Tweet
Health Problems And Work
Hello,
I am having a meeting at 12pm with HR and I need your advise.
I have always had a bad immunity system. I have been sick a lot through my childhood and my teenage years. Previously I worked for a private equity company where one woman constantly bullied me about being sick every month (even though I had my laptop sent to my house each time on my first day of absence!). Then in December 2006 I was diagnosed with stage 2B of Hodgkins Lymphoma. I started 6 months of chemotherapy treatment in January 2007. After I completed the treatment I had a year off work. Then on 15th September I started working as a Executive Asstant at another private equity investment company. During my interview I informed them about my medical history.
It's been almost 3 years since I started working for this company and from the begining I have been having problems with getting sick a lot. In my first year of working here i even had 30 days off. In second - 13 days. Now, i started the year with 8 days off.
Since chemotherapy I have been suffering from a weak immunity which is one of the long term side effects. I get sick a lot, sometimes even every 2 months. Someone comes to work sick or someone else sneezes at me on the tube and I get infected. I also get sick when I deal with a lot of stress. It has been extremely frustrating and expensive. I am trying different ways to boost my immunity, but apparently it may take years before I will get sick less, like normal people - once or twice a year.
Last week I had flu second time in 5 weeks! I got infected in Poland where I was visiting my family. I supposed to be back in the office after Easter Monday, but I was so unwell I decided to stay in for one more day. After a day I ralised I am not getting better and it would be sensible to stay in bed for the whole week and the following Bank Holiday weekend.
On my return in the office on Tuesday, Office Manager called me in to explain that they are concerned I have so far taken 8 days of sick leave and that they think there is a pattern with me being sick around holidays (speculating i am simulating a sickness!) and they decided they will NOT pay me fully for last week and any future sickness. My contract says: "The Company may, at its discretion, pay salary over and above Statutory Sick Payt, in the event of your absence from work due to sickness or injury. Whilst it is the policy of the Company to make up salaries during periods of sickness or incapacity not exceeding an aggregate of three months in any calendar year, the Company reserves the right to suspend or reduce such payments at any time."
I understand their position, no one else in the company gets sick as much as me, but since an interview they knew my medical history and knew i may be suffering from long term effect of it.
What really got me upset is simulating that there is a pattern. I told them that it is a complete coincidence! I am NOT a person who would ever lie or cheat and take advatage of my medical history! I worked for first 2 days of my absence from home and on last Bank Holiday Monday i did emails from home to make sure I do not have any backlog. If I was a person who simulates ilness I would not offer to work from home, I would ask for cover and stay at home sunbathing in the garden or partying in the city!
Believe me, I never cheated with sickness. The problem is that every time a normal person gets sick they stay on bed for 3 days and they are fine. I am always sick with high fever for a week or so (just like last week).
I have had an excellent work review last June, i even got a pay rise. I ALWAYS offer to work from home when I am sick cause I feel bad about an inconvenience it is causing for everybody and now, i am suspected of fraud.
I explained to Office Manager that the reason i get sick on holiday (which happened probably 2-3 times in 3 years of working here) may be that I am always very stressed a week before I go away, I have to prepare everything for a team of 4 and I work long hours. When I finally go on holiday, all that stress sinks in and I get sick.
I cannot explain why i got sick before Christmas or around Bank Holidays! It was again a coincidence. They think i have been pretending to be sick and extanding my holiday. Bull****!!!!
I accept the fact they have a right pay me less, and I decided that in the future i will NEVER work from home but ask for cover straight away, but I do NOT accept being accused of taking advantage of holiday, making up stories about being sick. I told them I have never had anything to hide, so i am surprised HR didn't get in a taxi and came to visit me at home. They would then see I am sick, in bed and unable to come to the office.
I am doing my best to stay well - i take lots of supplements, I eat well, i exercise, I go to bed at 10pm and I asked to be moved to a new team and working for Senior guys was extremnely stressful and involved very long hours.
Can you please advise me how to deal with those accusations? I will much appreciate it.
Thank you.
Noushki
I am having a meeting at 12pm with HR and I need your advise.
I have always had a bad immunity system. I have been sick a lot through my childhood and my teenage years. Previously I worked for a private equity company where one woman constantly bullied me about being sick every month (even though I had my laptop sent to my house each time on my first day of absence!). Then in December 2006 I was diagnosed with stage 2B of Hodgkins Lymphoma. I started 6 months of chemotherapy treatment in January 2007. After I completed the treatment I had a year off work. Then on 15th September I started working as a Executive Asstant at another private equity investment company. During my interview I informed them about my medical history.
It's been almost 3 years since I started working for this company and from the begining I have been having problems with getting sick a lot. In my first year of working here i even had 30 days off. In second - 13 days. Now, i started the year with 8 days off.
Since chemotherapy I have been suffering from a weak immunity which is one of the long term side effects. I get sick a lot, sometimes even every 2 months. Someone comes to work sick or someone else sneezes at me on the tube and I get infected. I also get sick when I deal with a lot of stress. It has been extremely frustrating and expensive. I am trying different ways to boost my immunity, but apparently it may take years before I will get sick less, like normal people - once or twice a year.
Last week I had flu second time in 5 weeks! I got infected in Poland where I was visiting my family. I supposed to be back in the office after Easter Monday, but I was so unwell I decided to stay in for one more day. After a day I ralised I am not getting better and it would be sensible to stay in bed for the whole week and the following Bank Holiday weekend.
On my return in the office on Tuesday, Office Manager called me in to explain that they are concerned I have so far taken 8 days of sick leave and that they think there is a pattern with me being sick around holidays (speculating i am simulating a sickness!) and they decided they will NOT pay me fully for last week and any future sickness. My contract says: "The Company may, at its discretion, pay salary over and above Statutory Sick Payt, in the event of your absence from work due to sickness or injury. Whilst it is the policy of the Company to make up salaries during periods of sickness or incapacity not exceeding an aggregate of three months in any calendar year, the Company reserves the right to suspend or reduce such payments at any time."
I understand their position, no one else in the company gets sick as much as me, but since an interview they knew my medical history and knew i may be suffering from long term effect of it.
What really got me upset is simulating that there is a pattern. I told them that it is a complete coincidence! I am NOT a person who would ever lie or cheat and take advatage of my medical history! I worked for first 2 days of my absence from home and on last Bank Holiday Monday i did emails from home to make sure I do not have any backlog. If I was a person who simulates ilness I would not offer to work from home, I would ask for cover and stay at home sunbathing in the garden or partying in the city!
Believe me, I never cheated with sickness. The problem is that every time a normal person gets sick they stay on bed for 3 days and they are fine. I am always sick with high fever for a week or so (just like last week).
I have had an excellent work review last June, i even got a pay rise. I ALWAYS offer to work from home when I am sick cause I feel bad about an inconvenience it is causing for everybody and now, i am suspected of fraud.
I explained to Office Manager that the reason i get sick on holiday (which happened probably 2-3 times in 3 years of working here) may be that I am always very stressed a week before I go away, I have to prepare everything for a team of 4 and I work long hours. When I finally go on holiday, all that stress sinks in and I get sick.
I cannot explain why i got sick before Christmas or around Bank Holidays! It was again a coincidence. They think i have been pretending to be sick and extanding my holiday. Bull****!!!!
I accept the fact they have a right pay me less, and I decided that in the future i will NEVER work from home but ask for cover straight away, but I do NOT accept being accused of taking advantage of holiday, making up stories about being sick. I told them I have never had anything to hide, so i am surprised HR didn't get in a taxi and came to visit me at home. They would then see I am sick, in bed and unable to come to the office.
I am doing my best to stay well - i take lots of supplements, I eat well, i exercise, I go to bed at 10pm and I asked to be moved to a new team and working for Senior guys was extremnely stressful and involved very long hours.
Can you please advise me how to deal with those accusations? I will much appreciate it.
Thank you.
Noushki
)
Comment