus in the work place. When this all started I worried & made myself really ill. Then I got angry & decided to fight back. I'm not asking for anything that wasn't already put in place for me to be able to work b4. It's disgusting that company's think they can treat us the way they do. I'm not even sure I want to work for a company that thinks it can treat people this way.

Please consider been signed of by your gp, but make sure they put the reason for been signed of as Lupus or Lupus flare caused by stress. I'm sure jeffscott that employer's have to allow reasonable time of for your hos/gp appointments, but you may have to make the hrs up or lose pay.

I'm now on ESA & PIP which has taken a lot of financial worry of me. You need thinking time & you can't do that while your stressing about work. Wishing you a happy & restful Christmas.

[Jeffscott69 in reply to smudge1980]

Thankyou so much for your reply.x

[Hidden]

I'm really sorry you are going through all of this. An extra layer of nastiness and stress you don't need on top of a nasty illness. I'm not sure what work you do but you mentioned a school and I was wondering if you are in a union? It's really hurtful when you are doing your best to keep going and you aren't always met with support or understanding. As for arranging hospital appointments outside of working hours, what planet are they living on????? Also Lupus UK have some useful publications on working with Lupus. I hope things pick up for you in 2016.

[Jeffscott69]

I'm in a union,rep always comes with me to meetings but she works in school,my line manager is hers,feel she wary of what to say to stand up for me,I do most of talking myself,iv now to go to ent consultant ev week to get sinuses flushed,had 4 ops,doesn't work because of immune system,how the hell in going to manage my appointments?,ent consultant said,it's an underlying chronic illness I have,pressure in sinuses awful,it all related to lupus,he said iv to get back to occupational health.

[Hidden in reply to Jeffscott69]

Could you contact your regional office? It might take someone who is more clued up on the Equality Act and people with disabilities. We are covered under the EA (Disability Discrimination Act in this part of the U.K.). Employers are meant to make reasonable adjustments to our working conditions and environment to facilitate us being able to work. They also cannot treat us in a way that demeans us or discriminates against us because of our illnesses or disabilities.

[Jeffscott69 in reply to Hidden]

Thankyou,I'm going to contact the main union rep,my triggers are 3 absences a year,regardless if I take 1 day off or 1 month,it's a trigger,I'm worried sick about my job,also I have to attend my hosp appointments.

[Paul_Howard Partner LUPUS UK]

Hi Jeffscott69,

I'm sorry to hear that you are experiencing such difficulty with your employer. Is your employer well aware of your lupus and the effects it can have on you? If you take sick leave due to your lupus, your employer should disregard these specific absences when considering any disciplinary issues, performance measures or selection criteria for promotion or redundancy.

You can learn more about your rights in the workplace and support services that are available in our employment guides at lupusuk.org.uk/working-with...