Yesterday, I noticed the swollen hands on the bank employee as she slowly and gently typed out the forms I needed. I asked her if she had RA and she said she did. She told me that she was just diagnosed and she was waiting for her first rheumatologist appointment. She also said she wasn't allowed to wear her wrist brace while with customers. I was shocked. I informed her of the "Duty to Accomodate" in Canada's civil right law.
My bank lady's face dropped as her boss walked into her office....I don't know why her boss just happened to walk in her office?.... Maybe to make sure she wasn't wearing any wrist braces?....Anyways, I was upset that this employee was forced to suffer. I asked her boss to look up the BC disabiliy act "duty to accomodate" . He told me that wrist braces do not look good in a professional building. I asked him to put that in writing with his signature as I was going to take it to the Head Office of his bank with my complaint. He wouldn't put it in writing and he left the office. I made a phone call to the banks head office. Needless to say, the banks head office talked to my bank lady and informed her to put on her wrist brace. They then said that they were going to phone her boss today & then visit the boss of this bank the following day.
I am so happy that I was able to help this bank employee. I remember the stuggles I had with my boss. I am sick and tired of idiot bosses bullying us.
I was SO lucky . My boss was an angel. Letting me go for a feet up at breaktimes! Bought me a trolley to help me carry. Gave me a lot of help with personell when the time came to stop x
Hi Sue - Seriously???? Parsley would cure it? It's a major wonder to me that it hasn't made headlines across the medical world.... I have to go eat some right now!!! (not like being snarky...) sorry =)
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Crazy eh? My boss thought I was refusing to heal myself. He had an obsession with parsley.
Thank you jewel8888. I will never forget the feeling of defeat when I was first diagnosed and my bosses wanted me to "just get over it". Everyone is confused when they are first diagnosed and I just couldn't keep my mouth shut when this woman was being harassed.
That's fantastic for her - well done you in noticing,and having the guts to stand against quite obviously a bully!! Fingers crossed he'll get what's due to him by his bosses,and just maybe he'll feel just a tad embarrassed at his idiotic behaviour!! X
I can speak up and defend a stranger far better than I can defend myself. Strange eh? I seem to be able to get my point across better....but I'm learning to give myself the same respect as I give others.
Well done you Sue! It's not on bosses making up their own rules & not allowing an employee wearing anything to ease an employee's pain for the sake of him not thinking it 'acceptable'. I just hope that the Manager is told in no uncertain terms that he was in the wrong.
This manager had the attitude of the village idiot. The bank he manages is a well known bank in Canada. I can not believe that this bank's head office would want negative press.
That's wonderful that u helped that women. Most likely she would have still been trying to work while suffering without her brace if u had not stepped in to advocate for her & her rights. Hurray for you sue.🌻
We all need to speak up for eachother, No one needs to suffer just because their boss is an idiot. I find it easier to help strangers over helping myself....but I am learning.
Well done. I wish I had somebody standing up for me when I worked. My boss was lady & bully because I had back problem & disabled too.
I only got RA last year. Can you imagine what she would be like now??
PS can I ask what bracelet are you talking about. Is it copper bracelet.
PS I have not been on here for a long time.
Wish everbody very well & have good weekend.
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It was a wrist brace.
Sorry you went through hell with your boss. I too went through hell until I got my union and head office involved. My boss ended up being disciplined...I think he should of been fired
What you did was a good thing, but I hope he doesn't spin back against her later. There are always jerks in the world...
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Yes, there are far too many jerks in the world. This bank is a well known bank throughout Canada and it wouldn't want negative press.
Yes, if this was a small store I would of delt with it another way...but this is a big Bank that is well known throughout Canada. This well known bank would not like negative press. Vancouver is home of the Rick Hansen foundation and I can not see this bank go up against our disability laws.
Hi sue I have osteoarthritis in my back and hips I was sent to occy health a couple of months ago I work for the county council as a home help I have worked as a home help for 17yrs I don't drive I have to walk as by the end of my shift I am in agony occy health wrote to my manager to say I was not to walk more than 1-1and a half hours from my home my husband said he would take me round and see how far I have to walk it worked out at between 8-10 miles a night when I am in a lot of pain if he is on the right shift he will take me round so I don't have to go off work sick as I had two falls at the beginning of last year and was off work for six months which has made the pain even worse even my meds don't always help and just after Christmas I was left to do a link up on my own which pulled muscles in my neck shoulder and under my arms. After I hurt my neck shoulder underarm they sent me to occy health after less than two weeks off. When I saw occy health they said the pulled muscle were an industrial accident and I told him about the osteoarthritis and the distance I have to walk, he wrote to my manager saying my neck was an industrial accident and the osteoarthritis is part of disability act and I was not to walk more than 1-1and a half miles from my home they haven't taken any notice they are still sending me the same distance, Occy health also said I will get flare ups I've had to go to meetings with them every three months and meetings with my line manager every month, I told my union rep he said I shouldn't be having meetings every month with my line manager my line manager keeps leaving calls off my rota then ringing me up the next day saying I had missed people out then she Denys it I have kept all my Rotas as evidence as I have a meeting on April 7th. I had to cancel two meetings one in February as my Union rep was off and one in March as I was on AL the manager rang me to have a meeting on my own with them i said not without my rep as when I have the next meeting there will be the manager Hr and my line manager taking notes i have also asked to cut my hrs in January they said I can but not until 31st March sorry this is such a long rant I do feel they are trying to get rid of me
Good for you sue for standing up for that lady in the bank wish I had the guts to stand up for myself think about what I am going to say and when I get there it's as if I've got memory loss
Hi Dotty55, it's not good how you are being treated. I would suggest making as many notes as possible. Perhaps anticipate some of the questions that will be asked....and have some answers/examples at the ready written down. Hopefully you will then feel a bit prepared and have something to call on to remind you when the brain fog kicks in. I hope it all goes well for you 🙏🏻
I can't believe the trouble you're going through - I know exactly how it feels as I went through pretty much the same(albeit no walking,but having to drive 120 miles round trip each day on meds that made me pass out at wheel while on A120.... more than once!) my manager insisted on weekly meetings,and I had monthly catch ups with HR(numpty graduate that just ticked boxes,and no real experience) and my bullying line manager and the manager above him(apparently after feeling ill while taking my first dose of methotrexate,all I needed to do was 'go home and get better' before coming into work,apparently that's how getting over a disability happens 😂.... honestly,how these guys get promoted is beyond words!!) anyway,I couldnt get through the thought of working each day without being put on anti depressants for the first time in my life...., after months of crying myself to sleep whilst searching the internet for help,I found the disability lawyers service,all completely free,and honestly,I couldn't have carried on if it weren't for them. They even wrote a letter to my company on my behalf at one point because I was in such a state that I couldn't speak,let alone get writing notes down.... the upshot is,after I called the HR director in for a meeting,and outlined what had happened,I presented her with a copy of the letter - I just said that I didn't want to go down the legal route,but if they were to carry on the way they had been,then it left me with no choice. She said she understood,asked if she could keep that letter(i'd already mailed her a copy too) but I never saw such a quick turnaround with my bosses - the big manager that had told me to go home and get better never spoke to me again(on my insistence) and my line managers attitude changed completely.... no more snide comments,and I know he pretended to care,rather than actually caring,but knowing that he had to pretend each day,and it must've stuck in his throat.... that made me smile all the more.
On the downside unfortunately is occ health,as much as they supported me and all of my specialists advice,HR admitted that they only had to take it as advice(and Drs notes too by all accounts.... this was agreed by the lawyers,which absolutely gobsmacked me.... what's the point of gathering all of this info if they could just ignore what they wanted??and didn't have to stick to the recommendations made?!) They did accept and change to match at least half of the recommendations,but it was only because they knew I was giving them a fight,and I had the law on my side,in the form of the disability lawyers because my manager and the HR grad hadn't played by the book upto that point - please ring them,as even with your union on side,some battles need a bit more specialist advice,and yours definitely sounds like one of them. I can't see any negatives if you were to ring them,and surely it would be such a relief to know that you also have hard copies of proof in the form of your rota's to back you up too? It was literally like having the biggest weight lifted from me when I spoke to them,and for the first time in months,I actually felt like I could go into work with my head held high,instead of looking at the floor for fear of crying if anyone made eye contact with me.
Good luck with whatever route you go down,but here's hoping you get the treatment and respect you so deserve.
Nicki x
OMG Dotty 55, you are going through hell. Can you ask advice from your elected official? In Canada, if you have a problem all you have to do is phone your MLA or MP (both are elected officials). I'm sure the UK has the equivalent. These elected officials are voted into office and it is their job to help us. The UK is a 1st world country and there are laws to protect
I know how hard it is to speak up for ourselves. I too was bullied by my boss. All my knowledge of MLA & MPs went out the window when I was being bullied. No more!! I am woman hear me roar!!
You rock, susannedale! Thank you for standing up to that bully boss, on behalf of a woman with a disability.
I don't think the woman will get blowback from the boss: they are both on head office's radar now. The corporate head office health and safety and/or disabilities people, in my experience, are very good at what they do.
Hi everybody thankyou for reading my email how would I be able to get in touch with the disability lawyers I live in Buxton Derbyshire my Union rep is very nice but doesn't help very much when I go into a meeting with work he just sits there and doesn't say a lot and I feel as if I haven't had a lot of support all he says is if they get rid of me on ill health I would only get £11,000 I used to love my work and now I hate going every evening I am 62 in a couple of months and I am tired of getting wet and cold every day why do they send us to occy health if they don't listen to what they have advised why don't they have me working round where I live then I wouldn't have to walk great distances it is as if they want to make me suffer some days they will have me doing a couple of calls in town which is about 2 miles each way from home and then do 4or5 calls in the area that I live and they give me calls 20-25 minutes walking apart then when I get to the end of my road I am nearly in tears because I am in so much pain and when I got in I didn't know what to do with my arms hands finger I couldn't sit down stand up I keep walking up and downstairs tried running my hands under the cold tap to try and ease the pain in my hands and nothing worked my husband said he would draw his state pension so I can give up work but he said to go on long term sick so they get rid of me on ill health grounds I told him there is no way I can do another winter
Phone his office and ask for advice or where you can get help with your problem. The MP's office can help you. MP's are voted in and it is their job to help their community.
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Feeling pathetic about snow and ice
Completely devastated after second opinion - now the suffering will never end
Bad pain under bottom, can't walk properly.
Just had a major fight with personnel to get my booster!
PIP assessment second home visit
