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Hello,
This might be a long post so I apologise but I really need some advice.
I've suffered from depression, anxiety and social anxiety since I was a child. My depression and anxiety has always been there but up and down in recent years and I had a bout of sick leave late last year to the beginning of this year due to my anxiety and depression and work were good and helped me back into work gently on a phased return. I had an Occupational Health report done in January this year and the gentleman told me my depression and anxiety is classed as a disability and work need to make adjustments accordingly and a reduced target and micro breaks were recommended and accepted by my manager. I also told my manager at this time I had social anxiety as I felt she needed to know as I can have a phobia of talking on the phone and she was wanting to keep in contact via phone a lot.
I have been working 100% from home since March 2020 and like many others, this has taken its toll on my anxiety, depression and social anxiety. I am able to do my job completely at home and am even learning another work flow which is able to be done completely from home. However, last week, the people responsible for putting work into the queue for us to work did not do so until 9am (I start work at 7:30am) and my manager made a comment about how we may need to go into the office that day. At that moment, I realised how bad my social anxiety had become over the last year with lockdown. I have always suffered from it but have been able to "manage" it but now it has reared its ugly head 100 fold and I was in floods of tears and had a panic attack. Out of fear, I emailed the company's chief exec (she invites people to email her with questions) and told her of my issues and that I'm filled with fear at the thought of being made to go into the office "right now" and would appreciate even being eased in gently somehow.
My email to the chief exec then got passed onto my manager and operations manager who wanted a meeting with me, in that meeting they told me I need to go into the office 3 days a week and learn another new work flow (this is the 2nd new work flow I'd be learning) as they are saying my workflow is low (even though the numbers aren't). In the meeting my managers just kept saying how safe the office is in respect of Covid (I live with an incredibly vulnerable person and I am also vulnerable so this is why this was mentioned). I then had to say that I respect the office is safe but Im more concerned about my social phobia - going into the office 3 days a week, with strangers, learning a new workflow and Im struggling to even leave the house now. All I got was basically "tough", needs of the business and I need to support the company - which I appreciate but... where is my support? I have not been asked what I need or want by anyone and if I were to be asked Id suggest going in the office 1 day a week on my own workflow where I dont need to interact with anyone until I am used to being in the office, around people and then maybe try 2 days a week etc I dont think that is unreasonable. I am due to go in 3 days a week starting next Tuesday and I feel sick, stressed and incredibly anxious just thinking about it. Today I let my manager know how I was struggling and asked if I could have tomorrow and the rest of Friday off (I already have a half day Friday and they are good at agreeing holidays at such short notice) to try and calm my nerves but all I got was "no, too many people off already (30% of the team can be off at any 1 time) and again, needs of the business". I feel like an exception could have been made, especially when Im struggling.
I've made an appt with my GP but that isnt for another 2 weeks sadly and I just know Tuesday will come and who knows how I will react, knowing me, maybe a panic attack or some kind of mental breakdown.
My point of this post is, Im pretty sure my employer has to make reasonable adjustments to try and help me but none have been made. All I keep getting told is "you'll be fine" and "X has gone into the office and she is ok", "needs of the business", which I feel is undermining my disability and is showing no support at all. What are my rights regarding this? Is my employer breaking any kind of law?
Thank you if you read it to the end lol sorry for the long post and I will answer any questions anyone has
This might be a long post so I apologise but I really need some advice.
I've suffered from depression, anxiety and social anxiety since I was a child. My depression and anxiety has always been there but up and down in recent years and I had a bout of sick leave late last year to the beginning of this year due to my anxiety and depression and work were good and helped me back into work gently on a phased return. I had an Occupational Health report done in January this year and the gentleman told me my depression and anxiety is classed as a disability and work need to make adjustments accordingly and a reduced target and micro breaks were recommended and accepted by my manager. I also told my manager at this time I had social anxiety as I felt she needed to know as I can have a phobia of talking on the phone and she was wanting to keep in contact via phone a lot.
I have been working 100% from home since March 2020 and like many others, this has taken its toll on my anxiety, depression and social anxiety. I am able to do my job completely at home and am even learning another work flow which is able to be done completely from home. However, last week, the people responsible for putting work into the queue for us to work did not do so until 9am (I start work at 7:30am) and my manager made a comment about how we may need to go into the office that day. At that moment, I realised how bad my social anxiety had become over the last year with lockdown. I have always suffered from it but have been able to "manage" it but now it has reared its ugly head 100 fold and I was in floods of tears and had a panic attack. Out of fear, I emailed the company's chief exec (she invites people to email her with questions) and told her of my issues and that I'm filled with fear at the thought of being made to go into the office "right now" and would appreciate even being eased in gently somehow.
My email to the chief exec then got passed onto my manager and operations manager who wanted a meeting with me, in that meeting they told me I need to go into the office 3 days a week and learn another new work flow (this is the 2nd new work flow I'd be learning) as they are saying my workflow is low (even though the numbers aren't). In the meeting my managers just kept saying how safe the office is in respect of Covid (I live with an incredibly vulnerable person and I am also vulnerable so this is why this was mentioned). I then had to say that I respect the office is safe but Im more concerned about my social phobia - going into the office 3 days a week, with strangers, learning a new workflow and Im struggling to even leave the house now. All I got was basically "tough", needs of the business and I need to support the company - which I appreciate but... where is my support? I have not been asked what I need or want by anyone and if I were to be asked Id suggest going in the office 1 day a week on my own workflow where I dont need to interact with anyone until I am used to being in the office, around people and then maybe try 2 days a week etc I dont think that is unreasonable. I am due to go in 3 days a week starting next Tuesday and I feel sick, stressed and incredibly anxious just thinking about it. Today I let my manager know how I was struggling and asked if I could have tomorrow and the rest of Friday off (I already have a half day Friday and they are good at agreeing holidays at such short notice) to try and calm my nerves but all I got was "no, too many people off already (30% of the team can be off at any 1 time) and again, needs of the business". I feel like an exception could have been made, especially when Im struggling.
I've made an appt with my GP but that isnt for another 2 weeks sadly and I just know Tuesday will come and who knows how I will react, knowing me, maybe a panic attack or some kind of mental breakdown.
My point of this post is, Im pretty sure my employer has to make reasonable adjustments to try and help me but none have been made. All I keep getting told is "you'll be fine" and "X has gone into the office and she is ok", "needs of the business", which I feel is undermining my disability and is showing no support at all. What are my rights regarding this? Is my employer breaking any kind of law?
Thank you if you read it to the end lol sorry for the long post and I will answer any questions anyone has
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